by Brianna Crandall — April 10, 2015—Colorado State University is the first institution to earn a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Platinum rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements. The school’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS Web site. STARS measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education and is a signature program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Colorado State University (CSU) was one of the first institutions to participate in STARS as part of the pilot program in 2011. The Platinum report is the institution’s third submission, underlining the continuous improvement that comes as a result of participating in STARS. The achievement highlights CSU’s strong foundation as a land grant institution with a comprehensive and collaborative approach to sustainability that dates back to the first campus farm in the 1880’s.
CSU offers more than 962 sustainability-related courses, more than 90 percent of the academic departments on campus are engaged in sustainability research, and CSU students participate in more than one dozen sustainability immersion programs. Learn more about CSU’s story in reaching this achievement on the CSU Web site.
“This STARS rating reaffirms that CSU is a national leader in building a sustainable, environmentally responsible campus community,” CSU President Tony Frank said. “That commitment to sustainability is woven through Colorado State’s academics, research, student engagement, operations, planning and administration by the conscious efforts of our students, faculty and staff. There is no one office in charge of sustainability at Colorado State — it’s a collective effort of the entire community, and we’ve made progress because of the vision, hard work and tireless dedication of many, many people.”
Launched in 2009, STARS was developed by the higher education community through a transparent and inclusive process. With the release of Version 2 in 2014, STARS became available to all higher education institutions worldwide. With nearly 700 participants spanning six continents, STARS is touted as the most accessible and widely recognized framework for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to higher education sustainability performance. Participating institutions report achievements in academics, campus and community engagement, operations, and planning and administration.
In line with AASHE’s Platinum Review protocol and Data Accuracy Policy, AASHE staff reviewed the contents of Colorado State University’s report prior to publication to ensure that credit criteria and intent were met. AASHE’s “The Role of Collaborative Review in Achieving STARS Platinum” blog offers more details about the review process for the Colorado State University submission and how the Platinum review process may look in the future.
Founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College, Colorado State University is now among the nation’s leading research universities, with annual expenditures topping $300 million. Located in Fort Collins, CSU currently enrolls about 22,500 undergraduate students, 4,000 graduate students, and 500 professional veterinary medicine students. The university has more than 1,700 faculty members working in eight colleges on four local campuses and online.
