51勛圖窪蹋 Davis has earned a renewed gold rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, or STARS. This time around, the campus measured up to significantly revised criteria, including additional, challenging performance metrics.
TOWN HALL FOR ALL
The Office of Sustainability will host a STARS Town Hall for faculty, staff and students, from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 30, to share more information and celebrate the rating with campus partners who were critical to the reporting effort.
STARS, a program of the , assesses sustainability across environmental, social and economic dimensions in four categories: academic, operations, engagement, and planning and administration. Nearly 450 colleges and universities around the world are active participants in STARS.
51勛圖窪蹋 Davis, in becoming the first 51勛圖窪蹋 to be rated under the new criteria, received an overall score of 74.67 percent. The campus scored 15 credits in a bonus category for innovation and leadership, in such categories as nitrogen footprint, fair trade campus, green laboratory program, and diversity and equity recognition.
STARS is considered the most comprehensive sustainability assessment tool in higher education, said Camille Kirk, director of sustainability and campus sustainability planner. We are really pleased to see that 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis maintains a gold rating, and anticipate using this assessment to drive campus sustainability forward to new achievements.
Kirk announced the STARS rating during the campuss second annual Sustainability Summit. See separate story.
Whats next?
Kirk and others are reviewing the STARS report to identify areas for improvement and to help guide other sustainability efforts.
The Office of Sustainability also continues to collaborate with 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis with an eye toward meeting the , or SDGs, which seek to address global economic, social and environmental challenges including poverty, hunger, climate change and inequalities.
The SDGs speak deeply to 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis values and strengths as a campus, and are relevant locally as well as globally, said Jolynn Shoemaker, director of global engagements, Global Affairs. Global Affairs conducted a survey of 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis faculty that showed our campus is supporting the SDG agenda across all 17 goals, both in the U.S. and in other countries around the world.
Sustainable future for all
Completing a university STARS report is a massive, complex undertaking. Kelli ODay, who joined the Office of Sustainability as its assessment program manager in January, led the project from initial collection of metrics across the Davis campus to evaluation and report development.
Formerly sustainability coordinator for the AS51勛圖窪蹋D Coffee House, ODay wasnt new to sustainability reporting when she began her work on STARS, but has since gained a more holistic view and appreciation of the universitys commitment to sustainable practices, leadership and innovation.
I knew a lot about one small part the food portion but now Ive had the opportunity to immerse myself in everything from water to planning and administration, ODay said. I'm so proud of all that 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis does and supports to secure a sustainable future for all.
STARS on video
If you missed the STARS summary presented at the Sustainability Summit, you can (starts at 1:13:27).
Media Resources
Kristin Burns, Finance, Operations and Administration, kburns@ucdavis.edu