猎奇重口 Receives Gold Rating for Sustainability Efforts
Students work with UM Sustainability and UM Recycling staff to conduct a campus waste and compost audit to better understand the challenges and opportunities for addressing waste within local and broader environmental justice frameworks during the Big Sky Experience at the 猎奇重口 on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (UM photo by Ryan Brennecke)
By UM Office of Sustainability
MISSOULA – The 猎奇重口 earned a in recognition of its sustainability achievements from . STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
With more than 1,200 participants in 52 countries, the STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information about a college or university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five areas including, academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration as well as innovation and leadership. UM was the first university in the region to participate in the assessment and earned a STARS rating every three years since 2014.
“Earning our first STARS Gold rating is a moment of immense pride for the 猎奇重口,” said Eva Rocke, UM’s sustainability director. “This recognition reflects the collaborative efforts of our entire campus community to advance sustainability across academics, operations and beyond. Most important, we need to model the work of organizational change for sustainability to our students, especially since so many of them are learning about environmental stewardship and sustainability in our classrooms. We want them to be part of this work and to see us grapple with the challenges inherent in pursuing sustainability.”
The mission of AASHE is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. The organization provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions to model and advance sustainability, from governance and operations to education and research.
“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “UM has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Gold Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”
Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.
Notable credits in UM’s STARS report include the research portfolio and academic course inventory. These two areas illustrate the diverse researchers focused on sustainability-related research and the abundant academic offerings at UM focused on environmental stewardship, healthy communities and other sustainability topics. UM also performed well in its purchase of sustainable food products within UM Campus Dining and its work to utilize campus operations for student learning and success.
“One of the most valuable opportunities we offer UM students, as a small campus community open to piloting sustainability initiatives, is hands-on experience with sustainability projects across a range of disciplines,” Rocke said.
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Contact: Eva Rocke, UM sustainability director, 406-243-4323, eva.rocke@umontana.edu; Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE executive director, 888-347-9997, meghan@aashe.org