Earlier this month the University of Tennessee, Knoxville received STARS Silver recognition for the campus’ sustainability initiatives. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) is a program of AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. AASHE boasts over 900 member institutions and 336 schools who actively report to STARS from around the country and world.
UT first received a STARS rating in 2011 during the program’s inaugural year. The university has steadily increased the number of points earned since that first submission, even as the rating system’s criteria have become more rigorous over time. UT ranks in the top 25% of the 141 active Silver ratings and received 57.98 points this year, well above the minimum 45 points necessary to achieve Silver.
The Office of Sustainability collects and prepares the data for each STARS report, but Sustainability Manager, Jay Price, emphasizes that “this is clearly not something we alone are responsible for achieving. The Silver rating is a testament to UT’s overarching commitment to sustainability and contributions from all corners of the university over the last three years are highlighted in the report.”
Notable achievements of the 2020 report include receiving all four “innovation” points for new university projects such as the Grow Lab and the recently constructed bioswales along Volunteer Boulevard, as well as research highlights like this faculty-led rain garden project.
You can view the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s STARS Report here and learn more about campus sustainability here.
Facilities Services exists to support, empower, and embrace tradition. With over 650 employees, Facilities Services works to provide, maintain, and optimize the physical resources and environments of the campus for the university community through the integration of people, technology, and innovative work practices in order to fully support and promote the University of Tennessee’s VolVision, its long range Master Plan, and its goal of becoming a Top 25 Research Institution
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For more information, contact Sam Jones Ledford at sjones80@utk.edu or 865-297-3027.
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