| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 45.51 |
| Liaison | Mat Thijssen |
| Submission Date | Nov. 6, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Waterloo
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Mat
Thijssen Sustainability Manager Sustainability Office |
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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
In 2016, the University of Waterloo hosted a Decarbonization Forum for Waterloo Region. This gathered political leaders, senior staff at municipal and regional government, local utility companies, large business representatives, and civil society leaders to collaborate on developing a blueprint and policy roadmap for decarbonizing Waterloo Region by 2050. The forum was initiated and led by the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy. For more information, visit: https://wise.uwaterloo.ca/decarbonization_forum
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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
In 2009, University of Waterloo President David Johnston signed onto the Council of Ontario Universities Going Greener Pledge. This established Waterloo’s commitment to create and disseminate solutions to sustainability challenges, mobilize them beyond campus, and operate the campus sustainably. The commitment can be found online at: http://cou.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/COU-Exec-Heads-Green-Pledge.pdf
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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
In 2011, Waterloo established the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI) in collaboration with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics to bring together top thinkers across disciplines and generations to solve pressing global problems. To date, WGSI and its partners have hosted impactful summits to develop global solutions, including OPENACCESS Energy, Learning 2030, Energy 2030, and Generation SDG to tackle critical sustainability challenges. The summits conclude with strategic Blueprints or Communiques on making progress on each theme.
The results of these Communiqués and Blueprints are used to inform public policy in the relevant spheres. For example, WGSI hosted a side event to the COP22 Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, on November 16, 2016 based on specific recommendations made in the OpenAccess Energy Blueprint. The session explored alliances between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities that would improve climate resilience in Indigenous communites, built on a brief for COP22 with recommendations for global action on energy access, including examples from remote and Indigenous communities in Canada. Further, the OpenAccess Energy Summit contributors created a petition (signed by 262 individuals from 67 organizations across 55 countries, including the President of the University of Waterloo) urging the UN's Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Advisory Board to make equity core to the program’s mandate. In addition, the Generation SDG Blueprint and Communiqué outline policy recommendations for senior levels of government within Canada to create enabling conditions for communities to localize the SDGs
More information is available at: http://www.wgsi.org/
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):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.