Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS)

UBC has been awarded Gold, the highest rating to date, after participating as a Charter Participant in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program which is offered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS is a voluntary, self reporting framework which allows us to report our sustainability focused activities and performance against a set of common measurements.  Credit for sustainability may be earned in three areas: 

1. Education and Research;
2. Operations; and
3. Planning, Administration and Engagement. 

There are five levels of STARS ratings available:  Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Reporter.

College Sustainability Report Card

In 2010, UBC’s ranking in the College Sustainability Report Card improved from a B+ to an A-. UBC received the top mark of A across eight of the survey’s nine categories: Administration, Climate Change and Energy, Endowment Transparency, Student Involvement, Food and Recycling, Green Buildings, Transportation, and Investment Priorities.  As in the previous year’s report card, in the area of Shareholder Engagement, UBC received a D, the average score in that category for all survey respondents.  

UBC and the University of Toronto share the highest grade (A-) amongst Canadian schools that reported in all areas of the survey. In recognition of the achievement, UBC receives the Overall College Sustainability Leaders award, which recognizes the notable achievements in sustainability by those earning an overall grade of A- or higher. 

The administrator of the survey, the Sustainability Endowments Institute (SEI), canvassed over 300 universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada on their sustainability activities. The SEI is a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and funded by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.