February 27, 2008—The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)] has selected 91 colleges and universities for a pilot study of its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).
The system was designed to create a measurable, comparable way of assessing sustainability at diverse institutions of higher education; incentives for continuous improvement toward sustainability; and a vehicle for sharing information about sustainability practices and performance, says AASHE.
The participating campuses represent a wide range of institutional types, sizes, and geography. They include public and private schools, community colleges, and research universities. Results of the pilot program will guide development of a version of STARS to be released a broader audience in spring 2009.
As part of the first phase, institutions will begin gathering information for STARS related to curriculum and research, operations, and administration and finance. Specific questions could relate to purchasing policies, diversity on campus, community engagement activities, or recycling.
The STARS pilot project is part of an effort to develop a system for measuring sustainability at colleges and universities that is similar to the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy Environmental Design) green building rating system. STARS, however, is applied to an entire campus rather than a single building or set of buildings, and evaluates social responsibility as well as environmental stewardship.
