Madison Long, former UVM Bikes president, repairs a bicycle. UVM Bikes is a student-run cooperative that teaches members of the campus community the skills they need to maintain and repair their rides (photo: Sally McCay).
Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont is among the most sustainable campuses in North America, according to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a program that measures accomplishments in sustainability in higher education. For the fourth time in a row, UVM earned a “Gold” rating in the highly regarded STARS measures.
STARS, managed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), is the primary means for tracking sustainability performance for campuses across the country and is used by more than 900 institutions of higher education.
“Our students, faculty and staff show their commitment to sustainability on a daily basis, in teaching, research and in the crucial operations that keep UVM going. This rating demonstrates that sustainability is a central pillar of the university’s ongoing work and future goals,” said UVM President Suresh Garimella.
STARS includes 68 measures across four domains: academics, engagement, operations, and planning/administration. STARS reevaluates institutions every three years—UVM has achieved a Gold rating in the last four consecutive rankings in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023. UVM’s total score increased from 74.8 points in 2020 to 76.7 points this year. An institution can earn a STARS rating at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level. Gold represents achievement of 65-85% of total available points. UVM currently ranks in the top 20 of U.S doctorate-granting institutions.
Because AASHE raises the bar with new evidence-based criteria with each version upgrade, STARS represents an evolving set of criteria to measure. Recent achievements that yielded a higher score include:
Academics
- 75% of academic departments have sustainability-focused course offerings, and 20% of all courses taught in 2021-2022 were sustainability related. Undergraduate students are required to take at least one sustainability course.
- UVM’s Gund Institute for Environment continues to mobilize scholars and decision-makers to understand and tackle critical environmental challenges including climate solutions, health and well-being, sustainable agriculture, resilient communities and equity and justice.
- UVM created the Food Systems Research Center and, earlier this year, the Institute for Agroecology to address the need to transform the world’s food systems in the pursuit of equity, sustainability, and wellbeing through a globally connected, locally rooted approach.
Engagement
- Multiple ongoing and formal community partnerships are dedicated to advancing sustainability through service-learning, such as the new UVM Institute for Rural Partnerships and the UVM Community News Service, a reporting service that pairs student reporters with local media outlets to provide community content at no cost.
- The Office of Sustainability manages Eco-Reps, a longstanding student peer educator program, and supports a culture of sustainability through a staff Sustainability Ambassadors program, professional development courses and outreach activities year-round.
Operations
- UVM purchases 100% renewable electricity, primarily from hydropower, an initiative implemented in 2015.
- Reduced car and bike share memberships are available to the UVM community along with 22 on-campus electric vehicle charging spaces.
- UVM’s green fleet procurement procedure has increased the number of low- and zero-emissions fleet vehicles.
- A new purchasing website describes sustainability-oriented policies, guidelines and practices related to a range of items including cleaning products, food services, information technology, copiers and copier paper, fleet vehicles, T-shirts, as well as sourcing from minority- and women-owned businesses. The UVM Bookstore sells only 100% green certified computers.
Planning and Administration
- All staff, faculty and students are required to participate in training, classes or activities focused on enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion.
- The University’s board of trustees decided to divest from fossil fuels in 2020, and UVM's endowment is invested with screens that exclude tobacco, cluster munitions, uranium and landmines. Its cash reserves are likewise invested in fossil fuel-free funds.
- A $13 million Energy Revolving Fund supports on-campus energy efficiency upgrades.
- Across campus, sustainability goals and targets are supported and strengthened in plans related to general education, land use, and facilities management.
STARS Sustainability Impact
Students who choose UVM care about sustainability. More than 40% of students recently surveyed said that UVM's sustainability reputation influenced their decision to attend. STARS data show how UVM compares with other institutions that publish their sustainability data online.
“The primary audience for UVM’s STARS data is the University community — our academic and administrative departments, governance groups and individual members,” according to UVM Director of Sustainability Elizabeth Palchak.
In a recent survey, almost 90% of employees and students say that sustainability is important to them. After gathering and reporting STARS data, the Office of Sustainability facilitates conversations to support programs and operations and an understanding of our progress on campus sustainability. "We are also using STARS data in the development of our Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, due for release this spring. This will include goals and strategies for sustainability informed by our STARS data,” Palchak said.
The full STARS report is available here. For more information, contact the Office of Sustainability at [email protected] or visit the Office of Sustainability website.
3.10.2023. BURLINGTON, Vt. — The University of Vermont
