State earns bronze rating in sustainability

South Dakota State University received a STARS Bronze Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, is a benchmarking tool that measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

Jennifer McLaughlin, who has spent the past academic year as a sustainability intern in Facilities and Services, said she and others have spent 10 months collecting and analyzing data for the report. Participants report achievements in the areas of operations, academics, engagement, and planning and administration.

Upon the report’s submission, universities are rated based on the percentage of points earned: platinum, gold, silver, bronze and reporter. 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.

“We have a great opportunity to reach and educate so many people on campus, whether it’s students who are new to campus or faculty/staff who have been here a long time,” she said. “All of the things that students, faculty and staff learn on campus can reach the community and grow from there. Universities are here to teach and improve our future. With sustainability, we have a great way to do that.”

McLaughlin said the university fared best in the planning and administration area. The report also cited the university’s 12 LEED Silver or Gold buildings and 52 sustainability-related courses offered.

“When we went into the report, we didn’t know what we had,” McLaughlin said. “Receiving a bronze is good without a coordinated effort on campus. If we had a coordinated effort, imagine where we could be.

“A lot of the reporting goes into great detail. The areas have specific criteria, which give us a format moving forward,” she continued. “We do have aspects of sustainability, but in some areas, the report is looking for sustainability to be fully integrated into programs and policies. These changes will take time, but will be greatly beneficial to sustainability on campus.”

The STARS rating lasts for three years. McLaughlin said plans are underway to submit another report around that time frame to see where the university has improved.

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “South Dakota State University has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Bronze Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”

SDSU’s STARS report is publicly available on: http://www.sdstate.edu/sustainability/report.cfm.