91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Measuring Sustainability Performance with STARS NAEP Annual Meeting April 2012 Presentation by Nurit Katz, UCLA stars.aashe.org

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California A little about you… AASHE Member? STARS Participant? Faculty? Staff? Administrator? Student? International? Other?

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California About AASHE A North American association of colleges & universities working to create a sustainable future. Over 1000 campus members. Professional home for campus sustainability officers. Mission: Empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California What is STARS? Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California What is STARS? A voluntary, self-reporting framework A guide for advancing sustainability in all sectors of higher education. A common standard of measurement for sustainability in higher education. A tool that promotes a comprehensive understanding of sustainability that includes its social, economic and environmental dimensions.

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California “You can only brag about what you can measure.” – Sadie Ross, SUNY Empire State College Sustainability is a new frontier with few established metrics. A standard framework for measuring success is needed. STARS is a broad-based, stakeholder-designed, tested framework. Why is STARS Needed?

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Background In 2006, the Higher Education Associations’ Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) called upon AASHE to create a campus sustainability assessment tool. STARS versions: –STARS 0.4 (Sept. 07) –STARS 0.5 (Aug. 08) –STARS Pilot (2008) –STARS 1.0 (Sept. 09) –STARS 1.1 (Feb. 11) All versions of STARS have been shared with the higher education community for suggestions on how to enhance the tool to better fit the needs of the community.

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Collaboration vs. Competition STARS is a rating system, NOT a ranking system STARS provides a venue to share best practices and learn from other institutions STARS was created by the higher education community for the higher education community

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Categories Education and Research Operations Planning, Administration, & Engagement Innovation

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Sub-Categories Education & Research –Co-Curricular Education; Curriculum; Research Operations –Buildings; Climate; Dining Services; Energy; Grounds; Purchasing; Transportation; Waste; Water Planning, Administration & Engagement –Coordination & Planning; Diversity and Affordability; Human Resources; Investment; Public Engagement

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Purchasing Tier One Computer Purchasing Cleaning Product Purchasing Office Paper Purchasing Tier Two Historically Underutilized Businesses Vendor Code of Conduct

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Credit Outline 1.Credit Rationale 2.Criteria 3.Applicability 4.Scoring 5.Reporting Fields 6.Measurement 7.Standards & Terms

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Reporting Tool

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Scoring Average of the 3 categories + Innovation Credits Total possible score – 104 Example: Edu. & Research – 30 Operations – 25 Plan., Admin. & Engage. – 35 »Average = Innovation = 32 Final Score

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Innovation Credits Recognize … Creative and innovative strategies implemented on campuses Areas where a campus has exceeded credit criteria Letter of affirmation required

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Ratings Rating LevelMinimum Score Required STARS Bronze25 STARS Silver45 STARS Gold65 STARS Platinum85 STARS Reporter For institutions that wish to use STARS and submit data publicly but are not pursuing a rating

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Reporter Flexibility Recognition Incremental progress

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Public STARS Report

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Accuracy of STARS Data There are three ways to ensure STARS data are accurate: 1.A Responsible Party is required to sign off on each individual credit. 2.The President or Chancellor is required to submit a letter with the STARS submission verifying the accuracy of the information. 3.All information institutions share will be posted publicly on AASHE's website.

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Process Step-by-Step 1.Register at stars.aashe.org 2.Compile required documentation as noted in the STARS Technical Manual and Reporting Tool 3.Submit for a STARS rating 4.Share your story 5.Renew participation in STARS Note: a STARS rating is valid for 3 years before it expires

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Timeline Participating institutions have one year to submit their STARS data.

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Benefits of Participating Earn recognition Streamline reporting Benchmark with peers Collaborate across campus Access to the online Reporting Tool Save time and money in developing a sustainability plan or report

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California How is STARS Different? Open to any institution of higher education Only offers positive recognition Transparent Self-assessment Encompasses sustainability, not just environmental indicators Created by the higher education community

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California STARS Founding Partners & Partner Organizations

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Governance AASHE Board of Directors STARS Steering Committee Partner Organizations Technical Advisors

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Who can Participate? Any higher education institution in the US and Canada International Pilot Do not have to be a member of AASHE College districts or university systems –If a university system registers, individual campuses within that system may still register for STARS.

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California How much does it cost? New Registrants: AASHE Member …………………$900 Non-Member ……………….……$1,400 International Pilot Participants....….Free Renewing Participants: AASHE Member …………………$450 Non-Member ……………….……$700 Register on-line at stars.aashe.org

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Continuous Improvement STARS 1.1 Technical Manual Administrative Update One –September 2011 International Pilot –October 2011 STARS 1.2 –February 2012 STARS 2.0 –No sooner than 2013

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Questions? 1) 2)Call (859) )Subscribe to the STARS Update & AASHE Bulletin ( 4)Post a question to the AASHE Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums ( 5)Post to the Campus Sustainability Perspectives Blog (

91 st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 1 – 4, 2012 Anaheim, California Thank You! stars.aashe.org