In 2012, the STARS team continues its monthly blog post on facts, trends, and best practices in campus sustainability. Our first blog post of the year is based on data submitted by over 140 STARS Participants as of December 31, 2011. With a focus this month on a recap of STARS, we hope to recognize a job well done and share ideas and inspiration on advancing sustainability in higher education.

Did you know?
2011 was a significant year for STARS. 138 out of a total of 143 STARS-rated institutions submitted their report in 2011. August was the busiest month for STARS, with 40 institutions submitting during that month. This high-level of submissions can be attributed to an August 2010 deadline to register for STARS as a Charter Participant.

Below is an overview of STARS Ratings as of December 31, 2011:

Factoids:
Characteristics of institutions that earned a STARS Rating through December 2011:

• 53 percent received a Silver rating, with an average score of 50.3
• With a full-time equivalent enrollment of 400, the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design is the smallest STARS-rated institution
• With a full-time equivalent enrollment of over 47,000, the University of Texas at Austin is the largest STARS-rated institution
• 95 percent are AASHE members
• 61 percent are signatories of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)
• 9 percent are Canadian
• 13 percent are two-year institutions
• 36 percent are classified as research institutions according to the Carnegie classification system
• 39 percent are private colleges or universities
• More information can be found at the STARS Dashboard: https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/data-displays/dashboard/

With over 200 institutions pending submissions in 2012, AASHE is looking forward to another successful year for STARS. Please give us your feedback on future STARS data analysis updates by sending your ideas to stars@aashe.org.