Ithaca College Receives STARS Gold Rating for Sustainability Achievements

By IC News staff, December 5, 2022
Highlights IC’s many diverse sustainability efforts.

Ithaca College has earned a STARS gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. Ithaca College STARS report is publicly available on the AASHE website. 

Ithaca College is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and is on track to meet that goal early. The Peggy Ryan Williams Center, Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, Athletics and Events Center, and Classroom Link corridor have all received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications. Additionally, Ithaca College was named as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges by The Princeton Review. The education services company ranked IC at #9 in its “Guide to Green Colleges: 2023 Edition.”  

“STARS serves as a comprehensive rating system for colleges and universities that addresses the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability,” said Scott Doyle ’98, director of energy management and sustainability at Ithaca College. “It’s designed to create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability and allows for meaningful comparisons across institutions. I like the fact that it highlights the many diverse sustainability efforts occurring around Ithaca College but also it provides numerous ideas of where we can improve that work. Most importantly I think the STARS reporting process helps IC to build a stronger, more diverse sustainable community.”  

"I like the fact that it highlights the many diverse sustainability efforts occurring around Ithaca College but also it provides numerous ideas of where we can improve that work. Most importantly I think the STARS reporting process helps IC to build a stronger, more diverse sustainable community.”  

Scott Doyle ’98, director of energy management and sustainability at Ithaca College

With more than 900 participants in 40 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.  

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Ithaca College 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.  

AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation.  It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.  

For more information about the STARS program, visit stars.aashe.org