by Brianna Crandall — July 6, 2016 — The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently launched the latest version of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) that features data auto-population, exemplary practice options and more.
According to AASHE, STARS is the most thoroughly vetted and extensively tested international sustainability framework for colleges and universities. STARS helps higher education sustainability leaders benchmark their sustainability achievements and support them in the creation of sustainability plans.
Some of the new features in STARS 2.1 include:
- A streamlined set of credits to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a report
- Auto-calculated metrics (e.g., energy use per square meter) to make scoring more transparent and create useful data points for benchmarking
- A collaborative review and revision process to identify potential inconsistencies and correct them before a rating is awarded and the report is published. This AASHE staff-supported process is a benefit of paid participation in STARS and will help make sure the report is complete and accurate before it is publicly available.
One STARS participant shared:
STARS gives a certain amount of legitimacy to the resources [the institution] has put to sustainability, it provides positive reinforcement for efforts already underway, and it shines a light on the whole spectrum of sustainability work happening on campus, all three of which will give institutional weight to sustainability moving forward, in our strategic planning process and in the budgeting process with a new office of sustainability.
Although AASHE encourages every participant to upgrade to the new version and take advantage of all the new features included in STARS 2.1, all current STARS participants may choose to continue an existing submission under STARS 2.0 for a full year.
For more information about the STARS program, visit the AASHE Web site.
