| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.28 |
| Liaison | Michelle Seppala Gibbs |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
Hope College
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.67 / 2.00 |
Michelle
Gibbs Director 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 had an active role in engaging and encouraging the City of Holland and the Holland Board of Public Works to continue to move forward with the goals of the Community Energy Plan and setting news goals to meet the increasing urgency of Climate Change. This includes planning meetings as well as attending/speaking at public Council Meetings.
On Wednesday, February 19, 2020 a group from Hope College took turns speaking during a City Council meeting to encourage Council to revisit and update the Community Energy Plan. Those that spoke were one student, two faculty members, a Dean, and a third faculty member read a letter from the President as he was not able to attend in person. Another three student/staff/faculty members attended in support.
Dr. Jeffrey Christians was appointed by the College President to serve as a college representative for the Holland Community Energy Plan Strategic Development Team from 2020-2021. During this time, the Strategic Development Team performed a comprehensive review of the Holland Community Energy Plan. The results of this work were recommendations by the Strategic Development Team for additional strategies and an updated, more aggressive, goal for carbon emission reductions for the City of Holland, as part of a revised 40 year Community Energy Plan. The recommendations from this report were unanimously adopted by the Holland City Council in the fall of 2021.
https://www.cityofholland.com/1076/Community-Energy-Plan-CEP-Strategic-Deve
Multiple departments from across campus have also been involved in a local project called "Project Clarity" which is "A community-wide partnership committed to improving the health and clarity of Lake Macatawa and the Macatawa Watershed. This legacy project will have a lasting, profound impact on the economy, environment, and community as a whole."
https://outdoordiscovery.org/project-clarity/
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:
--Multiple staff from the college serve on a committee focused on a small regional carbon sequestration project.
--Faculty from the Biology, Chemistry, and GES Departments have done work for years in various countries about water access/health. The college has fully supported the development of this work and the faculty that serve in this project through the newly launched Global Water Research Institute.
Specifically on a regionaly level, Dr. Kenneth Brown from Hope's Chemistry Department is working in partnership with faculty/reseearchers at Notre Dame University, Valparaiso University, Indiana University Northwest, and Purdue University to change the environmental justice issues happening in Northwestern Indiana. They are looking at air quality, water quality, lead, superfund sites, and hazardous waste sites caused because of the fact that this area has been so heavily comtaminated by the industrilization of this area. Dr. Brown is the chair and academic liaison to the Community Advisory Board. This has led to citizen collected samples and an increase in data collection to drive support for positive action. Northwest Indiana's industrial zones were ranked #4 in a 2023 article in THE GUARDIAN revealing the 10 worst places to live in the US for air pollution (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/08/10-most-air-polluted-places-to-live-us).
https://www.aquorarc.com/vision
https://hope.edu/research/global-water-research-institute/
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:
Multiple staff/faculty have been involved with the Citizens Climate Lobby organization although not appointed by the college.
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/
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:
Faculty from the Biology, Chemistry, and GES Departments have done work for years in various countries about water access/health. The college has fully supported the development of this work and the faculty that serve in this project through the newly launched Global Water Research Institute.
https://www.aquorarc.com/vision
https://hope.edu/research/global-water-research-institute/
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
Hope College is among the institutions that signed the International Talloires Declaration, a 10-point plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations, and outreach at colleges and universities.
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
n/a
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.