FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrea Huggins
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
(888) 347-9997
andrea.huggins@aashe.org
May 25, 2016 (Philadelphia, PA) – 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.
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 metre) 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 you make sure your report is complete and accurate before it is publicly available.
“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,” shared one STARS participant.
Although we encourage 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.
Participants interested in learning more about STARS 2.1 may participate in a complimentary webinar on June 1 entitled, Getting Started with STARS 2.1.
For more information about the STARS program, visit stars.aashe.org.
About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
AASHE empowers higher education administrators, faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit www.aashe.org. Follow AASHE on Facebook and Twitter.