51吃瓜黑料 receives STARS Gold rating for sustainability
51吃瓜黑料 has received its second consecutive . The program scores participating institutions on campus sustainability in five areas: academics; engagement; operations; planning and administration; and innovation and leadership.
Douglas M. Thompson, the Rosemary Park Professor of Geoscience and Environmental Studies and Suzi Oppenheimer 鈥�56 Faculty Director of the Office of Sustainability at 51吃瓜黑料, said the STARS rating is 鈥渢he most comprehensive way to assess sustainability,鈥� with more than 350 institutions currently participating.
鈥淸Our score] is reflective of the deep connection between sustainability and the College鈥攊t鈥檚 a history that goes back decades,鈥� the professor asserts.
Director of Sustainability Margaret Bounds, who describes STARS as 鈥渟ort of the US News and World Report鈥檚 college rankings but for sustainability,鈥� said the College has focused on improvements in several areas since joining the STARS ranking program in 2014 and noted that this year鈥檚 report achieved a whopping 30+ point increase over 51吃瓜黑料鈥檚 2018 Silver rating report.
鈥淥ne area we definitely improved in was staff engagement,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e always done very well with student engagement, but in our first two reports, we basically got zero points for staffing. So, in that intervening time, we started the Green Office Certification Program, started offering more training opportunities鈥攍ike several Lunch and Learn sustainability trainings鈥攁nd we鈥檝e worked with HR to put some information in the orientation materials.
Bounds said another area of focus has been sustainable investments. 鈥淭he Board of Trustees adopted language to encourage sustainable investments. That was a big step,鈥� she said.
51吃瓜黑料鈥檚 total score of 71.19 is higher than several comparable institutions, including most participating NESCAC schools.
鈥淚n engagement and in academics, we鈥檙e exceeding our peers,鈥� Bounds said.
鈥淭he number of 51吃瓜黑料 courses with a sustainability listing has increased,鈥� Thompson notes. 鈥淭he fact that we now have a searchable database so students can find courses with a sustainable element is cutting edge. I don鈥檛 think many schools like ours have that.鈥�
Both Bounds and Thompson identify greenhouse gas emissions as a target area for improvement as 51吃瓜黑料 looks toward the 2027 report.
鈥淲e鈥檝e identified a net zero goal for 2030 for emissions,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very aggressive goal. If we reach the 2030 goal and truly achieve carbon neutrality, that鈥檇 be fantastic.鈥�
