| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.87 |
| Liaison | Rania Assariotaki |
| Submission Date | Feb. 21, 2023 |
The American College of Greece
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Ourania
Assariotaki Sustainability Manager Office of Public Affairs |
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:
ACG participates in the public consultation process of the Sustainable Transportation and Commuting Plan of the local Municipality in which ACG operates. Then we were asked to officially provide suggestions for improvement. The college is represented by the Senior Manager for Sustainability.
This is fully supported by the top administration of ACG.
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:
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:
All initiatives below have been endorsed by the highest executive governance body and represent ACG and have taken place in the past 3 years.
ACG through the National Alliance for the Elimination of Food Waste, which operates under the Auspices of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, participated in the consultation of the National Waste Management law which included issues on food waste. All participants including ACG were asked to provide comments and improvements to the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
We are members since 2018. The consultation of the law between the members of the Alliance with the Ministry of Environment concluded in 2022 with the voting of the national law in regards to waste management. The "discussion and submission of certain edits/proposals to the law began in 2021.
Additionally, ACG through the Senior Manager for Sustainability actively participates in the CR Committee of the American- Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. AMCHAM is working closely with the US Embassy, the Greek Government and the US Government and consults them on issues like geopolitics, economics, sustainability etc. The Senior Manager for Sustainability participated twice in the drafting of AMCHAM's position paper addressing issues on sustainability. This paper is shared with members of the government at a national and international level. More specifically, our proposals were included in the position's paper of 2021 and 2022. The 2021 position paper Sustainability and COVID and the 2022 position paper was on Human Rights and contained certain guidelines and actions in regards to Human Rights and Nature, business and human rights, employees' rights etc.
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 was voted by the Greek Parliament in 2022.
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/
In June 2021 ACG through her membership in the organization COMPETE submitted proposals during the public consultation phase of the National Climate law in the area of education and the role of educational institutions in regards to fighting climate change and collaboration with the government.
COMPETE The Council on Competitiveness of Greece is the leading authority on competitiveness issues and at the forefront of any initiative towards rendering our economy more competitive so that society may prosper.
They are committed to systematic actions which aim at finding solutions and submitting proposals to specific problems in strategic areas so that both businesses and the country can exploit their potential.
https://competegr.org/en/the-council/
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:
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. The JOINT ACTION 2 PHASE begun in 2020 and continues until today.
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/
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
All the above-mentioned initiatives have been endorsed and approved by the top administration. The highest administration is constantly aware of the initiatives through reports in order to monitor the progress. Moreover, all the above-mentioned initiatives are taking place by the Office of Public Affairs with the supervision of the VP of Public Affairs.
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/
All the above-mentioned initiatives have been endorsed and approved by the top administration. The highest administration is constantly aware of the initiatives through reports in order to monitor the progress. Moreover, all the above-mentioned initiatives are taking place by the Office of Public Affairs with the supervision of the VP of Public Affairs.
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/
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.