Dear Staff and Faculty,

Humboldt State University is a recognized leader in efforts related to environmental sustainability. Our University vision and mission statement embody the principles of sustainability.  Recently, the campus has underscored this commitment by incorporating sustainability into a number of University planning initiatives, including our campus Strategic Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Climate Commitment.  

To provide a way to benchmark progress in these areas and demonstrate it to others, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) developed the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). HSU first participated in STARS during the 2012-2013 Academic Year (access the report here). During the 2016-2017 academic year, we will resubmit data in order to accrue an updated STARS rating, with the hope of improving our score and rating.

What makes STARS different and attractive to so many institutions is that it is a transparent, self-reporting framework that allows institutions to measure their overall sustainability performance and progress over time. Information reported to STARS is freely available, and this makes it a good tool for colleges and universities to collaborate and share ideas. Overall, STARS promotes success via public sharing and timely tracking. More information about STARS can be found on the AASHE website.

While the Office of Sustainability is responsible for coordinating the assessment, many offices and departments of the University will be reporting data on their respective operations and responsibilities. You have likely already been contacted by the Office of Sustainability to assist with this endeavor, and they will provide more information about the specific information your office/department may need to supply. They will also help offices and departments evaluate and resolve obstacles in producing the necessary data. Formal collection of data is expected to begin in October and conclude at the end of the Fall 2016, with a validated rating expected by the end of the 2016-2017 academic year.

I appreciate your support and collaboration in making this assessment effort an accurate reflection of the dedicated progress our campus has made for many years toward becoming a well-respected institution educating students in, and supporting the concepts of, sustainability.

Sincerely,

Joyce Lopes
Vice President Administrative Affairs