CofC Receives STARS Silver Rating for Its Sustainability Achievements

By: CofC Media

The College of Charleston has earned a STARS Silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

“The College aims to be a leader in sustainability education and application. We are proud of our accomplishments to date,” wrote John Morris, vice president of Facilities Management at the College, and Jen Jones, the College’s director of sustainability, in their STARS application letter. “Sustainability continues to be an important facet of the College’s work as demonstrated by our progress to reach our carbon neutral, zero waste, holistic integrated learning and active sustainability culture goals. We envision an active community of students, faculty, staff and alumni developing and implementing solutions to mitigate, adapt to and resolve the immense challenges that threaten the sustainability of our global society.

“Over the last two years, CofC has recommitted itself to a sustainable future by creating a new sustainability action plan and engaging the new campus leadership,” the letter continues. “These efforts have already resulted in progress on an energy performance contract, waste characterization studies, the decision to create a new major in environmental and sustainability studies and continued experiential learning opportunities for our students.”

The College’s STARS report provides a full list of the College’s sustainability efforts and accomplishments.

“The College of Charleston has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts,” says AASHE executive director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts.”

With more than 900 participants in 40 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration and innovation and leadership.

Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.

AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.

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