Overall Rating	Silver - expired
Overall Score	61.34
Liaison	Jennifer Kleindienst
Submission Date	Dec. 20, 2019

STARS v2.2

Wesleyan University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00	Jennifer Kleindienst Sustainability Coordinator Finance and Administration

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Local advocacy

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:

Jennifer Kleindienst (Sustainability Director) serves as Wesleyan's representative and Chair of Middletown's Clean Energy Task Force, which advocates for actions and policies related to energy conservation, efficiency, and renewables within the City. Kleindienst also chairs the City's sustainability team, which promotes the statewide Sustainable CT initiative. Anna Salo-Markowski in University Relations is a member of both committees as well.

Professor emeritus Krishna Winston chairs the City's Recycling Commission, as she has for the past three decades.

Professor Stephen Devoto is the elected chair of the City's Planning & Zoning commission, which addresses sustainability and other concerns.

Wesleyan has also been actively represented at Common Council meetings with presentations. Wesleyan, through student leadership, has collaborated with Middletown Area Transit and the City of Middletown in installing bus stop signs on campus and changing a key bus route to better accommodate Wesleyan and the larger Middletown community.

Regional advocacy

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:

Wesleyan has been working with the state Department of Transportation and Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC) to expand the state's UPass transit program to private college students. Through this program, currently available only to state and community college students, students pay a per-semester fee and then ride most transit in Connecticut for free for the year.

In June 2018, Wesleyan President Michael Roth signed onto a regional letter (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hhgsnjHX5gVyV2hLLH8h1BxIsfjoknPPgDfSb2DA7rs/edit?ts=5ad4f524) in support of the regional TCI (transportation carbon initiative)

National advocacy

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:

In early 2017, Wesleyan was one of the first signatories to join the PutAPriceOnIt campaign (https://theclimatesolution.com/), advocating for carbon pricing as a solution to the United States' carbon emissions challenge.

International advocacy

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:

Wesleyan signed onto the We Are Still In Pledge in 2017 (https://www.wearestillin.com/about), pledging Wesleyan's commitment to keep the United States' Paris Accord goals.

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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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/19/fact-sheet-ahead-conference-climate-change-more-200-colleges-and

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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