| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 32.08 |
| Liaison | Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley |
| Submission Date | June 29, 2023 |
Salve Regina University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.67 / 2.00 |
Mary
Pelletier Program Manager Mission Integration |
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:
Students in Dr. Craig Condella's Environmental Justice course worked with Clean Ocean Access (a local non-profit advocacy group) to assess community use and awareness of water access points in the city of Newport, RI over a two-year period. This work culminated in reports to the Cliff Walk Commission in 2018 and Newport City Council in 2019. More recent work in the course has involved collaboration with Bike Newport, another advocacy group, that works to educate and work with the local community in establishing safe biking practices.
Dr. Jameson Chace, chair of the Department of Cultural, Environmental and Global Studies is part of the Watershed Protectors, a group of local non-profits and residents along with the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Preservation Society of Newport County, Save the Bay, and Salve Regina University.
The Watershed Protectors held a free public event to discuss ways in which residents can help to improve the water quality in Almy Pond and other island waterbodies. The event was held on April 10, 2023, from 5:30-7:00 p.m., at the Bazarsky Lecture Hall at Salve Regina University, 36 Ochre Point Avenue, in Newport. Speakers discussed current findings about pollution levels in Almy Pond and share steps that local residents can take to improve the water quality there and in all of the island’s waterbodies. Almy Pond is located in Newport, RI roughly a mile from Salve's campus.
“Almy Pond is one of the most impaired water bodies on Aquidneck Island,” said Alex Chuman, ALT Conservation Director. “Residents can make a difference in improving water quality across the island through good land stewardship and watershed protection.”
This public meeting was recorded and shared on Salve's Mission Integration YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opOmM4fzkL8
Other resources: https://ailt.org/watershed-protectors-announce-almy-pond-watershed-outreach-event/
https://ailt.org/event/almy-pond-watershed-outreach-event/
Salve's Level II Arboretum boasts nearly 1500 3" and up diameter trees and the beech tree is Salve's signature tree. Unfortunately the state and region has found the beech leaf disease present in Rhode Island and New England. This disease is a serious threat to the American beeches and European Beeches. It was first found in New England in 2019 in Connecticut and made its way to Rhode Island in 2020 and was detected on Salve's beech trees in 2022. Salve’s signature tree, the Beech, of which we have 180 of across campus, is falling victim to the Beech Leaf Disease. Salve is participating in an experimental treatment that expert from Bartlett Tree, Salve's arborist consultants has shown the beech tree some promise.
Salve's Tree Committee consists of Salve staff, faculty, administration, and students, representatives from the Newport Tree Conservancy, and Bartlett Tree Consultants. The Committee offered a lecture on May 3, 2023 which was open to the public and invited community members from across the state to learn more about the beech leaf disease. Chris Fletcher, certified arborist and arborist representative at Bartlett Tree Experts, and Dr. Beth Brantley, plant pathologist at Bartlett Tree Experts, as they share dialogue on the local history of Newport trees and present challenges they face, as well as environmental opportunities on Newport’s landscape. This event advocated for people across the state to stay informed and consider ways to save the beech tree.
Salve has also offered the opportunity for the Newport Tree Conservancy to propagate beech trees from cuttings from Salve's trees that survive after the four years of treatment. As of July 2023, the Newport Tree Conservancy has not invested in the 4 year treatment and will likely lose all beech trees in the city. The Committee is hopeful that this treatment will save Salve's iconic trees and its leadership and investment could replenish the beech tree for the state!
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:
The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy has contributed as an educational institution in raising local and regional understanding of issues related to sustainable issues. The Pell Center's event series has featured discussions about climate change’s impacts locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. In the summer of 2023, the University hosted Pulitzer-Finalist Elizabeth Rush for an event discussing the perils of climate change. Previously, the university has also hosted authors Dr. Mona Hanna-Attish whose crusade to protect clean drinking water in Flint, Michigan, has been central to getting lead out of community pipes nationally.
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:
On “Story in the Public Square,” the six-time Telly Award-winning public affairs show the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy produces for national television (PBS) and radio audiences (SiriusXM), we’ve engaged issues of sustainability—with an eye on informing the public—since 2017. Topics have included: climate change, water-protectors on Native American lands, and food sustainability. As of August 22, 2023, the show has 86.342 % of national coverage. The series has 471 weekly airings, including in 23 of the top 25 markets and 46 of the top 50.
Specific episodes covering these topics since 2017 include:
Episode 102: Loren Spears, Tomaquag Museum, Christian Hopkins, Native American Activist; Topic: Standing Rock Reservation and Native American Storytelling
Episode 103: Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author; Topic: Environmental Storytelling
Episode 117: Tony Leiserowitz, Yale University; Topic: Communicating about Climate Change
Episode 203: Michael Klare, Author, The Race for What’s Left; Topic: Natural Resources, Climate Change, and Conflict
Episode 211: Sunshine Menezes, University of Rhode Island; Topic: Environmental Storytelling in an Era of Climate Change, Sea Level Rise and Pollution
Episode 513: Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author; Topic: The Sixth Extinction
Episode 518: Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, an associate of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University; Topic: The Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan
Episode 707: Elizabeth Rush, Author; Topic: Confronting Climate Change Realities for Collective Action
Episode 913: Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; Topic: Addressing the Impacts of Our Changing Climate
Episode 1024: Alice C. Hill, Author, senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations; Topic: Adapting to a Warmer Planet: “Fighting Climate Change after COVID-19”
Episode 1302: Alanna Mitchell, Journalist, author and playwright; Topic: Exploring the World of Science Through Story
Episode 1315: Jamila Norman, Urban Farmer, and food activist; Topic: Importance of Homegrown Food to Urban Communities
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 2021 and 2022, Salve Regina sent delegations to the annual international climate summit hosted by the United Nations (UN), entitled the Conference of Parties (COP26 and COP27). The four delegates who went to COP27 recently hosted a reflective COP27 roundtable to participate in the Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Justice March 2023, which was well attended on campus and part of the Earth Month 2023 programming and open to the public.
The COP26 Delegation shared their experience with Salve’s community in a Roundtable Discussion hosted through the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy on Earth Day 2022, in the classroom, and as respondents when the McAuley Institute for Mercy Education hosted Dr. J. Timmons Roberts, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at Brown University for a conversation entitled “Political Power and the Common Good: Why Climate Action is Hard.
Salve is preparing a delegation for COP28 at present.
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:
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