Carleton Awarded STARS Gold Rating for Sustainability Achievements

Carleton University 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 and rating system – measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

“Carleton is committed to being a leader in sustainability and we have strong engagement and collaboration across campus,” says President Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we can collectively take pride in this important international recognition of what we have achieved to date.”

With more than 900 participants in 40 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.

“When we recently launched our campus-wide Strategic Integrated Plan, we heard overwhelmingly from our community about the importance of sustainability,” says Lorraine Dyke, Vice-President (Finance and Administration). “As a result, ‘Strive for Sustainability’ is one of the key directions outlined within this plan and we are making significant progress, as demonstrated with this achievement.”

STARS participants report achievements in five overall categories and 60 sections, including academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, as well as innovation and leadership.

“Preparing to submit data for STARS is a multi-month process that involves multiple departments submitting data and information from across the university in all five categories,” says Philip Mansfield, Carleton’s sustainability manager, “Ultimately, our submission reflects the progress and accomplishments that faculty, staff, and students have made to advance sustainability at Carleton and across the whole of our campus.

“Achieving Gold is a tremendous feat that shows that sustainability has become a significant part of Carleton’s culture and the ongoing implementation of our sustainability plan,” added Mansfield.

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