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Paul Rowland, Executive Director, AASHE 
paul.rowland@aashe.org

 303.605.3534

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STARS Ratings Pass 100 Institution Mark

DENVER, Colo. (August 4, 2011)- The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is pleased to announce that more than 100 colleges and universities have earned a rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) during the past year. With deadlines earlier this week, 104 institutions have now submitted their reports; 22 received a gold rating, 55 received a silver rating, and 21 received a bronze rating.

In addition, 6 institutions also submitted their data as a STARS Reporter, indicating that they were not seeking an overall score but wanted to make their data public. The ratings are indicators of the sustainability performance of an institution using a broad and comprehensive set of credits. More than 260 institutions from the U.S. and Canada are participating in STARS. The remainder will be submitting their reports throughout the next year.

"The reports from our participating institutions give us both optimism and inspiration," said AASHE Executive Director Paul Rowland. "We see many examples of how institutions are addressing some of the complex issues of reducing our environmental footprint while becoming more sustainable economically and addressing social needs. These reports will provide the higher education community with a lot of information to consider as we move forward on each campus. We look forward to further analysis of this data and its implications for improving higher education sustainability."

STARS, a system that incorporates environmental, economic, and social indicators, is a self-reporting system that requires affirmation by the institution's highest ranking executive. STARS Participants report achievements in the areas of: Education & Research, Operations, and Planning, Administration & Engagement. Once an institution submits its data, they receive a Reporter, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Rating. The STARS Report then becomes available for viewing on the STARS website. STARS is the only rating system of its kind that involves public reporting of comprehensive information related to a college's or university's sustainability performance. Unlike other rating or ranking systems, STARS is open to all institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Canada, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned for specific actions, it allows for both internal benchmarking as well as comparisons with similar institutions.

The STARS Program provides ongoing opportunities for institutions to participate. Registration information and additional details on the program are available on the STARS website, stars.aashe.org.

About AASHE: AASHE is helping to create a brighter future of opportunity for all by advancing sustainability in higher education. By creating a diverse community engaged in sharing ideas and promising practices, AASHE provides administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the businesses that serve them, with: thought leadership and essential knowledge resources; outstanding opportunities for professional development; and a unique framework for demonstrating the value and competitive edge created by sustainability initiatives. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.

For more information about the STARS program, visit stars.aashe.org.