Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	65.69
Liaison	Alan Turnquist
Submission Date	July 24, 2023

STARS v2.2

Michigan Technological University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00	Alan Turnquist Director of Sustainability and Resilience Office of the President

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Local advocacy

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:

At the municipal/local level, the Michigan Tech administration works with the local Copper Country Recycling Initiative (CCRI)to promote curbside recycling in the local community. The Director of Sustainability and Resilience, Alan Turnquist, works with CCRI and the cities of Houghton and Hancock, Michigan to add curbside recycling to both communities. Efforts are underway now to promote other local communities in the County, such as Dollar Bay, Calumet, and Lake Linden to adopt policies that would allow curbside or at least community level recycling locations. By combining efforts with City Managers and Solid Waste commissioners, we have made a difference in improving the diversion rate of the area (SDG 11).

Meetings with the Houghton County planning commission discussed creating a Municipal Power system to reduce costs and Community Solar installation so that residents can benefit from solar energy through sharing the cost of the installation. This has resulted in the successful installation of a 100Kw Community Solar site in nearby L'Anse, Michigan. Plans are underway for another in nearby Baraga, MI, as well as in Houghton,

Regional advocacy

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:

William Kordenbrock, Vice President for Government Relations (https://www.mtu.edu/president/teams/council/kordenbrock.html) has repeatedly supported expansion of the amount of renewable energy that utilities must allow to enter the grid in the State of Michigan. This supports our own campus-based generation and small scale generators across the state.

National advocacy

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:

William Kordenbrock, Vice President for Government Relations (https://www.mtu.edu/president/teams/council/kordenbrock.html), has advocated to congressional representatives and top officials in the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to include abandoned mine sites in upper midwest under the definition of "mine sites" under US EPA and US DOE funding parameters. Currently, the definitions are very narrow and defined by the incredibly out of date 1872 Mine Law. The reason for pursuing this change is that Michigan Tech has an advanced portfolio of research around using abandoned mines as "batteries" for renewable energy systems through Pumped Underground Storage Hydro (PUSH) systems. This could be an absolute game changer for grid-level integration of renewable energy across the upper midwest.

International advocacy

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:

Michigan Tech's President has supported the United Nations Framework on Climate Change since 2018 (see attached letter). This institutional support continues to this day, as a now mature program supports the Michigan Tech's annual trip to United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) to negotiate global climate policy issues. Michigan Tech sent 12 students with "Observer Status" to Egypt, in early December 2022 to present research findings related to four of the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG): SDG 6, clean water and sanitation; SDG 7, affordable and clean energy; SDG 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure; and SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities. The office of sustainability and resilience on campus supported the delegation by creating digital content on campus sustainability efforts.

Optional Fields

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

---

None

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:

https://blogs.mtu.edu/huskies-cop/2023/02/eugene-in-egypt-at-cop27/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

1._cover_letter-_Mroz_1.pdf

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Several references in the city of Houghton Master Plan for working with Michigan Tech on energy and recycling programs.

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.