Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.91
Liaison Andy Mitchell
Submission Date July 17, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Illinois Chicago
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Cynthia Klein-Banai
Associate Chancellor for Sustainability
Office of 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:
With City of Chicago - through a group of 11 Chicago Universities called the Alliance to Retrofit Chicago Higher Education, we provide input into ordinances that support energy efficiency and renewable energy use and reporting, such as the Chicago Building Energy Benchmarking ordinance. The Great Cities Institute Local & Regional Governance Research Cluster promotes research and policy analysis that evaluates policy decisions and in specific cases, supports local municipal staff, administration, policy-makers and non-profits in local and regional policy making and programming. The Institute’s mission supports the Local & Regional Governance Research Cluster’s focus, not only regarding municipal planning and policy, but also on understanding cities in their regional context. The issues include participatory budgeting, mass incarceration, disparities in unemployment, fiscal policy, sub-urbanization and poverty.

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:
Renewable energy - the University of Illinois Office of Government Affairs is developing policy that will allow public higher education institutions in Illinois to enter into long term Power Purchase Agreements. Currently, the ten year limit on such contracts makes it difficult to execute PPAs.

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:
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.

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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
UI 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. https://massmail.illinois.edu/massmail/28147.html

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:
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