The university has earned a STARS Silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
For the seventh time, Elon University has earned a STARS Silver rating for its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
AASHE’s STARS program boasts over 1,200 participants representing over 50 countries, making it the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability efforts. Participants are evaluated across five areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.
Senior Director of Sustainability Elaine Durr spearheads the compilation of the STARS report. “The STARS report is a comprehensive assessment of universitywide sustainability efforts and requires data and input from many individuals across campus,” Durr said. “I am so grateful for their participation and collective effort.”
The STARS report illustrates that achieving sustainability goals requires campus-wide collaboration. By breaking down categories into subcategories and credits, each with its own score, the report also serves as a practical tool for pinpointing areas of improvement and guiding future sustainability endeavors.
“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Elon University has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”
To learn about the programs and practices that contributed to Elon’s STARS Silver rating, view Elon’s report on the STARS website.
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. Criteria for scoring the most recent report can be found in the STARS 2.2 Technical Manual.