What is AASHE STARS?
AASHE STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, is a self-reporting framework from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Colleges and universities use it to measure sustainability performance across academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration, and can earn ratings such as Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
What it is
STARS gives institutions a common structure for reporting sustainability. Credits are grouped into categories, and points from those credits determine the rating.
Operations credits cover areas such as buildings, energy, water, waste, transportation and purchasing. They reward measured performance and improvement, so data quality matters.
Reports are public, which lets institutions compare themselves and lets students and staff see progress. The framework is updated periodically, so credit requirements can change between versions.
Who it applies to
Colleges and universities worldwide that choose to participate. It is voluntary. Institutions often use their STARS results to set campus sustainability priorities and to track progress between submissions.
Sustainability offices typically coordinate submissions, drawing data from facilities, procurement and academic departments.
How it is measured
Operations credits rely on measured resource use, often normalized by floor area or campus population.
Many campuses have a mix of metered and unmetered buildings, and estimates fill the gaps. Better submetering improves the accuracy of the submission and shows where improvement is actually happening, building by building.
- Building energy use by source
- Water use across the campus
- Floor area and population for normalization
- Year over year change against a baseline
How Aqueduct helps
Aqueduct supplies measured energy and water performance for the operations credits.
- aQ EnergySmart and aQ WaterGuard metering across campus buildings
- Weather-normalized baselines to show real improvement
- Leaks and waste found and fixed during the year
- aQ Assurance exports for the sustainability office