Abstract
In 2010, University College Cork (UCC) was the first institution in the world to be awarded a “Green Flag” from the Foundation for Environmental Education. Since 2011, UCC has been ranked highly in the UI Green Metric World University Rankings and, in 2018, the university participated in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). STARS—a programme of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)—is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to comprehensively measure their sustainability performance. In 2018, UCC became the first university outside of the US and Canada to achieve a STARS Gold Rating. This paper documents the experience of UCC in undertaking the STARS assessment for the first time and explores how the process is helping to shape the sustainability agenda at UCC. The STARS submission process involves a collaborative review stage, and the use of this collaboration to shape further development of the STARS programme will be also be examined. Transparent reporting tools, such as STARS, present opportunities for further engagement with campus stakeholders. Recommendations for campuses embarking on the programme, and for the assessment of sustainability in higher education will be presented.
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Annex 1
Annex 1
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STARS credits (version 2.1)
Academics (AC) | Curriculum 40 points available | AC 1: Academic courses AC 2: Learning outcomes AC 3: Undergraduate program AC 4: Graduate program AC 5: Immersive experience AC 6: Sustainability literacy assessment AC 7: Incentives for developing courses AC 8: Campus as a living laboratory |
Research 18 points available | AC 9: Research and scholarship AC 10: Support for sustainability research AC 11: Open access to research | |
Engagement (EN) | Campus engagement 21 points available | EN 1: Student educators program EN 2: Student orientation EN 3: Student life EN 4: Outreach materials and publications EN 5: Outreach campaign EN 6: Assessing sustainability culture EN 7: Employee educators program EN 8: Employee orientation EN 9: Staff professional development |
Public engagement 20 points available | EN 10: Community partnerships EN 11: Inter-campus collaboration EN 12: Continuing education EN 13: Community service EN 14: Participation in public policy EN 15: Trademark licensing | |
Operations (OP) | Air and climate 11 points available | OP 1: Greenhouse gas emissions OP 2: Outdoor air quality |
Buildings 8 points available | OP 3: Building operations and maintenance OP 4: Building design and construction | |
Energy 10 points available | OP 5: Building energy consumption OP 6: Clean and renewable energy | |
Food and dining 8 points available | OP 7: Food and beverage purchasing OP 8: Sustainable dining | |
Grounds 4 points available | OP 9: Landscape management OP 10: Biodiversity | |
Purchasing 6 points available | OP 11: Sustainable procurement OP 12: Electronics purchasing OP 13: Cleaning and janitorial purchasing OP 14: Office paper purchasing | |
Transportation 7 points available | OP 15: Campus fleet OP 16: Student commute modal split OP 17: Employee commute modal split OP 18: Support for sustainable transportation | |
Waste 10 points available | OP 19: Waste minimization and diversion OP 20: Construction and demolition waste diversion OP 21: Hazardous waste management | |
Water 8 points available | OP 22: Water use OP 23: Rainwater management | |
Planning and administration (PA) | Coordination and planning 8 points available | PA 1: Sustainability coordination PA 2: Sustainability planning PA 3: Participatory governance |
Diversity and affordability 10 points available | PA 4: Diversity and equity coordination PA 5: Assessing diversity and equity PA 6: Support for underrepresented groups PA 7: Affordability and access | |
Investment and finance 7 points available | PA 8: Committee on investor responsibility PA 9: Sustainable investment PA 10: Investment disclosure | |
Wellbeing and work 7 points available | PA 11: Employee compensation PA 12: Assessing employee satisfaction PA 13: Wellness program PA 14: Workplace health and safety | |
Innovation and leadership | 4 bonus points available | A catalog of exemplary practice and open-ended innovation credits available for selection |
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Kirrane, M.J., Pelton, C., Mehigan, P., Poland, M., Mullally, G., O’Halloran, J. (2020). “Reaching for the STARS”: A Collaborative Approach to Transparent Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education, the Experience of a European University in Achieving STARS Gold. In: Leal Filho, W., Borges de Brito, P., Frankenberger, F. (eds) International Business, Trade and Institutional Sustainability. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26759-9_58
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