AASHE® STARS reporting and review

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) created the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) in 2006 to offer schools a way of baselining and measuring progress on metrics associated with sustainability on their campuses.

STARS is a transparent reporting tool that uses a holistic approach to sustainability, offering schools an opportunity to see each other’s data that is not just limited to facilities or carbon reporting, but socioeconomic, academic, health and wellness, procurement, and a range of additional sustainability as well. Schools participating in STARS vie for ratings starting with Reporter, then Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. (Fun fact: there are only nine STARS Platinum-rated institutions in North America, including two in Canada.)

STARS participation has many benefits. Among them are gaining international recognition for your sustainability efforts, baselining multiple metrics for continuous improvement, informing strategic planning and budgeting processes, and engaging your campus community in making real progress toward sustainability.

How we can help

GreenerU offers multiple levels of support for STARS, depending on your institution’s needs:

1. Full collection and analysis of campus data for STARS submission, which includes providing the necessary planning and guidance for data collection, formatting, and reporting
2. Outlining engagement strategies with process outcomes that include increased knowledge and awareness around sustainability, community building, capability, and buy-in across campus
3. Managing students, fellows, interns, or other campus staff in the process of data collection and analysis
4. Credit review once completed for any potential missing data or misalignment with AASHE criteria
5. Using outcomes and key takeaways to set the stage for sustainability strategic planning

Note that current STARS assessments offers a 0.5-point credit for third-party review.

GreenerU experience

Our experience with STARS reporting runs deep and wide. We’ve offered STARS workshops on at AASHE conferences three years in a row and have a solid track record in helping multiple higher education institutions maximize their STARS earning potential, including at University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Hampshire College, Babson College, Bentley University, Southern New Hampshire University, and the University of Southern California.

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Contact us today to get started on STARS reporting or review before the March deadline for inclusion in Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” and the Princeton Review’s “Guide to Green Colleges.”