Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.83
Liaison C Jane Hagen
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Virginia Commonwealth University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Joseph Costa
Sustainability Projects and Program Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
VCU has participated in the City of Richmond Road Map to Sustainability and in Virginia Clean Cities development of model by-laws regarding EV charging stations in Virginia. VCU Sustainability is also on the City of Richmond Sustainability Advisory Planning council. VCU also works with neighborhood associations throughout the city of Richmond as well as other regional nonprofits in order to guide the discussion of community and sustainability initiatives. One recent example of VCU's coordination with city government includes working to develop a better bike and pedestrian infrastructure, including discussions towards achieving city wide bike sharing. http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionCleanCity/index.aspx

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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
VCU is a member of Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, and the Director of Sustainability sits on the board of Resilient VA, an organization that that will provide residents, businesses and governments with the ability to adapt and thrive despite changing environmental, social, and economic conditions. Resiliency brings together many areas of community functioning which often operate independently. These include: the built environment, ecosystem services and the natural environment, energy production, food and water security, emergency preparedness, economic risk management, health services, transportation, communication, and education.

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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
VCU is member of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) as of 2008, and uses this commitment to try and advance sustainability commitments from the administration during planning processes. Additionally, VCU's Director of Sustainability Erin Stanforth has also served on AASHE's STARS Governance Structure, as a Technical Adviser in the field of purchasing.

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

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:
-

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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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://resilientvirginia.org/about-resilient-virginia https://states.ms2ch.org/va/virginia-clinicians-for-climate-action/ http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionCleanCity/index.aspx

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.