STARS Pilot Project

STARS Pilot Project
Institutions Participating in the STARS Pilot
STARS Pilot Project Conference Calls

Approach

The STARS pilot project took place from February 2008 to January 2009. Institutions that participated in the pilot tested the system and provided feedback to AASHE to help shape future versions of STARS. 

The STARS pilot project took place in two phases. A phased approach helped to moderate the workload for participating institutions. It also allowed AASHE to solicit another round of feedback about some sections included in STARS before asking schools to gather data.

Phase One of the STARS pilot started in February 2008. Phase One covers the Operations category and about half of the Administration and Finance category. View STARS Guide to Pilot Phase One (pdf). 

STARS Pilot Phase Two started in September 2008.  Phase Two covers the Education and Research category and remaining credits in the Administration and Finance category, as well as Tier Two Credits and Innovation Credits.  View STARS Guide to Pilot Phase Two (pdf).

Results

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Pilot Project Results (pdf) is a detailed summary of results and feedback received during the pilot project.

Student Research

Kyle Murphy, a student at The Evergreen State College, coordinated his institution's participation in the STARS Pilot Project and wrote his Master's thesis about lessons learned from that experience.  He writes:

This research focused on three main questions with respect to Evergreen’s use of the STARS tool: (a) Is STARS an effective tool for use at Evergreen (did the framework address issues important to Evergreen, did it meet the criteria of an ideal assessment framework, and what are the advantages and disadvantages), (b) Does the STARS process lead to organizational learning, and (c) What STARS reveal about Evergreen’s commitment to sustainability. Using a case study research design, I took a multi-disciplinary approach to the data collection for STARS implementation. Through my research I found that STARS is an effective tool to evaluate sustainability at Evergreen, which led to organizational learning, and highlighted Evergreen’s complex and dynamic commitment to sustainability.

Thesis presentation (pdf)
Thesis full text (pdf)

Institutions Participating in the STARS Pilot

Institutions are listed below according to their basic Carnegie Classification and student population.

Associate's Colleges

Large (more than 12,500 students)
Cedar Valley College – Lancaster, Texas
De Anza Community College – Cupertino, California
Eastfield College – Mesquite, Texas
Grand Rapids Community College – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Monroe Community College – Rochester, New York
Mountain View College – Dallas, Texas
North Lake College – Irving, Texas
Richland College – Dallas, Texas
Santa Barbara City College – Santa Barbara, California
Santa Fe Community College – Gainesville, Florida

Medium (3,000 to 12,500 students)

Delta College – University Center, Michigan
Northwest State Community College – Archbold, Ohio

Districts

Dallas County Community College District – Dallas, Texas
Eastern Iowa Community College District – Davenport, Iowa

Baccalaureate Colleges

Small (fewer than 3,000 students)

College of St. Benedict – St. Joseph, Minnesota
Dickinson College – Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Gustavus Adolphus College – St. Peter, Minnesota
Middlebury College – Middlebury, Vermont
Mount Union College – Alliance, Ohio
Northland College – Ashland, Wisconsin
Randolph College – Lynchburg, Virginia
St. John's University – Collegeville, Minnesota
University of Minnesota, Morris – Morris, Minnesota
Williams College – Williamstown, Massachusetts

Canadian Institutions

Large (more than 12,500 students)
Concordia University – Montreal, Quebec
McGill University – Montreal, Quebec
University of British Columbia – Vancouver, British Columbia

Medium (3,000 to 12,000 students)

Acadia University - Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Doctorate-granting Universities

Large (more than 12,500 students)

Arizona State University – Tempe, Arizona
Ball State University – Muncie, Indiana
Colorado State University – Fort Collins, Colorado
Illinois State University – Normal, Illinois
Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa
New York University –New York, New York
Portland State University – Portland, Oregon
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey – New Brunswick, New Jersey
Syracuse University – Syracuse, New York
University of California, San Diego – San Diego, California
University of California, Santa Barbara – Santa Barbara, California
University of Central Florida – Orlando, Florida
University of Colorado at Boulder – Boulder, Colorado
University of Florida – Gainesville, Florida
University of Illinois at Chicago – Chicago, Illinois
University of Kansas – Lawrence, Kansas
University of New Hampshire – Durham, New Hampshire
University of Texas at Austin – Austin, Texas
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester, Massachusetts

Medium (3,000 to 12,000 students)
Case Western Reserve University – Cleveland, Ohio
Emory University – Atlanta, Georgia

Small (fewer than 3,000 students)

State University of New York, College of Environmental Science & Forestry – Syracuse, NY

Master's Colleges and Universities

Large (more than 12,500 students)

Appalachian State University – Boone, North Carolina
Boise State University – Boise, Idaho
California State University, Chico – Chico, California
California State University, Sacramento – Sacramento, California
Eastern Kentucky University – Richmond, Kentucky
Grand Valley State University – Allendale, Michigan
University of Nebraska at Omaha – Omaha, Nebraska

Medium (3,000 to 12,000 students)

Florida Gulf Coast University – Fort Meyers, Florida
Pacific Lutheran University – Tacoma, Washington
Santa Clara University – Santa Clara, California
Seattle Pacific University – Seattle, Washington
The Evergreen State College – Olympia, Washington
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs – Colorado Springs, Colorado
University of Wisconsin - River Falls – River Falls, Wisconsin

Small (fewer than 3,000 students)
Monterey Institute of International Studies – Monterey, California

Special Focus Institutions

Small (fewer than 3,000 students)

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – Terre Haute, Indiana

STARS Pilot Project Conference Calls

Throughout the pilot period, AASHE conducted a series of conference calls focused on the categories covered by STARS. The calls provided an opportunity for institutions participating in the pilot project to ask questions, provide feedback, and share strategies for gathering data and achieving the credits. Calls were open only to institutions participating in the STARS pilot project. 

Pilot Phase Two Calls

1. Co-Curricular Education and Faculty and Staff Development and Training Call
Thursday, September 18th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Summary notes (pdf)

2. Curriculum Call
Thursday, September 25th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Summary notes (pdf)

3. Research Call
Thursday, October 2nd, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Summary notes (pdf)

4. Community Relations and Partnerships Call
Thursday, October 9th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Summary notes (pdf)

5. Diversity, Access, and Affordability Call
Thursday, October 16th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Summary notes (pdf)

6. Human Resources Call
Thursday, October 23rd, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Call did not occur due to low attendance

7. Trademark Licensing and Innovation Credits Call
Thursday, October 30th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Summary notes (pdf)

Pilot Phase One Calls

1. Kick-Off Call
Monday, February 11th, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
Monday, February 11th, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Tuesday, February 12th, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

2. Buildings Call (OP Credits 1 – 4)
Tuesday, February 19th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

3. Dining Services Call (OP Credits 5 – 7)
Tuesday, February 26th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

4. Energy and Climate Call (OP Credits 8 – 11)
Tuesday, March 4th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

5. Grounds Call (OP Credits 12 – 13)
Tuesday, March 11th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

6. Materials, Recycling, and Waste Minimization Call (OP Credits 14 – 18)
Tuesday, March 18th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

7. Purchasing Call (OP Credits 19 – 24)
Tuesday, March 25th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

8. Transportation Call (OP Credits 25 – 28)
*Thursday, April 3rd, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

9. Investment Call (AF Credits 1 – 5)
Tuesday, April 8th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

10. Planning and Sustainability Infrastructure Call (AF Credits 6 – 11)
Tuesday, April 15th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Summary notes (pdf)

Other

In addition to the calls, pilot participants gathered at the AASHE 2008 conference. Notes from that meeting are available here (pdf).