| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.17 |
| Liaison | Carly Thibodeau |
| Submission Date | Aug. 21, 2023 |
Endicott College
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.33 / 2.00 |
Carly
Thibodeau Associate Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
The College has supported the City of Beverly's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program for city adaptation against the effects of climate change. This program helps determine focal areas and priorities to create public policies that address mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Endicott advocates through the MVP program to create climate driven policies at the municipal level. The College administration and faculty are directly supporting and an active resource to advocate and develop necessary policies
The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program (MVP) provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts to begin the process of planning for climate change resiliency and implementing priority projects. The state awards communities with funding to complete vulnerability assessments and develop action-oriented resiliency plans. Communities who complete the MVP program become certified as an MVP community and are eligible for MVP Action grant funding and other opportunities.
The program helps communities to:
Define climate related hazards
Understand how they may be impacted by climate change utilizing the latest science and data at http://www.resilientma.org/
Identify existing and future climate vulnerabilities and strengths
Identify opportunities to take action to reduce risk and build resilience
Implement priority actions identified through the planning process
Endicott faculty, staff, and students participated in city-wide meetings and advocated to city committees to aid in Beverly's recent Coastal Resiliency Plan - https://www.beverlyma.gov/254/Beverly-Salems-Climate-Action-Resilience#:~:text=The%20Climate%20Action%20and%20Resilience,Infrastructure. Faculty served as subject matter experts and interacted directly with city staff to help form the plan. This plan will influence and inform policies moving forward as they relate to development, adaptation and climate mitigation throughout the city.
Endicott staff attended Beverly Conservation Commission meetings and advocated for new development that maintains green space and properly manages our natural resources. As one of the largest property owners in Beverly, the College plays a major role in advocating for policies as they relate to conservation and new development.
The Office of Sustainability also has semi-annual with City of Beverly sustainability staff, Beverly Waste Reduction Committee, and regular meetings with major local nonprofit player Green Beverly to advocate and be a resource for policy formation related to energy, waste, and climate.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
Endicott advocates for climate and energy policy regulation and reform through its energy consultant, PowerOptions, which directly participates in providing comments to state legislative bodies such as the DPU, ISO-NE, and MassSave program administrators. Acting as Endicott's voice and expressing concerns that the College has felt, PowerOptions pushes for affordability and reliability, while supporting policies that help meet climate action goals at the state level. Students have also been involved in state advocacy via partnerships with local organizations like the Ipswich River Watershed Association, meeting with state senators in support of water conservation and regulation policies.
Endicott has advocated through the MVP program to create climate driven policies at the municipal and state level. The College administration and faculty are directly supporting and an active resource to advocate and develop necessary policies. Staff and faculty have presented at public meetings and to committees to advocate climate adaption, mitigation, and resiliency minded policies.
The municipal level MVP Program noted above is now required at a State level for all municipalities in Massachusetts to inform statewide policies.
The resilient MA Climate Clearinghouse. This website, and the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program it supports, are cornerstones of our administration’s efforts to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard residents, municipalities and businesses from the impacts of climate change, and build a more resilient Commonwealth. While a changing climate knows no geographical boundaries, cities and towns across Massachusetts are on the front lines of climate change. Launched in 2017, the MVP program grew out of a strong desire to work with cities and towns to prepare for the impacts of climate change and build more resilient communities. We are proud that in our first year 71 communities have joined the program and are taking a leadership role using their local knowledge and community strengths to partner with the Commonwealth on this issue.
As first announced at our 2017 Municipal Climate Change Summit, we have produced the resilient MA Climate Clearinghouse to ensure continued access to information and provide communities with the best science and data on expected climate changes, information on community resiliency, and links to important grant programs and technical assistance. The site also catalogs specific vulnerabilities, risks and strategies concerning agriculture, forestry, local government, education, energy, recreation, and transportation. All of the climate projections included on the website are specific to Massachusetts and were produced by the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center at UMass-Amherst. We’ve also included an interactive map so that users can understand how climate change will affect their specific location and the resources they manage.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.