The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a self-reporting sustainability assessment recognized by experts and professionals in the higher education sustainability field. The new STARS 3.0 version released in 2024 reduced the number of reporting fields to simplify the data collection process, but also requires new reporting areas that can make the transition to a new version a daunting task. UW-Whitewater is the first among the Universities of Wisconsin to complete the STARS 3.0 version and achieved a Bronze rating. 

UW-Whitewater achieved a Silver Rating under STARS 2.1 in November 2018 and was in the data collection process to report under STARS 2.2 in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted data collection and reduced staffing levels. The first rating was also Silver for STARS 2.0 in April 2015. The reports are valid for three years. Wes Enterline, Sustainability Coordinator, is confident a Silver rating is within reach soon.

“We just finished our first year with Chartwells as our dining contractor, so we were missing some data there. Other data collection efforts are being put in place that will allow us to document some things we missed this time. We are very close to the Silver threshold and we hope to submit a revised report next year.”

The Sustainability Office focuses its efforts on student-facing engagement through student organizations, events, and community service activities. The Office is based in Upham Greenhouse and also manages the Campus Garden and assists with management of the Nature Preserve. Anyone interested in getting involved can visit our website to learn more about our programs.