The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has released its 2017 Sustainable Campus Index. The publication recognizes top-performing colleges and universities overall and in 17 sustainability impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). The report also highlights innovative and high-impact initiatives from institutions that submitted STARS reports in the 12 months prior to July 1, 2017.
“The institutions and initiatives featured in this year’s Sustainable Campus Index showcase the hard work that colleges and universities have done to advance sustainability on their respective campuses and throughout the world,” said AASHE’s Executive Director, Meghan Fay Zahniser. “I hope you find inspiration within this report that may further drive collaborative efforts focused on innovative solutions to ongoing sustainable challenges.”
Institutions that achieved the top spot overall according to institution type include:
- Appalachian State University (Master’s institutions)
- Nova Scotia Community College (Associate colleges)
- Stanford University (Doctoral/research institutions)
- Sterling College (Baccalaureate institutions)
Institutions that achieved the top spot in each sustainability topic area are listed below:
- Berea College (Campus Engagement)
- Colorado State University (Public Engagement)
- Columbia University (Transportation)
- Green Mountain College (Curriculum)
- Lewis & Clark College (Investment & Finance)
- Macalester College (Purchasing)
- New Mexico State University (Waste)
- Nova Scotia Community College (Buildings)
- Stanford University (Diversity & Affordability)
- Sterling College (Food & Dining)
- Université Laval (Air & Climate)
- University of Vermont (Energy)
Multiple institutions tied for first in the areas of Coordination & Planning, Grounds, Research, Water and Wellbeing & Work. The full list of top performers is provided in the report.
STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance developed by AASHE. With nearly 800 participating institutions, STARS is the leading tool for measuring higher education sustainability performance. 129 reports were submitted in the most recent calendar year, resulting in a 4 percent increase over the previous year and a fourth consecutive year of growth. All reports are publicly accessible on the STARS website.
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