Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS)

STARS is a voluntary, self-reporting framework for gauging relative progress toward sustainability for colleges and universities. The development of STARS is guided by a Steering Committee, Strategic Advisory Committee, and Technical Advisory Committee.

STARS is designed to:

Provide a guide for advancing sustainability in all sectors of higher education.

Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions by establishing a common standard of measurement for sustainability in higher education.

Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.

Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.

Build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

Current Version

STARS 0.5 (pdf) was released on April 10, 2008.

AASHE is seeking feedback on this document from all campus sustainability stakeholders. Instructions for reviewers are included at the beginning of the document. In response to early feedback, we have extended the comment period to last until Friday, May 30. Please send comments and questions to stars@aashe.org.

Get Involved

STARS is a highly collaborative project. Volunteer representatives from colleges and universities, higher education associations, related nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government agencies are helping shape STARS. Participation from all stakeholders is welcome. Learn more about how to get involved.

Member Spotlight

University of California Santa Barbara is our current spotlight campus! In April 2008, UCSB's chancellor approved a comprehensive Campus Sustainability Plan. The campus is one of only three universities in the LEED Portfolio Program, and currently has four LEED-certified buildings. In 2006, students approved a $2.60 per quarter fee to fund campus sustainability projects - the first UC campus to do so. Learn more

Spotlight your campus