In our efforts for continuous improvement, Sheridan will be assessing its progress towards its Mission Zero goals, as well as other key areas of sustainability, using the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) framework.
AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is the most widely recognized program for tracking progress towards sustainability in the world. The system asks for comprehensive reporting of information about a college or university’s sustainability performance in Academics, Engagement, Operations, Planning and Administration, as well as Innovation and Leadership.
Sheridan became the first Ontario College to undertake STARS in 2011. Prestigious schools such as the Universities of Toronto and York, contemporary colleges like Humber, Fanshawe, Mohawk, and many more, have all followed our lead. There are now dozens of post-secondary institutions across Canada that take part in the highly-regarded self-assessment.
“The STARS framework provides a sustainability lens through which we gain valuable insights into areas of strength and opportunities for improvement across the organization,” said Herb Sinnock, Manager, Sustainable Energy Systems and Manager of the Office for Sustainability.
Sheridan has made excellent progress over the years improving its rating from Bronze in 2012 to Silver in 2015, which was made possible due to the combined efforts and contributions from all of its employees. It is now aiming to upgrade its existing rating in 2018.
Currently, two American institutions – Colorado State University and Stanford University – are the only ones to receive a Platinum STARS rating. There are no Ontario Colleges with a Gold or Platinum rating and only three Ontario Universities with a Gold rating.
Sheridan will submit its report for an updated rating this spring and will “go for Gold” to be the first Ontario College to achieve this prestigious recognition of its sustainability efforts. However this is no solo endeavor; although we have administrative support, collecting data for the submission will take effort from everyone.
The Office for Sustainability, including co-op students, will be reaching out to various departments from across the College to collect data and information for the STARS report. We want to say thank you to the community in advance for your continuing support and co-operation.