College of Wooster earns silver sustainability rating

The College of Wooster has earned a silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) through its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), placing Wooster among a select group of institutions around the world recognized for their comprehensive sustainability achievements.

With more than 1,200 participants in 52 countries, 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: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. Wooster is one of fewer than 400 institutions worldwide with a silver or higher rating.

“The STARS program is a very rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a college's sustainability efforts," Director of Campus Sustainability Brian Webb said. "For Wooster to complete a STARS report and earn silver status demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, not just in words, but by highlighting dozens of sustainability actions, programs and activities from many different sectors of the institution. This recognition only comes through passionate and dedicated work by many faculty, staff, students and administrators who are committed to making sustainability an integral part of the Wooster experience.”

The rating recognizes a wide range of sustainability efforts underway at the College. Most recently, sustainability work has included the establishment of the campus-wide Abbey Arboretum at Wooster, supported by a seven-figure gift from alumnus Paul Abbey ’73 and his wife, Constance Norweb Abbey.

Efforts also include a yearslong commitment to independent student research focused on sustainability — a commitment that is reflected in Wooster’s particularly high scores in the STARS rating for curriculum, research and campus engagement. In the past three years, more than 80% of academic departments across a breadth of disciplines have supervised student projects with a primary focus on sustainability. Student research has included exploration of low-cost, homemade soil fertility enhancers and the creation of fast-growing forests, with possible campus applications.

“Environmental issues represent some of the greatest interdisciplinary challenges of the 21st century, and Wooster students are demonstrating their ability to address such global challenges, not just through the environmental sciences, but through art, political science, psychology, theater, economics and many other disciplines,” Webb said. “This breadth of academic diversity shows the true ability of Wooster students to address complex global topics from many creative and solutions-oriented approaches.”

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. Wooster’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website.

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “The College of Wooster has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”