Northern Arizona University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Seven percent of active NAU employees serve on boards and commissions at local, state-wide, and national level. Among them are many whose community service is directly focused on issues of sustainability. This is an example of organizations with a sustainability mission component where NAU staff is involved in leadership roles, advocacy, policy development, and program implementation: • City of Flagstaff Open Spaces Commission • City of Flagstaff Park and Recreation Commission • City of Flagstaff Sustainability Commission • Coconino County Parks and Recreation Commission • Coconino County Sustainable Building Program • Conservation Biology Institute • Ecological Society of America SEEDS program • Education for Conservation and Sustainability - Rio Platano • Flagstaff Foodlink • Friends of Flagstaff Area National Monuments Foundation • Friends of Flagstaff's Future • Southwest Renewable Energy Institute • The Arboretum at Flagstaff • The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Chapter • The Wildlife Society • US Section of the International Association for Landscape Ecology • US Green Building Council President Haeger is on the steering committee for ACUPCC which of course is a public advocacy group. NAU is a member of Arizona Forward which is a statewide sustainability advocacy group. Wally Covington of Ecological Restoration Initiative regularly testifies at Congress advocating for forest restoration initiatives. NAU has worked closely in the past with the Arizona Energy Department to advance energy standards for state buildings and advocate with the legislature for those standards. At the Institute for Sustainable Energy Solutions, we are advancing sustainable energy systems by performing novel research to expand our understanding and the utilization of renewable energy systems and resources. We work to be at the cutting edge in exploring the possibilities for a renewable energy future and directing society to make these a reality. "Society has a good start on transitioning its electricity system. It has renewable energy technologies that are either cost competitive or nearly so, gaining acceptance in the utility system and which have stable, long-term prices. In order to move forward, people need smart policies and sensible planning processes that reward and encourage long term and holistic thinking. These actions will allow humanity to take advantage of the deep pool of research talent at universities, businesses and national laboratories." -Tom Acker, PhD, ISES Director

NAU's government affairs team looks positively on sustainability policy measures and works to provide information on the impacts of such policies as opposed to advocating for or against them. Other political positions the university has recently taken include advocating for student funding, advocating for capital infrastructure and advocating for a performance funding system.

NAU does not make political contributions/donations.