Shooting for the STARS: Buffalo State’s sustainability efforts internationally recognized

Since 2021, Buffalo State University's sustainability committee has guided the campus to improve conservation and social equity initiatives, including maintaining membership with Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), an international organization that empowers members of higher education institutions to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.

This year, for the first time, Buffalo State entered data into AASHE's Sustainability, Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) to see how its sustainability efforts compare to those of other colleges and universities worldwide. Buffalo State was awarded a Silver rating, a rarity for first-time applicants.

"It is not typical to come in with a Silver at the first try," said Carter Strickland, SUNY Sustainability Officer. "We look forward to supporting initiatives on the Buffalo State campus."

Buffalo State's STARS participation was led by Sarah Reid, campus planner; Steven Sypniewski, assistant campus planner, arboretum manager, and campus arborist; and Scott Goodman, associate vice president for academic affairs; with support and assistance from the Buffalo State campus community.

"This achievement reflects our strong commitment and ongoing dedication to making sustainability a core value on our campus," said Lisa H. Krieger, interim vice president for management and operations. "Many thanks to Sarah Reid, Steve Sypniewski, and the AASHE STARS team for their months of work leading to this recognition."

Participation in STARS involves collecting information about the institution's sustainability initiatives and performance in the areas of Academics, Engagement, Operations, Planning and Administration, and Innovation and Leadership; documenting that information in an online reporting tool; and submitting a report to earn public recognition.

"This experience helped us to understand what the campus has already accomplished regarding sustainability," Reid said. "We have a benchmark and can assess in what areas we would like to improve to continually move forward."

The report asks for information on not only elements like energy use, waste management, and food procurement, but also aspects like racial and ethnic diversity, gender parity, and affordability and access.

"Sustainability is a gigantic umbrella," said Sypniewski. "The social justice aspect of this is equal to the environmental aspect."

Buffalo State was recognized for things like its maintenance of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum; its 2022 and 2023 Tree Campus Higher Education Designation; and a recently completed Clean Energy Master Plan which outlines a roadmap for low carbon and renewable technologies and operational strategies to reduce fossil fuel use and dependency, increase electrification of utility operations, and set the path for New York State-mandated carbon neutrality by 2050.

"As a champion of sustainability, I am very proud of Buffalo State's declaration as a Silver level campus," said sustainability committee member Susan McCartney, director of Buffalo State's Small Business Development Center and special advisor to the provost for economic development. "Our commitment to a wide range of sustainability practices, from planting trees, integrating sustainability into our curriculum, to building environmentally certified structures helped us secure this important recognition."

"Our rating is significant," Sypniewski said. "It ranks Buffalo State with the top universities on both the national and international stage."

Lead image by Buffalo State Marketing & Communications; inline image by Jesse Steffan-Colucci, Buffalo State photographer.