University of Waterloo has earned a STARS Gold rating in recognition of 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.
“Reaching STARS Gold was an overarching objective for Waterloo’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy,” says Mat Thijssen, Director of Sustainability. “It is exciting to see Waterloo’s longstanding strengths in teaching and research and investments in campus infrastructure and practices leading to this rating.”
With more than 370 institutions with current ratings, 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: 1) academics 2) engagement, 3) operations, 4) planning and administration, and 5) 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. Across U15 research-intensive campuses, nine others are rated Gold, two Platinum, and one Silver.
This is Waterloo’s third submission through the STARS program, and the first time the University has achieved the Gold rating. Institutions are required to resubmit every three years to maintain their rating. Many thanks to the thousands of individuals across campus who continue to support sustainability actions that are reflected in this rating, as well as those who contributed to data collection for the submission.
For more information about Waterloo’s sustainability performance, including through STARS, visit the progress page on the sustainability website.