Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.25
Liaison Miriam Keep
Submission Date Feb. 25, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Meredith Moore
Sustainability Programs Coordinator
Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
"---" 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:
The University coordinates the Champaign County Community Resilience Task Force, which addresses issues of making the both the local and regional areas more sustainable and resilient to the future impacts of climate change. The current team is empowered to make recommendations to local and regional entities on how to be more sustainable, and recently received a formal charge from two local mayors. To underscore the importance of this achievement, both mayors - and by extension, their city governments - have officially and publicly made a firm commitment to integrate resilience planning and efforts to combat the impacts of climate change into their municipal structure and to support University of Illinois recommendations that work toward this common goal.

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:
As noted above, the University coordinates the Champaign County Community Resilience Task Force, which addresses issues of making the both the local and regional areas more sustainable and resilient to the future impacts of climate change. Multiple counties are involved in our outreach efforts, and pending recommendations for the area include expanding both emergency and sustainability messaging in languages other than English to better reach vulnerable populations.

Additionally, the University of Illinois advocates on a state level for policies that expand the lease terms available for campus contracts. This policy change is specifically targeted (in part) to allow campus to pursue longer energy purchasing options to allow us more options in choosing green energy providers and developing our own on-site sustainable production (e.g. a second solar farm).

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:
The University of Illinois System Office of Governmental Relations (https://www.ogr.uillinois.edu/) coordinates and documents the University of Illinois' efforts at lobbying for state and federal policies. In the past year, the University of Illinois has specifically supported efforts toward sustainable energy and agriculture policies, among many other efforts. Additionally, the university has joined several "Dear Colleague" letters related to sustainable topics.

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:
UIUC System President Timothy Killeen, on behalf of the University, has reiterated our institutional commitment to the Paris Accord and combating climate change numerous times, including in a high-profile public statement following the United States' own withdrawal.

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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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts 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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