After maintaining a gold rating since 2012, Cornell earned 85 points in the group’s STARS (Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System) to become the first Ivy and the sixth university overall to reach platinum.
Cornell’s strong sustainability education component is a major driver that led to its higher score, said Sarah Zemanick, director of campus sustainability.
“The road to STARS platinum goes through the classroom and through the student experience,” she said.
The university had perfect scores in 45 of 61 subcategories, including student sustainability literacy, green laboratories, sustainability curriculum, support for public transportation and community partnerships.
The STARS report recognized Cornell for engaged learning opportunities, faculty sustainability research and providing students an opportunity for “living laboratory” projects such as Solarize, a collaboration between the student group Cornell University Sustainable Design and Cornell’s Grounds Department in Facilities and Campus Services. Over the past two years, the university supported nearly 80 student projects as part of its Living Laboratory initiative.
