Babson College Receives STARS Gold Rating For Sustainability Achievements

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College has earned a STARS Gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

"Our STARS rating is a comprehensive measure of Babson's sustainability (including social and environmental) efforts. It includes curriculum, research, operations (recycling, transportation, dining, etc.), public and community engagement, and planning and administration," says Babson Sustainability Manager Alexander Davis. "Our Gold rating puts us in the top third of institutions that report to STARS. Dozens of individuals across campus contributed to both earning the rating and collecting data for it--ranging from Facilities to Student Financial Services. We earned Exemplary Practice credits for areas such as our Sustainable Dining Certification (Green Restaurant Association rating for the Reynolds Crossroads Café) and for earning 4.5 stars on the Campus Pride Index (wide range of sustainability topics)."

With more than 800 participants in 30 countries, AASHE's STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university's sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: 1) academics 2) engagement, 3) operations, 4) planning and administration, and 5) innovation and leadership.

"STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts," said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. "Babson has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Gold Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts."

Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.

Sustainability at Babson College

Babson has been working to reduce our impact on the environment and the climate for decades, but now we're taking it up a notch.

All across Babson, campus staff, students, and faculty are tackling issues of sustainability and resource efficiency and working to solve these integrated challenges. In 2008, Babson became a signatory of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment, with a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. In the summer of 2010, we opened the Babson Sustainability Office to support, enhance, and coordinate these efforts.

As a business school, we are aimed at educating tomorrow's entrepreneurs and innovators. Babson is committed to integrating social and economic sustainability concepts into the business practices of this next generation of leaders and to create resilient, sustainable prosperity. We invite you to explore our actions, commitments, and initiatives, and to share your ideas for making Babson, and society, more sustainable.

Read more about:

• Bottle-Filling Stations
• Wind Power
• Connecting Farm to Fork
• Food Waste Diversion
• On-Campus Collaboration
• EV Charging Stations
• Alumni
• From Day One Fest
• Curriculum and Research
• Student Organizations
• GHG Emissions
• LEED Buildings

About AASHE

AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE's mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.

For more information about the STARS program, visit stars.aashe.org.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds^®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action^® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

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SOURCE Babson College

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