Baldwin Wallace University's longstanding commitment to sustainability has earned a prestigious Silver Rating through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
Administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the encourages, measures and honors sustainability achievements in five broad areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.
"Sustainability naturally fits into BW's approach to education, which promotes our individual and collective responsibility as contributing global citizens," said Dr. Franklin Lebo, assistant professor of sustainability and BW's STARS liaison. "The STARS recognition places BW in a category that includes such institutions as Case Western, University of Pittsburgh and Yale, and encourages us to keep striving for excellence in green practices and initiatives."
With 800-plus STARS-commended participants around the globe, AASHE's program is "the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university's sustainability performance."
"STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts," said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. "BW has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability and is to be congratulated."
BW's
green
record
of
achievement
includes
the
launch
of
Ohio's
first
undergraduate
major
in
sustainability
in
2008,
with
a
minor,
certificate
program
and
scholarly
research
opportunities
as
part
of
the
University's
academic
green
portfolio.
In addition, BW's operating plant boasts two solar arrays, a wind turbine, innovative recycling and composting efforts, and five geothermal fields that heat and cool campus buildings. Two buildings are LEED certified, and the Berea campus, home to more than 1,500 trees, is designated a Tree Campus USA® by the Arbor Day Foundation.
BW
students
can
also
choose
to
live
in
the
Harding
House
sustainable
living-learning
community
or
get
involved
with
The
Campus
Kitchens
Project,
a
student-led
organization
that
recovers
food
waste
and
turns
it
into
healthy
meals
for
the
community.
Serving on the Campus Sustainability Committee or joining the BW Biomimicry Club, Sustainable Food Taskforce, Fauna, Student Tended Natural Garden or Students for Environmental Awareness are among the other opportunities for engagement.