Sterling College has been recognized as a top performer in the 2017 Sustainable Campus Index, placing #1 among Baccalaureate institutions overall with a Gold rating and score of 78.28. The 2017 Sustainable Campus Index, a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), highlights top-performing colleges and universities overall and in 17 impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
“Sterling is proud of the recognition in this report of our sustainability efforts,” said Sterling College President Matthew Derr. “Our mission of environmental stewardship inspires and guides our curriculum as well as our daily living, and dedication to more sustainable and ecologically focused place-based living.”
For the third year in a row, Sterling has received a STARS Gold rating from AASHE. Sterling College achieved top performer status in two subcategories in STARS, placing #1 in Food/Dining subcategory and #3 in Curriculum subcategory. An initiative about Sterling is also highlighted under Energy.
“Sterling College’s feature in this report shows its significant leadership and commitment to advance sustainability,” said AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “We are excited to recognize Sterling College for working to secure a thriving, equitable and ecologically healthy world through its comprehensive sustainability efforts.”
The 2017 Sustainable Campus Index is available here.
Sterling College’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website.
About Sterling College
Founded in 1958 in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, Sterling College is the leading voice in higher education for environmental stewardship and rural placed based education. The College was among the first colleges in the United States to focus on sustainability through academic majors in Ecology, Environmental Humanities, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, and Outdoor Education. Sterling is home to the School of the New American Farmstead and the Wendell Berry Farming Program, is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and is one of only eight federally recognized Work Colleges in the nation.
About STARS
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. The credits included in STARS span the breadth of higher education sustainability and are organized into four categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. All reports are publicly accessible on the STARS website. For more information, visit stars.aashe.org.
About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
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.
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Contact: Katie Lavin Office of the President Sterling College (802) 586-7711 x111 [email protected]
