| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.92 |
| Liaison | Sally DeLeon |
| Submission Date | Feb. 12, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Maryland, College Park
PAE-24: Sustainability Policy Advocacy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Sally
DeLeon Acting Manager Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk |
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Has the institution advocated for federal, state, and/or local public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability?:
Yes
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A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability, including the issues, bills, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
The University of Maryland Climate Action Plan details areas in which the university is advocating for sustainability policies on the state and federal levels. The university Energy Manager is working with the state on policies to assist the university on achieving climate neutrality, as described in the Climate Action Plan. These policies include:
-Cost Savings Returned to University/State Entity: recognize repayment of internal loans to fund capital investments for energy efficiency and conservation methods. Savings may be needed to invest in infrastructure and education/outreach.
-Additional Capital Investment for High Performing Energy Efficient Buildings: state should provide additional capital to construct high performing, energy efficient buildings based on engineering estimates/guarantees of operations and maintenance savings over the life of the building
Federal-level policy advocacy described in the Climate Action Plan includes:
-Federal and Other Policy Flexibility: Regulations such as the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and 2005 should allow more flexibility to achieve the overall emission reductions goals intended without limiting the alternatives as more options for reaching these goals become available.
On the local level, the University of Maryland has partnered with the surrounding City of College Park to become an EPA Green Power Community. Green Power Communities are towns, villages, cities, counties, or tribal governments in which the local government, businesses, and residents collectively buy green power in amounts that meet or exceed EPA's Green Power Community purchase requirements. This partnership between the City, UMD, and dedicated homeowners and businesses in College Park is leading College Park to achieve greater sustainability in the future as a Green Power Community. The City annually purchases more than 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of wind power (100 percent of its annual electricity use for city facilities and streetlights).
None
The website URL where information about the institution’s advocacy efforts are available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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