| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.28 |
| Liaison | Ciara Tennis |
| Submission Date | Nov. 3, 2022 |
Eastern Connecticut State University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.33 / 2.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Local advocacy
No
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
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Regional advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
Eastern's President Elsa Nunez, through her active participation as Chair of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Steering Committee, has advocated, with other university presidents, for strong public policies on climate change at the regional level, including the following:
October 2020 - President Nunez signed a letter to urge states (including CT's Governor) to join in the MOU to participate in the Transportation Climate Initiative.
July 2020 - President Nunez moderated a virtual discussion on climate change, featuring former Sen. John Kerry and MIT President Rafael Reif.
July 2020 - President Nunez signed a letter with 28 other businesses, business associations, and institutions from across New England to support responsibly-developed offshore wind.
In addition, The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University participates in the development of state-level (Connecticut) policies that advance state-wide sustainability. The Executive Director of ISE (who reports to the university president) was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Governor’s Council on Climate Change from 2016-2018. The Council is charged with identifying interim GHG targets for Connecticut and identify strategies to meet CT’s goal of 80% reductions in GHG emissions by 2050. In December 2018, the Council released its report for achieving the state's greenhouse gas emissions goals. https://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/climatechange/publications/building_a_low_carbon_future_for_ct_gc3_recommendations.pdf. In 2021, the Executive Director of ISE is serving on a working group called "Policy on Resilient Forests for Connecticut’s Future" to develop recommendations for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
October 2020 - President Nunez signed a letter to urge states (including CT's Governor) to join in the MOU to participate in the Transportation Climate Initiative.
July 2020 - President Nunez moderated a virtual discussion on climate change, featuring former Sen. John Kerry and MIT President Rafael Reif.
July 2020 - President Nunez signed a letter with 28 other businesses, business associations, and institutions from across New England to support responsibly-developed offshore wind.
In addition, The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University participates in the development of state-level (Connecticut) policies that advance state-wide sustainability. The Executive Director of ISE (who reports to the university president) was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Governor’s Council on Climate Change from 2016-2018. The Council is charged with identifying interim GHG targets for Connecticut and identify strategies to meet CT’s goal of 80% reductions in GHG emissions by 2050. In December 2018, the Council released its report for achieving the state's greenhouse gas emissions goals. https://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/climatechange/publications/building_a_low_carbon_future_for_ct_gc3_recommendations.pdf. In 2021, the Executive Director of ISE is serving on a working group called "Policy on Resilient Forests for Connecticut’s Future" to develop recommendations for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
National advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
The President of Eastern Elsa Nunez has signed and participated in We Are Still In. See Eastern's page here: https://www.wearestillin.com/organization/eastern-connecticut-state-university
International advocacy
No
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
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Optional Fields
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None
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Eastern CT State University is a state agency and does not make political donations.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://secondnature.org/media/higher-education-institutions-urge-the-biden-administration-to-support-a-strong-2030-u-s-climate-target/
Information for this credit was provided by Lynn Stoddard, Former Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, and reviewed by Patty Szczys, Director of the Institute for Sustainability.
Information for this credit was provided by Lynn Stoddard, Former Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, and reviewed by Patty Szczys, Director of the Institute for Sustainability.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.