News Brief

Universities Gain New Sustainability Reporting Tool

A student works in the Learning Gardens Laboratory at Portland State University, which has applied to be part of the STARS pilot program.

Photo: Portland State University
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has released a draft of its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) and is hoping to start a pilot phase of the system in January 2008. A self-certifying system, STARS allows colleges and universities to track and report on various aspects of sustainability, including both environmentally and socially responsible goals. The system covers everything from energy-efficient campus buildings to socially responsible labor and food purchasing practices, and includes credits for courses on topics related to sustainability. Judy Walton, Ph.D., the director of strategic initiatives for AASHE, said that the organization is getting “a little bit of pushback” in early comments and from pilot participants on the social aspects of STARS but noted that the system “is about all three spheres of sustainability”: economic, social, and environmental considerations. STARS is in an expert comment period, and AASHE hopes to release it for public comment before the end of 2007. More information is available at www.aashe.org/stars/.

Published December 4, 2007

Wendt, A. (2007, December 4). Universities Gain New Sustainability Reporting Tool. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/universities-gain-new-sustainability-reporting-tool

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April 14, 2008 - 8:53 am

A draft of STARS is now available for public comment from AASHE. The public comment period goes through May 9, 2008.