Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.12
Liaison Ciannat Howett
Submission Date July 25, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Emory University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Kelly Weisinger
Director
Office of Sustainability Initiatives
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

In 2012, Emory supported the proposed Transportation Investment Act by educating the Emory community on the legislation details and providing voter registration information and assistance. Since the TIA failed to pass in 2012, Emory continues to provide leadership in advancing the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative (CCTI), a light rail line that will connect major Atlanta business and residential hubs to each other, and will also serve the Emory campus. With over 30,000 employees in the Clifton Corridor, the largest activity center in the metro Atlanta region having no direct access to a MARTA station or the interstate system, the CCTI is critical to the future of this thriving economic area. Emory and MARTA, along with its partners in the Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association and other community stakeholders, participated in extensive community outreach and input that concluded in the recommendation of the Locally Preferred Alternative, which was officially adopted by the MARTA board in 2012. Currently, MARTA, in conjunction with other regional partners including the CCTMA, is conducting the Environmental Review & Impact Statement, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

In early 2017, Former Emory President, Jim Wagner; Claire Sterk, Emory's current President; and Jonathan Lewin, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs as well as President, CEO, and Chairman for Emory Healthcare, met with Emory's state Senator Elena Parent and Emory's state Representative Mary Margaret Oliver. Topics of discussion bringing transit to the Clifton Corridor. Betty Willis in Emory’s Office of Government & Community Affairs has actively engaged in advocacy and provided testimony to advance transit in the State Legislature.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Emory is actively engaging with members of Congress to oppose the significant decrease in support for the NIH by the US President's FY2018 proposed budget. NIH grant programs fund research at Emory related to a large number of issues related to sustainability and public health, including a 2016 joint $30 million to Emory, Johns Hopkins, and Colorado State universities for a multi-country assessment of the impact of cleaner burning cooking stoves on household air pollution and health. A 2013 NIH grant funded the HERCULES Center at Emory (Health and Exposome Research Center: Understanding Lifetime Exposures), the first exposome-based center grant awarded in the U.S. These are just two examples of many NIH-funded research related to sustainability that Emory is advocating to preserve nationwide.

http://gca.emory.edu/newsletters/congress/ECR-25th-edition-june2.html
http://www.emory.edu/home/about/points-pride/breakthrough-research.html

In August 2016, Emory hosted a sustainability tour for Members of Congress and the Executive Branch. They were able to see, first-hand, Emory’s sustainability initiatives.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Emory University is an official observer at the UN climate talks. Emory sent a faculty and student delegation to the Conference of the Parties for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2015 Paris Agreement. Faculty, staff and student teams have attended multiple UN conferences (including COP-21 and COP-22). At those conferences, the faculty and student teams have presented posters and other information about Emory’s sustainability activities and efforts for climate action locally, nationally and internationally.

Additionally, above advocacy for maintaining NIH's budget supports the advancement of sustainability at the international level through research.


A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):

The question is not applicable because Emory is a non-profit organization and does not make political contributions.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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