When it comes to sustainability, UW–Madison earns STARS Gold

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has earned its first STARS Gold rating in a nationwide broad sustainability assessment, marking key progress on Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin's five environmental sustainability goals that were first announced in February 2024.

Administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS) is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university's sustainability performance. A gold rating puts the university on track with peers in the Big Ten, which has 14 gold ratings out of the 16 schools active in STARS.

"It's a welcome accomplishment to achieve STARS Gold this year. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff, faculty and students to make sustainability a priority at UW-Madison," says Mnookin. "It also reflects the university's leadership and dedication to finding solutions to challenges that affect people in Wisconsin and around the world."

With scoring categories of Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning and Administration, STARS presents a holistic view of the institution's performance around environmental sustainability and is an indicator of progress toward campus goals on emissions, waste, educational opportunity and research.

While the Office of Sustainability coordinates STARS reporting, nearly 100 indicators make it a cross-campus endeavor. This year's submission relied on contributions from institutional data teams, academic departments, research centers, student groups, natural-areas staff and close partnerships with University Housing and Facilities Planning & Management.

"STARS reflects the fact that sustainability is an institutional commitment. We are so grateful for the collaboration of our partners across campus who are bringing our goals to life in the classroom, in their labs, in our operations and through new research," says Missy Nergard, director of institutional sustainability at UW-Madison.

In this year's report, the university's Operations score received a boost from waste metrics, including reduced waste per campus user, implementing software and analytics to reduce food waste, and an 89% diversion rate for construction and demolition waste. Campus has also maintained stable levels of greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage since 2022, despite campus growth.

"UW-Madison's unique approach to sustainability - integrating academics with operations and facilities - means we can effect real change on campus, while also providing opportunities for learning and research," says Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning & Management Cindy Torstveit. "The university has long-prioritized efficiency and sustainability in our operations, and as we plan for the future, we are eager to build on this success to achieve net-zero emissions and create a zero-waste campus."

Among the five goals Mnookin announced at the launch of the sustainability initiative in 2024 is a commitment to ensuring that all interested students have access to sustainability educational experiences by 2030. Notably, the university demonstrated the most improvement in the Academics category this year, reflecting progress toward that goal.

The university now counts 85 departments with sustainability course offerings, 57 of which offer a major or certification that requires sustainability knowledge. And UW-Madison has high levels of student involvement in sustainability, with more than 50 registered student organizations and campus events, including the award-winning Earth Fest, which this year, the second year the event was held, featured 61 sessions and hosted 2,500 attendees.

"Students want more than knowledge - they want practical training in sustainability skills. This new STARS designation affirms our commitment and signals that UW-Madison is serious about integrating sustainability into its core mission," says Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. "It's a powerful message to our students and a proud milestone for sustainability education here."

Robbins notes that student demand for sustainability education is soaring. Hundreds of students, from engineering and business to medicine and the liberal arts, are enrolling in the certificate program and courses in sustainability science, systems thinking and practical skills.

With stricter scoring criteria coming with the next iteration of the ranking, STARS 3.0, maintaining a Gold rating will require a continued commitment to operational sustainability goals. Broad-based collaboration will allow UW-Madison to serve as a leader on environmental sustainability in the classroom, on campus and across the state.

"Achieving STARS Gold is something we've been working toward for years," says Mnookin. "We will of course take the time to celebrate our accomplishment, but we also remain focused on the road ahead; there's more work to be done to best serve the residents of our state and generations of future Badgers." tory copy here.