FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Paul Rowland, Executive Director, AASHE
paul.rowland@aashe.org
720.346.1432

February 1, 2011; Denver, CO — Thirty-four institutions of higher education have submitted data for a rating through STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. Launched more than a year ago by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 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. Of the 34 institutions, 9 received a bronze rating, 17 received a silver rating, and 7 received a gold rating. In addition, 1 submitted their data as a STARS Reporter indicating that they were not seeking a rating.

STARS, a system that incorporates environmental, economic, and social indicators, is a self-reporting system that requires sign off by the institution’s highest ranking executive. STARS Participants have 12 months to collect their data and, once submitted, an institution receives a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Rating. The STARS Report then becomes available for viewing on the STARS website. STARS Participants report achievements in the areas of: Education & Research, Operations, and Planning, Administration & Engagement.

Roughly 245 institutions from the US and Canada are participating in STARS. These institutions range from individual campuses to university districts, community colleges to research universities, tribal to parochial, and public to private. AASHE will release a STARS annual report this April that will include lessons learned and best practices from those institutions that have submitted for a STARS Rating.

“From these submissions we are learning that our campuses are doing some incredible things to implement sustainable practices,” said AASHE Executive Director Paul Rowland. “On the other hand they are also identifying the areas in which they have room for improvement and we see tremendous opportunities for them to help each other in these endeavors.”

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 comparisons 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, www.aashe.org/stars.

About AASHE:
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.

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

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