| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.05 |
| Liaison | Beverley Ayeni |
| Submission Date | Dec. 11, 2020 |
University of Toronto Mississauga
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
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:
Staff members from UTM were consulted and provided input on the City of Mississauga's Climate Change Action Plan. The CCAP is the City’s 10-year road map for tackling climate change, and is the City’s first comprehensive climate change action plan. The Climate Change Stakeholder panel included representatives from UTM, including the Chief Administrative Office, the Director, Utilities & Sustainability, and a faculty member. The Panel met on a regular basis at key decision-points and milestones throughout the project process and
development of the Action Plan, including the visioning, climate risk assessment, and action planning stages.
UTM's Director, Utilities & Sustainability, lobbied for the inclusion of Action #4 (Increase the Use and Supply of Renewable Energy at Municipally-Owned Facilities) and Action #5 (Advance Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience of Municipally-Owned Buildings).
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:
UTM representatives are extremely closely involved with the Ontario Association of Physical Plant administrators (OAPPA), and sit on both the OAPPA directors committee and OAPPA energy committee. The Council of Ontario Universities has a person who serves as a liaison between OAPPA and various provincial government ministries (Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks, etc.) These ministries consult with OAPPA to get input on policies prior to implementation. UTM has advocated - via OAPPA - for universities to be eligible to participate in Ontario's Emissions Performance Standards program, a performance-based standards program that applies to industrial facilities to regulate their greenhouse gas emissions.
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:
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:
In 2019, University of Toronto president Meric Gertler met with other university leaders as part of the U7+ Alliance, a group that was established by France as a way to dig deeper into the issues to be discussed by world leaders at the upcoming G7 summit. Leaders from the U7+ universities committed to addressing collectively five pressing international issues: the role of universities in a global world; climate change and energy transition; inequality in societies; technological transformations; and community engagement and impact.
The University of Toronto led the group's discussion on climate change and sustainability.
As a major outcome of the U7+ meeting, the group voted unanimously to adopt six principles:
Stay closely linked to the annual G7 summit in order to continue to contribute to positive global change
Train and nurture “responsible and active citizens who will contribute to society, from the local to the global level”
Address environmental issues and challenges including sustainability and climate change
Promote inclusion and opportunity while fostering “evidence-based public debate” to combat societal polarization
Work to solve complex global issues through interdisciplinary research and learning
Share best practices with each other and other institutions around the world
The University of Toronto was very involved in helping to draft the principle that speaks to climate change. John Robinson, U of T’s presidential adviser on the environment, climate change and sustainability, and a professor in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the School of the Environment, was a key member of that working group and helped to draft the initial statement of principles, as well as sketch out a number of concrete proposed actions.
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:
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.