Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.85
Liaison Aimee Lemrise
Submission Date Jan. 10, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.67 / 2.00
"---" 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?:
No

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:
Though the following describes some policy related support, we do not have demonstrated evidence of policy advocacy with implicit or explicit support of the institution’s top administrators and/or governing bodies at the time of report submission. Representatives from the institution have supported the City of Carbondale Sustainability Commission. Sustainability Director, Geory Kurtzhals, met with Sustainability Commission to initially provide recommendations for the creation of a Sustainability Action Plan. In addition, Dr. Justin Schoof, Director of the SIU School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, has presented information on climate change in southern Illinois to the City Council to support the city Sustainability Commission's Sustainability Action Plan process. In an effort to provide a collaborative relationship and consistent communication, a student (and also member of campus sustainability working groups) sits on the City Sustainability Commission. Additionally, one of the community members actively participating on SIU Air and Climate Sustainability Working Group also is a member of the City Sustainability Commission. The SIU Sustainability Office has also supported the Sustainability Commission by advertising opportunities for community members to engage with the commission and provide feedback on sustainability planning.

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:
SIU Carbondale initiated the amendment of the IL Procurement code to make it easier for educational institutions in the state to enter into favorable energy conservation program contracts or energy savings contracts or leases that provide for utility cost savings. Bill SB0211 (which requested a change from guidelines which limited contracts at 15 or 20 years to allow contracts up to 25 years) was filed with the IL Senate on 1/31/2019 and shepherded by the SIU Office of Government and Public Affairs. Bill SB0211 passed both houses of the IL General Assembly on 5/21/2019 and was approved by the Governor on 8/2/2019, signing it into law as Public Act 101-0193. In addition to SIU, several other universities were involved in advising on the bill, in addition to the Environmental Law and Policy Center. Supporting links: http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=211&GAID=15&GA=101&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=116094&SessionID=108 http://siusystem.edu/govt-public-affairs/index.shtml

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
No

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:
We do not have any examples to provide at the time of reporting.

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

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:
We do not have any examples to provide at the time of reporting.

Optional Fields 

A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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None
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.