WKU News

For the fifth time since 2012, WKU has earned a STARS Silver 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. WKU’s STARS report is available on the STARS website at https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/western-kentucky-university-ky/report/2024-03-01/

The STARS ratings are released in one-year, two-year and/or three-year cycles. WKU earned the Silver rating in 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020. WKU submits a STARS report every three years, but all schools were given a one-year extension due to COVID.

“We are proud to have earned another silver star rating for our AASHE STARS 2024 report,” said Dr. Leslie North, Director of Sustainability at WKU. “STARS is a comprehensive review of sustainability activities on a campus, with silver or higher star ratings only possible if sustainability achievements are pursued across all sectors of a University. Our silver star rating is a testament to the culture of sustainability we maintain at WKU. We are about 4 points from achieving gold star rating and feel confident we will get there with some creative and productive collaborations. We already have conversations underway, and plans being developed.”

With more than 1,200 participants in 52 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: 1) Academics 2) Engagement, 3) Operations, 4) Planning and Administration, and 5) Innovation and Leadership.

WKU saw growth in points awarded in the Operations, Planning and Administration, and Innovation and Leadership categories from the 2020 to 2024 reports.

Sustainability achievements listed in WKU’s 2024 report include the Green Restaurant Association Certified Dining program with three WKU Restaurant Group locations earning certifications since 2019; a Farm-to-Campus program to provide meat, dairy and produce from the WKU Farm; and efforts to ease post-event traffic congestion and to improve Topper Transit efficiency to reduce emissions. WKU again received innovation points for the ParkSmart certification for Parking Structure 3.

In addition to the AASHE Stars program, WKU has earned numerous national recognitions and certifications since creating its Office of Sustainability in 2008, including the International WELL Building Institute for Ogden College Hall, the Green Restaurant Association Certified Dining program, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings, Tree Campus USA, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and more.

WKU has been profiled in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges for 14 straight years and has earned international recognition in the University of Indonesia GreenMetric World University Rankings since 2019. For more about the WKU Office of Sustainability, visit https://www.wku.edu/sustainability/

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “WKU has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver 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.

About AASHE: 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.

Contact: Dr. Leslie North, leslie.north@wku.edu

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.