By Tyler Kanczuzewski
Today’s college students are deeply invested and have strong opinions and concerns about climate change and their future. Connecting students with their campus sustainability goals is a newer concept that many schools are actively trying to achieve. Some are achieving this transparency through the STARS Program.
Born from a stakeholder engagement process by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), The STARS program is a self-reporting system that measures and rates the sustainability of higher learning facilities. The program launched in 2006 and is an acronym for The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). STARS is similar in intent and scope to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but is aimed at colleges and universities.
As a benchmarking and reporting tool, STARS helps colleges by providing a framework allowing colleges to self-report on common measurements. Those metrics are recorded yearly, and schools are incentivized with recognition for building on sustainability improvements every year through a points-based scoring system. Points are tallied, and participating schools receive a ranking for their efforts starting from Bronze and Silver, then moving into Gold or Platinum.
The overall goal of The STARS Program
When colleges and universities want to add structure and transparency to their sustainability efforts, the STARS Program is a tool for delivering that. The STARS Program offers schools an incentive for self-reporting and to get started on setting and attaining sustainability goals through various measures. It’s also meant to be a helpful tool for schools to establish their sustainability baselines and compare their progress over time and between other schools, using examples and best practices developed by other schools.
What is reported in the STARS self-reporting program?
Reporting is categorized into five core sections with markers for earning points. They include institutional measurements that address sustainability through curriculum and research efforts as well as measuring community and on-campus involvement. These are the 5 core areas, each with subcategories for accumulating points:
- Academics (AC) – Curriculum and research (58 possible points)
- Engagement (EN) – Campus Engagement, Public Engagement (41 possible points)
- Operations (OP) – Air & Climate, Building, Energy, Food/Dining, Grounds, Purchasing, Transportation, Waste, Water (62 possible points)
- Planning & Administration (PA) Planning, Diversity, Affordability, Investment, Finance, Wellbeing, and Work Environment (34 possible points)
- Innovation & Leadership (IN) (4 bonus points available)
Within these core categories are subcategories that are required metrics for reporting:
- Curriculum
- Research
- Campus Engagement
- Public Engagement
- Air & Climate
- Buildings
- Energy
- Food & Dining
- Grounds
- Purchasing
- Transportation
- Waste
- Water
- Coordination & Planning
- Diversity & Affordability
- Investment & Finance
- Wellbeing & Work
The Rating System
Based on the points for each category, a score card is filled out and submitted for approval where a school will receive the corresponding level of accomplishment or “rating” based on the following points:
Bronze Rating – 25 points (minimum overall score)
Silver Rating – 45 points (minimum overall score)
Gold Rating – 65 (minimum overall score)
Platinum Rating – 85 (minimum overall score)
Registered STARS Program institutions have reached 1,104, with about 576 having earned a STARS rating. Ratings last for three years, and each school must re-register in order to have an active rating. Currently, 31 Bronze, 111 Silver, 92 Gold, and 5 Platinum schools are up to date and officially STARS-rated.
How are solar projects involved and rated?
Solar and renewable projects fall under the Operations (OP) category of the STARS Program rating system, or “Energy.”
There are two parts of the Energy Category. The first is improving building energy efficiency (6 points), and the second is the “Clean and Renewable Energy” reporting section where solar projects gain points and contribute to a 4-point potential gain.
The Clean and Renewable Energy section rewards facilities that are upgrading to renewable energy sources to power their school. Installing solar also contributes to SDG Goal 13, taking urgent climate action. Points can be earned by implementing solar projects on or near campus and purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Fractional points from the below categories are tallied on the following criteria, not to exceed 4 points total:
- Imported green power
- On-site renewables
- Clean and renewable fuels used to generate thermal energy
- Imported thermal energy from clean and renewable sources
- Purchase of RECs/GOs/I-RECs
Inovateus Solar can potentially add points to the biodiversity section under “Grounds” when implementing pollinator habitat if this section is included in the project. Installing renewable energy to supply power to the campus helps increase the overall points the STARS program provides. It also offers students a point of pride and learning around various subjects like math, economics, science, physics, and more.
Benefits of using The STARS Program
As many students are becoming eco-conscious and want their environment to reflect their beliefs, STARS is a way to meet those desires transparently. Implementing solar into these efforts delivers a way to visually show students that their school is serious about making important choices for their future. The STARS program can help the university or college create a baseline from which to build performance over time.
Aside from the above benefits, there are some core questions we get asked by university and college presidents looking to go solar and set net zero carbon emissions goals.
Inovateus SolarProjects credited to STARS participating universities
Our Inovateus Solar team has been honored to be involved in the STARS program through our solar installation projects. Here are some of the highlighted solar projects that have counted toward STARS ratings.
The University of Illinois earned a Gold Status rating, and some of those points were earned through a solar farm project with Inovateus Solar in January 2021. The solar farm totaled 12.3 MW (DC), included the addition of a pollinator habitat, and is the second project in the university’s climate action plans.
At Michigan State University, the Inovateus Solar team developed and executed an award-winning solar carport in 2017, contributing to the school’s Gold STARS Rating. The onsite renewable project produces 8% of the university’s total power.
The University of Notre Dame is another school that uses the STARS Program. Our Inovateus Solar team had the honor of helping score renewable energy project points with a 144 kW solar PV system. The ground-mounted system commissioned in July 2017 is part of the points that have contributed to the school’s Gold STARS program status.
As an EPC specializing in the most sustainable solar installation projects, let us know how Inovateus can help your college or university to reach your STARS program’s clean energy goals.
