By UW Sustainability | Nov 6, 2017

The University of Washington has earned recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for its sustainability performance, with special recognition in the food & dining and transportation categories.

AASHE's 2017 Sustainable Campus Index lists the UW as the second-rated university in both transportation and food & dining, and the sixth-best doctoral institution overall.

"This recognition is a direct reflection of the dedication of our staff, faculty and students who work every day to support the University of Washington's deep commitment to sustainability," said Barbara Wingerson, associate vice president for finance and administration.

The rankings are taken from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) administered by AASHE. The STARS ratings, administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, are good for three years. The UW submitted its most recent self-reported assessment in 2015 and received a gold rating, with a score of 77.47 percent. There are 404 universities which currently have a STARS rating, with 122 earning a gold rating.

"We're honored to be recognized nationally as a top performer in the 2017 Sustainable Campus Index report. UW Dining’s focus on sustainability is deeply aligned with the UW. We look forward to continuing our efforts to drive sustainability forward," said Pamela Schreiber, assistant vice president for Student Life and executive director of UW Housing & Food Services.

"The Gold rating achieved by the University of Washington illustrates the daily choices our students, faculty, and staff make to reduce our institution’s collective carbon footprint," said Anne Eskridge, director of Transportation Services. "The AASHE achievement is also the result of the hard work of Transportation Services staff over the course of two decades. This is a wonderful formal recognition of their ongoing efforts to assist the campus community in making commuting choices that are both personally practical and ecologically beneficial."

AASHE’s Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing colleges and universities in 17 different sustainability categories, as measured by STARS. The top performers in each category were determined by points earned by institutions in STARS, and AASHE staff also selected best practices and innovative efforts reported by the institutions for the featured highlights.

STARS reports are publicly available. The University of Washington's report can be viewed here.