Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.66
Liaison Rania Assariotaki
Submission Date Feb. 11, 2020

STARS v2.2

The American College of Greece
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 2.00 Ourania Assariotaki
Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
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Regional advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
---

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:
All initiatives below have been endorsed by the highest executive governance body and represent ACG.

Also, ACG has advocated for the planning, shaping the legal framework that on Tobacco control at a national level in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Also, the ACG Board of Trustees and the highest executives have endorsed the ACG Institute of Public Health to represent the institution and lead the efforts for the implementation of the non-smoking policies in Greece. Moreover, ACG based on nation-wide interventions at school to educate young people on how to turn into a non-smoking generation through our SMOKEFREE GREECE nation wide program. On top of that, the Ministry of Health appointed the Director of the ACG Institute of Public Health Prof.Panagiotis Behrakis, ACG IPH Director and SMOKEFREEGREECE founder, was recently appointed Head of the Experts Committee for Tobacco Control in Greece, authorized by the Greek Ministry of Health, whose aim is to support the implementation of the law and the anti-smoking policies. Prof. Behrakis was the leading expert to collaborate with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health for the preparation and implementation of the updated smoking ban law in Greece.
Institute of Public Health operates under the administration of the Vice President of Public Affairs. All its efforts are therefore endorsed, supported, funded, and approved through the ACG administrative infrastructure.
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/institute-of-public-health/
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/institute-of-public-health/about-the-institute-of-public-health/
Also, based on our efforts to eliminate the single use-plastic items on and off campus, we have collaborated with the Ministry of Environment and Energy in order to assist them in shaping the national legal framework for the elimination of single-use plastics at a national level based on the respective EU Directive. The law will be voted by the Greek Parliament.
As a leading academic institution in Greece, educating the leaders of tomorrow, with social impact and community contribution at the epicentre since ACG’s founding in 1875, we feel it is our responsibility to contribute by sharing our knowledge both internally and externally, leading by example and helping reduce our plastic footprint. That is also why we named our campaign #ACGGoesPlasticFree; in order to send a strong message to our community and a motto that we can all apply in our efforts to going single-use plastic-free.

The key goals of the #ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign are the following:
(a) Raise awareness on the harmful consequences of single-use plastic pollution within the ACG Community.
(b) Educate and guide the ACG community members (students, faculty, staff, parents, visitors, alumni and business partners) towards making a successful shift from the use of single-use plastics to the reusable alternatives (water bottle, coffee cup, lunch box, straw, and cutlery).
(c) Establish new policies based on international best practices and national laws
(d) Turn our community members into ‘plastic-free ambassadors’, instilling this new plastic-free lifestyle to their closest family members and friends, ultimately leading to a reduction in SUP off-campus.
(e) Gradually reduce and, ultimately, eliminate single-use plastic from our campus, as allowed by national regulations.
(f) Advocate for the implementation of legislation and public policies that advance the elimination of plastics at a national level; and actively participate in campaigns aiming to change public policy.
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/
https://www.acg.edu/news-events/news/acg-cares-for-a-plastic-free-future/

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:
The American College of Greece through the ACG Institute of Public Health leads the EU-funded project, Joint Action on Tobacco Control (JATC) (The Institute of Public Health has been fully endorsed and supported by the Board of Trustees and highest administration to officially act on advocating policies on health issues and specifically with the Non-Smoking Law). JATC is a collaborative action between the European Commission and the EU member states regarding the regulation of tobacco and its products at the EU level. In this context, IPH together with other 29 European Institutions, work together to provide scientific evidence that helps shape regulations and policies on the manufacturing, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products, to be implemented at the national, regional and European level. One of the issues addressed by JATC is how tobacco products also affect human well-being from an environmental perspective.

https://jaotc.eu/portfolio-item/iph-acg/

*Institute of Public Health operates under the administration of the Vice President of Public Affairs. All its efforts are therefore endorsed, supported, funded, and approved through the ACG administrative infrastructure.
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/institute-of-public-health/
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/institute-of-public-health/about-the-institute-of-public-health/

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):
---

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The ACG Institute of Public Health operates under the administration of the Vice President of Public Affairs. All its efforts are therefore endorsed, supported, funded, and approved through the ACG administrative infrastructure.
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/institute-of-public-health/
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/institute-of-public-health/about-the-institute-of-public-health/

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