Shooting for the STARS:

The Sustainability Movement in Higher Education

Senior Project submitted to

The Division of Social Studies

Of Bard College

By

David B. Gookin
















Annandale-On-Hudson, New York

May 2013



Acknowledgements


This Senior Project has been a very challenging endeavor for me personally. I am
very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend Bard College. I am extremely blessed
to have attended to an institution that has allowed me to form great friendships that will
last a lifetime and provided me with some of the best professors in the country. Attending
Bard College has allowed me to learn life lessons, grow as an individual (academically,
socially, physically, emotionally) and provided me with opportunities that no other higher
education institution could. My time at Bard College has been extremely memorable and
without the support from my family, friends, and the professional staff it wouldnt have
been possible.
I would first like to thank my academic and Senior Project advisor, Mark Lytle,
for all of his support and aid over the past few years. Professor Lytle has been one of the
best professors I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from in a classroom
setting. He has been supportive of my academic pursuits and is always a wonderful
person to have a conversation with. I cant thank him enough for all that he has done for
me.
I would like to also thank my other Senior Project board members for being on
my team and taking the time to read through my project. Thank you to Noah Chasin for
providing me with an incredible experience in his Sustainable Urbanism course. This
course was one that I thoroughly enjoyed and learned many new things. Thank you to
Gidon Eshel who provided me with different insight to Environmental Science that was
both enjoyable and valuable for expanding my knowledge of the subject.



I additionally would like to thank the numerous professors who have made
learning a truly enjoyable experience while attending Bard. You all have had an impact
on my life and will not be forgotten. Thank you to Christopher Lindner, Kris Feder,
William Mullen, Robert Culp, Susan Merriam, and Susan Aberth.
Thank you to David Shein for his help during my time at Bard and his support for
this project as well as my other academic pursuits. He has played a crucial supportive role
in my academic career at Bard.
I also need to thank Gretchen Perry for her help that has allowed me to grow as an
individual. She has been very supportive during my time at Bard and without her
assistance I would not be the person I am today. Thank you for everything you have done
for me.
My family has played a critical role in my life and academic career. I cant thank
each and every one of them enough for all their love and support throughout my life. I
love you all and have you to thank for the man I am today. Youre all amazing people
and I am so glad to be a part of this family.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of my friends that I have made at Bard. Without
all of you, I wouldnt be where I am today. You have supported me through thick and
thin and I cant be more grateful for that. Every one of you has had an impact on my life
and has made it more enjoyable and interesting. You guys are amazing people. I am truly
blessed to call you friends. Heres to the next chapter!




Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................................................
Chapter 1: A Time Line Approach To The History of Sustainability .................................1
Chapter 2: The History of Sustainability in Higher Education..........................................23
Chapter 3: The History of AASHE and The STARS Rating Program..............................39
Chapter 4: Assessing Bard Colleges Campus Sustainability STARS Results .................51
Chapter 5: Bard Campus Sustainability Compared to Similar Higher Ed Institutions......75
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................





















Introduction
In 2013, the term sustainability is a very well known term. That has not always
been the case, however. At the end of World War II, people in industrialized countries
were trying to put the tragedy behind them and get back to rebuilding their infrastructures
and economies. With cheap labor and a belief that resources were unlimited, nations were
happy to be back at work and not thinking about pollution or people in foreign lands. The
results of that chugging along came to be devastating to the environment. Over the course
of the last sixty-five years, people all over the world, not just in the more developed
north, became increasingly aware and troubled about the fate of the planet and those who
inhabited it. With that thought in mind, one will come to understand the measures that
were taken to come up with the just and equitable term that we now know as
sustainability. In 1987, the United Nations sponsored World Commission on
Environment and Development (WCED) unveiled its long awaited document, Our
Common Future, or the Brundtland Report, which defines the term, Sustainable
development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,
1
Many dollars were spent on
summits, conferences and education teaching about sustainability and implementing this
concept, which, while popular, will be found to not be universally achieved or embraced.
Governments, businesses and higher education institutions all play a role in shaping
sustainability. Significant progress has been made in the field of education for

1
Our Common Future: The Brundtland Report, ANPED, Northern Alliance for Sustainability, 4 Jan.
2013, http://anped.org/index.php?part=176


sustainability and that will be seen in detail. Of great interest to many in the sustainability
field is the attempt that higher education institutions play and will continue to play in the
field through the STARS program.




1

Chapter 1: A Time Line Approach to The History of Sustainable Development
Sustainability, or the concept of sustainable development did not just happen or
appear over night, rather, it evolved as a result of many factors, including, but not limited
to: environmental catastrophes, surging populations, poverty, historical events and
climate changes. In December 1983, The United Nations recognized the need to create a
solid, universal plan to deal with economic and environmental issues, to rethink
environmentalism and bring something new to the international community. With that
purpose in mind, twenty-two representatives from both highly industrialized nations as
well as developing countries joined together to form the World Conference on
Environment and Development (WCED).
2
Commonly referred to as the Brundtland
Commission after its Norwegian Leader, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, this group was
comprised of leaders in the fields of education, industry, and government
3
from Algeria,
Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Cote dIvoire, The Federal Republic of Germany, Guyana,
Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, The Peoples Republic
of China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, The United States, The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and
Zimbabwe.
4
This group might be thought of as the originators of sustainability. In her
Chairmans Forward, Dr. Brundtland wrote that the WCED was asked to propose a

2
Jennifer A. Elliott, Am Introduction to Sustainable Development Third Edition (London:Rutledge 2006)
8.
3
Michael Keating, Environment and Sustainability Chronology, The Sustainability Report
15 Jan. 2013, http://sustreport.org/environment-and-sustainability-chronology/.
4
, Bringing Rio Closer-Brundtland Commission, SustainAbility Whats Next, 22 Jan. 2013
http://theregenerationroadmap.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/02/Bringing_Rio_Closer_Brundtland_Commission.pdf.




1
global agenda for change.
5
According to Brundtland, The General Assembly was
desperate:
* to propose long-term environmental strategies for achieving sustainable
development by the year 2000 and beyond;
* to recommend ways concern for the environment may be translated into
greater co-operation among countries of the global South and between countries
at different stages of economical and social development and lead to the
achievement of common and mutually supportive objectives that take account of
the interrelationships between people, resources, environment, and development;
* to consider ways and means by which the international community can deal
more effectively with environment concerns; and
* to help define shared perceptions of long-term environmental issues and the
appropriate efforts needed to deal successfully with the problems of protecting
and enhancing the environment, a long term agenda for action during the coming
decades, and aspirational goals for the world community.
6


One may ask why the United Nations was so intent upon an international summit to
promote social and economic changes and aid the environment. In this chapter, a time
line approach will discuss historic events and beliefs that created a great need for the
UNs urgent attempt to provide the international community with a safe, prosperous and
fair earth where everyone can live and prosper.
World War II literally ended with a bang. Uranium and plutonium enriched
bombs, nicknamed Little Boy and Fat Man caused the surrender of the Japanese on
August 15, 1945. Over 100,000 people were instantly terminated with at least that many
lives compromised by radiation and possible future genetic alterations.
7
Nuclear
aggression and its threat of fallout and mass destruction certainly compromise any plans
for sustainability. In the May -June 2012 issue of Audubon Magazine, it was written:


5
Our Common Future: The Brundtland Report, ANPED, Northern Alliance for Sustainability, 4 Jan.
2013, http://anped.org/index.php?part=176.
6
ANPED, 4 Jan. 2013.
7
The Manhattan Project, 5 Jan. 2013, http://gk12.rice.edu/trs/science/Atom/man.htm.




2

Between 1945 and 1960, a string of multi-megaton thermonuclear detonations all
in the name of weapons supremacy vis--vis the Soviet Union had released
massive amounts of radioactive fallout in the atmosphere. During the Eisenhower
era, America wasnt just the preeminent superpower, it became the worlds
leading hyper-industrial giant. This brought Americans a lot of economic life-
style benefits. But it came at a high cost.
8


While the United Nations officially began in 1945, the world would live in fear
of nuclear testing and war, the greatest threat to its survival, for decades. (North Korea
poses a threat even today.) It will be almost three decades before the United Nations can
begin to bring nations and regions together to work for sustainability.
Smog in Los Angeles and London, and pollution in Pittsburghs Monongahela
Valley from steel production, were all signs of growth and prosperity after the end of
World War II. Despite the fact that pollution was so bad in Pittsburgh that people died
during stagnant air conditions in October 1948, and streetlights had to be on during the
daylight hours due to low visibility
9
, industrialized nations were happy to be back at work
and prosperous. Referencing the 1969 (as opposed to the 1862,1912, 1936 or 1952)
10
fire
on Clevelands pollution laden Cuyahoga River as well as other filthy rivers in the United
States, Time Magazines August 1, 1969 article was titled, Americas Sewage system
and the Price of Optimism.
11
In 1962, 750 deaths attributed to air pollution occurred in

8
Douglas Brinkley, RACHEL CARSON AND JFK, AN ENVIRONMENTAL TAG TEAM, Audubon
Magazine, May-June 2012, 27 Dec. 2012,
http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/conservation/rachel-carson-and-jfk-environmental-tag-team.
9
Donora, Pennsylvania, Pollution Issues, 2 Feb. 2013, http://www.pollutionissues.com/Co-Ea/Donora-
Pennsylvania.html.
10
Ted Nordhaus & Michael Shellenberger, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the
Politics of Possibility, (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007) 22.
11
Americas Sewage System and the Price of Optimism, Time Magazine, 1Aug. 1969, 2 Feb.2013,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901182,00.html.




3
London,
12
as conservationist Rachel Carsons Silent Spring was drawing attention to the
perils of nuclear testing and the toxicity of the pesticide, DDT.
13
All of these incidents
helped to shed light on a growing problem in the industrialized world.
It was not until the decade of the nifty fifties were over and the 1960s were in
full swing that the start of political and social unrest would come to affect the
environment. People found their voices, whether it was a sit in protesting civil rights at
the whites only lunch counters, student demonstrations on hundreds of college campuses
from New Yorks Columbia University to the UC Berkeley where the Free Speech
Movement was created
14
to hundreds of anti Viet-Nam war protests, actions were
being taken that were meant to raise awareness and send messages of unhappiness to
governments about long standing policies and disregard for citizens rights and concerns.
This would include the environment. The 1960s taught some valuable lessons. The
setting needed to be right and causes needed strong supporters. Rachel Carson found her
champion in fellow ocean lover and Democratic President, John F. Kennedy. She took on
the powerful chemical companies, American Cyanamid, Monsanto and Velsicol,
eventually getting the harmful pesticide, DDT banned.
15
Environmentalists would take
notice of the importance of having the support of government on their side.
In their book, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the
Politics of Possibility, authors Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger discuss the
importance of timing and affluence on the environment and the sustainability movement.

12
The Sixties, Environmental History Timeline, 2 Feb. 2013
<http://www.radford.edu/wkovarik/envhist/8sixties.html>.
13
Brinkley, 27 Dec. 2012.
14
The Free Speech Movement calisphere, The University of California, 27 Dec. 2013,
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic6b.html.
15
Ibid.




4

Thus, despite the fact that the Cuyahoga River fire of 1952 was much more serious than

the fire of 1969, the time was not yet right for regulations and restrictive laws as the



world was still recovering from an international conflict and The United States was

enjoying capitalism, a fruitful cooperation between industry and labor unions as well as

being anti-international and especially anti-communist.
16
The United States would not be
ready for a national policy until the late 1960s and early 1970s.

After the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, people demanded cleaner air and
water. With the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) later that
year, According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the purpose of
the NEPA was, to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain
conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony and fulfill the
social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.
17
Republican
President Richard M. Nixon signed into law something that was looking like
sustainability!
Under the 1970 reorganized, Environmental Protection Agency, the environment
would be protected as it was charged to improve and protect the quality of the
environment, both national and global. The EPA works to protect human health and the
natural resources on which all human activity depends.
18
Now there was a government
agency that was empowered and ready to uphold future laws as well as those already on
the books that were meant to protect the environment for all.

16
Norddhaus & Shellenberger, 29.
17
United States Evironmental Protection Agency (EPA), History of Sustainability (Seattle:Region10: The
Pacific Northwest) 12 Feb. 2012.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/oi.nsf/8bb15fe43a5fb81788256b58005ff079/398761d6c3c7184988256fc40078
499b!OpenDocument.
18
EPA, 12 Feb. 2013.




5
On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States. Liberal
Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, sickened by oil spills off of the California Coast
knew that the time was right to capitalize on the spirit of change and protest. He
acknowledged that the idea of a national teach-in on the environment
19
would have
more success if it had bipartisan backing. Senator Nelson enlisted the help of a
Republican named Pete McCloskey, an anti-war Congressman from California, former
Marine stationed in Korea and an attorney who eventually specialized in environmental
concerns.
20
Organizer Denis Hayes, Stanford graduate, activist and west coaster, saw his
hard work pay off on April 22, 1970 when:
thousands of college and universities organized protest against the deterioration
of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting
factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the
loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared
common values.
21


Earth Day certainly reminded people about the environmental problems that people and
Businesses helped to create. The timing of Earth Day and the start of the revised
Environmental Protection Agency in December 1970 was not coincidental. Citizens
realized they needed legal support to make changes.
Jennifer A. Elliott, social scientist and author, states in her book, An Introduction
to Sustainability, that prior to the 1970s, the global development problem was
conceived as one in which less developed nations needed to catch up with the West and
enter the modern age of capitalism and liberal democracy.
22
It was often

19
Earth Day: The History of A Movement, Earth Day Network, 28 Dec. 2012.
http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement.
20
Stephen Most, Pete McCloskey Leading From The Front 12 Feb 2013.
<http://petemccloskeymovie.com/Welcome.html>.
21
Earth Day, 4 Jan. 2013.




6
hoped that second and third world shortages could be solved easily through the transfer
of finance, technology and experience from the developed countries,
23
By
the time the Stockholm Conference was held in 1972, this philosophy was being
challenged. Known officially as the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment, this conference was a global meeting where both advanced and developing
nations had their say:
developed nations expressed concern about the environmental consequences
of increasing global development, while nations that were still developing
raised their own continuing needs for economic development. Thus, the
concept of sustainable development was born out of an attempt to find
a compromise between the development needs of the nations in the Southern
Hemisphere and the conservation demands of the developed nations in the
North.
24


According to Andres R. Edwards, sustainability consultant and author of The
Sustainability Revolution, The Stockholm Conference, headed by Canadian Maurice
Strong was a keystone of sustainability and sustainable development. About this
conference he stated, This gathering internationalized the concepts of American Earth
Day. [it] began the attempt to find positive links between environmental concerns and
economic issues such as development, growth and employment.
25
This was a very
important international meeting on economic and environmental topics and, as a result of
the Stockholm Conference, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was
established in 1973 with the mission that, a new intergovernmental body should be

22
Elliott, 14.
23
Elliott, 16.
24
EPA,15 Feb. 2013.
25
Edwards, 15.




7
established within the UN to focus environmental action and to serve as an international
environmental watchdog to be responsible for the monitoring of global change.
26

It had the support of the United Nations to make suggestions to agencies and countries
regarding use of resources and growth.
Environmentalism at this point was not really just about the environment
anymore. It was, however the soil in which sustainability was planted. Sustainability was
a concept that was beginning to branch into other concerns even before the Brundtland
Report. During an interview with Joshua J. Yates, in the Summer 2012 issue of The
Hedgehog Review, (The University of Virginia) Wes Jackson, founder and President of
Kansas based The Land Institute talks about agriculture and sustainability. During the
late 1970s, Jackson authored a paper originally titled The Search for a Permanent
Agriculture,
27
then he changed it to The Search for a Sustainable Agriculture. He
addressed the change of title with Yates:
Id read about the Catholic Churchs idea of permanence as a kind of virtue.
But permanence wasnt quite right. When I published the paper outside The
Land Report, I changed the title to The Search for a Sustainable Agriculture.
The term must have been floating around in 1978.
28


When he was asked to define sustainability, Jackson says, My response has been,
well, give me a definition of justice. The idea of justice arose in a historical moment,
probably out of the idea of fairness, or the perceived lack of fairness.
29
It was thought

26
Elliott, 33.
27
Joshua J. Yates, A Conversation with Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson, The Hedgehog Review,
Summer 2012, Vol.14, Issue 2. 4 Jan. 2013, http://www.iasc-
culture.org/THR/THR_article_2012_Summer_Interview_Berry_Jackson.php.
28
Yates, 4 Jan. 2013.
29
Ibid.




8
that agriculture, the feeding of the poor and addressing the inequity and injustice of
poverty were concepts that were need of being addressed both nationally and globally.
It was this lack of fairness that was coming to the forefront in the minds of world
leaders at the United Nations. Certainly issues such as acid rain, agriculture,
deforestation, desertification in Africa, depletion of natural resources, economics,
employment, growth, industrialized growth in the Southern Hemisphere or lack of it,
nuclear test bans, the OPEC oil situation, population explosions, poverty, and the ozone
layer, were starting to be seen as situations that needed to be addressed, as well as clean
air and water. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the world saw accidents that were
frightful as well as toxic. Niagara Falls Love Canals toxicity was believed to have
caused birth defects and destroyed an entire community as well as having spawned the
creation of Superfund, officially known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980.
30
This allowed people to be
compensated for injuries and damages that were caused by the companies that created
adverse situations and pollution; in this case, conglomerate, Occidental Petroleum, owner
of original polluter, Hooker Chemical.
31
The EPA had the opportunity here to showcase
its might as it sued Occidental Petroleum in 1995. 1979s Three Mile Island meltdown in
Pennsylvania and Chernobyl, Ukrainian SSRs 1986 nuclear explosion were of
international importance, reminding the worlds 5 billion people how fragile the world
was, as many people were experiencing draughts and food shortages.
32
During this time,

30
It All Started With Love Canal, Hofstra University, Federal Environmental Law, 12 Jan.2013,
http://people.hofstra.edu/j_b_bennington/121notes/pdfs/Superfund.pdf.
31
Justin Ripple, Love Canal Disaster and the origin of CERCLA:Part 1, Environmental Prose, 11 Jan.
2013, 20 Feb. 2013, http://www.banksinfo.com/blog/love-canal-disaster-origin-cercla/.
32
Keating, 20 Feb. 2013.




9
countries also became increasingly concerned with acid rain and protecting the ozone
layer. Individual nations have their own programs to address issues. In 1980, Canada and
the United States agree to work towards a reduction in acid rain, and they join Sweden
and Norway in a ban on aerosol cans that emit chlorofluorocarbons, which are harmful to
the ozone layer.
33
It is time to get serious about cooperation and protecting the earth.
In 1980, sustainability was beginning to take shape. Willy Brandt, Chancellor of
West Germany oversaw the North-South Commission that recommended in its report,
North-South: A Programme for Survival, that wealthy countries increase their
development financial aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP by 1985
34
Informally known as
Stockholm Plus Ten, The United Nations second gathering on the topic of the
environment was held in 1982. It was significant that it was held in Nairobi, Kenya. It
was during this meeting that international leaders reaffirmed the belief that there was a
huge gap between the theory and the practice of environmental protection.
35
Finally, The
United Nations Environmental Program and the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature joined with the World Wildlife Fund to write The World Conservation
Strategy.
36
The Sustainability Report says of the report and its purpose that it:
promote(s) the idea of environmental protection in the self-interest of the human
species. It warns that the destruction of natural resources eliminates future
sources of food, medicines and industrial products. It encourages sustainable
forms of development and the conservation of essential life processes for the
benefit of humanity as well as other species. It is another major step in launching
a public debate about sustainable development.
37




33
Keating, 21 Feb.2013.
34
Keating, 22 Feb.2013.
35
SustainAbility Whats Next, 22 Jan. 2013.
36
Keating, 22 Feb. 2013.
37
Keating, 23 Feb.2013.




10
The next major event on the sustainability timeline is the Brundtland Report. The
stage had been set. In 1963, highway beautifier and First Lady of the United States, Lady
Bird Johnson echoed growing concern for the environment: For the environment after
all is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is one thing that all of us
share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.
38

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the concern for the environment had mushroomed
into concerns for the ability to provide adequate housing, food, and water for citizens as
well as providing a method by which countries could grow and develop industries and
use raw materials and natural resources which whose finite limits were being recognized.
The questions of justice and fairness were being recognized and considered. Countries,
regions and hemispheres were being asked to consider others. International groups
were seeking equitable solutions that emerging and developed nations could like.
In December, 1983, Javier Perez de Cuellar, The United Nations Secretary
General, Peruvian, acted on behalf of the General Assembly when he appointed Dr. Gro
Harlem Brundtland of Norway and Dr. Mansour Khalid, of the Sudan to lead a new
summit on how to incorporate the developing world into the concepts of
environmentalism and economic equity. The time was ripe for more than just a concern
for clean air and clean water. All of the members of the commission served as
individuals, not as representatives of their governments.
39
At the end of the three years
that met in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, where they listened to
attendees who were businessmen, scientists, economists, leaders of non- governmental

38
In Lady Birds Own Words On The Environment, Celebrating Lady Bird Johnson Centennial,
22 Mar.2013, http://ladybirdjohnson.org/quotes/.
39
SustainAbility Whats Next, 3 Mar.2013.




11
organizations speak about economics, social, political and environmental concerns, they
published their 10,000 page report known as Our Common Future.
40
This commission
took its role very seriously and did indeed come up with a report that was meant to be a
working handbook for sustainable practices and development. Underdeveloped nations
were concerned with issues such as poverty, growth and development. It became
transparent that the topic of development had to be part of the definition, thus, the term
sustainable development. That this commission popularized the concept of sustainability
is a given. Every printed book, report or search on the topic of sustainability or
sustainable growth includes the definition that the Brundtland Report put forth in 1987.
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs
41
has become the very well known and
accepted definition. Furthermore, it states that tackling the issue of poverty should be
given priority as well as considering the environment when dealing with all decisions
concerning agriculture, building, business, construction, distribution and consumption of
limited natural resources.
42
(In short, anything to do with the economy. The
Commissions overall concern for equity and compassion echoes that of Wes Jacksons
belief that sustainability had to have a component of justice to it.
Referring to poverty, human needs and improving the standard of living for many in
undeveloped nations, the report claims:
A world in which poverty and inequity are endemic will always be prone to
other crises. Sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of
of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a

40
SustainAbility Whats Next, 4 Mar. 2013.
41
United Nations, Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common
Future 1987 4 Nov.2012, http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf.
42
Elliott, 35.




12
better life.
43


Themes that were discussed included economic cooperation, environmental management,
food security, industry, international cooperation, population control and human
settlement.
44
They were all discussed within the framework of sustainability and still are
today.
Canadian Jim MacNeill was the Secretary General of the United Nations World
Commission on Environment and Development. On Feb. 4, 2013, when reflecting on the
Brundtland Report twenty five years later in his article, Brundtland Revisited, he wrote,
Einstein once said you cant solve problems using the same kind of thinking you used
when you came up with them.
45
To accomplish the goals established by the
Brundtland Commission, nations would surely have to behave and think differently. A
spirit of cooperation would be required. Jennifer A. Elliott states:
A more prosperous, more just and more secure global future was seen to depend
on new norms of behaviour at all levels and in the interests of all. The conditions
for such a future encompass all areas of human activity, in production of trade,
technology and politics, for example, and encompass cooperative and mutually
supportive actions on behalf of individuals and nations at all levels of economic
development.
46


The Brundtland Report truly believed in the importance of cooperation and change. In the

United States Environmental Protections History of Sustainability, they quote selected

lines in the report pertaining to change:

Attempts to maintain social and ecological stability through old approaches to
development will increase instability. Security must be sought through change

43
United Nations, 45.
44
SustanAbility,Whats Next, 3 Mar.2013
45
Jim MacNeill, Brundtland Revisited Open Canada.Org, 4 Feb.2013, 4 Mar.2013
http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/essays/brundtland-revisited/.
46
Elliott,11.




13
We are unanimous in our conviction that the security, well being and very
survival of the planet depend on such changes, now.
47


Additionally, the Brundtland Report created the concept of the Three Es. The
Commission believed that a sustainable earth must be seen in light of the areas of
environment as well as economics and equality and that they are all inter-related. Andres
R. Edwards notes that the Three Es are:
the first articulation of the key to contemporary sustainability ~ the importance of
evaluating any proposed initiative with reference to the interaction of three
fundamental criteria: ecology/environment, economy/employment and
equity/equality.
48


Figure A: The Three Spheres of Sustainability
49


With everyone in total agreement that changes in attitudes and though processes
needed to happen, that nations needed to consider other regions, economies, industries
and markets, how successful was this commission? The Brundtland Report was well
received by economists and environmentalist but not by the public or voters:

47
EPA, 15 Feb. 2013.
48
Edwards,17.
49
Joshua J. Yates, Abundance on Trial: The Cultural Significance of Sustainability, The Hedgehog
Review, Summer 2012, 12 Jan. 2013 http://www.iasc-culture.org/THR/THR_article_2012_Yates.php.




14
many politicians in the developed world felt no pressure to take action.
US President Regans office responded that, there are themes in that report
we are very supportive of and there are themes that we dont agree with
[such as] the conclusion that there must be a transfer of resources from the
wealthy industrial countries to the poorer developing nations. The Regan
White House explained that the issues developed by the Brundtland Commission
were the proper responsibility of the World Bank.
50


MacNeill quoted the right wing, American delegate, Bill Ruckelshaus, sustainable

development implies a revolution in the way we now do business.
51
( Totally
unacceptable!) in theory, MacNeill wrote in February 2013 that he was surprised that
the Brundtland Commission suggestions:

would be endorsed by the UN system and virtually every other international body
of significance, including all the multilateral banksthat they would begin to
reshape curricula in universities and graduate schools and become a
preoccupation of a growing number of leading companies worldwide.that
within three years, many governments in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, including
Canada, would not only respond officially to our recommendations, but would
also commit themselves to the policy reforms and other measures needed to
Institutionalize sustainability.
52


MacNeill acknowledges that the Brundtland Commission did bring to light the
importance of envisioning the environment not as a separate entity, but one that must be
seen in conjunction with the economy, industry and government. The commission
realized that every nation needed to live within natures limits, keeping consumption at
levels that are within the bounds of ecologically possible.
53
As with any plan,
implementation and a good follow up are important for success.
This follow up meeting would be known as the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED) and the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Lead by

50
SustainAbility Whats Next, 4 Mar. 2013.
51
MacNeill, 4 Mar. 2013.
52
MacNeill 4 Mar. 2013.
53
MacNeill, 6 Mar. 2013.




15
Canadian businessman and Brundtland representative Maurice Strong, the Earth Summit
was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Many leaders attended (Margaret Thatcher,
George H.W. Bush, Francoise Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl and Brian Mulroney) and while
The Earth Summit was a heralded success, politically, it failed to really make headways
because the recommendations were only suggestions and carried no weight or
consequences, says MacNeill.
54
With many nations struggling to feed their poor,
concepts that were mere suggestions would not have been a top priority. The Rio
Declaration did reinforce Brundtlands notion of sustainability when it proclaimed, we
can no longer think of environment and economic and social development as isolated
fields.
55
Andres R. Edwards does credit the Earth Summit with creating:
A comprehensive blueprint for a global partnership, Agenda 21
strives to reconcile the twin requirements of a high quality environment and a
healthy economy for all people of the world, while identifying key areas of
responsibility as well as offering preliminary cost estimates for success.
56


At this gathering, The United Nations also formally adopted into its bylaws the
Brundtland Reports definition of sustainable development and created Agenda 21, a 900-
page document detailing how to implement sustainability in the 21
sst
century.
57
Agenda
21 asked all countries to work on sustainability plans and asks governments worldwide
to establish a framework at the local level through which local authorities would work
towards implementation of Agenda 21 through the development of their own sustainable

54
MacNeill 7 Mar. 2003.
55
Edwards, 18.
56
Ibid.
57
Chris Moore, Origin of Sustainability Movement Leads To Current Challenges, Sustainable Land
Development Initiative, Triple Pundit, 2 Aug.2010 , 3 Mar.2013,
http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/origin-of-sustainability-movement-leads-to-current-challenges/.




16
development plan.
58
In 2002, South African President, Thabo Mbeki said, Sadly, we
have not made much progress in realizing the grand vision contained in Agenda 21 It is
no secret that the global community has not yet demonstrated the will to implement the
decisions it has freely adopted.
59
Money was certainly a key issue, however, the future
would show a resistance to Agenda 21 in the United States at the local level.
Another important timeline notation was the 1997 Kyoto Climate Agreement.
According to the EPAs web site, the importance of the Kyoto Climate agreement was
that, For the first time, nations agreed to place legally binding limits to their emissions
of heat trapping greenhouse gases.
60
Not unsurprisingly, President Bush did not sign
this protocol, however, fifty-five nations did in fact sign this agreement to reduce their
emissions of six greenhouse gases to 5% below the 1990 emission levels by the year
2012.
61
According to Jennifer A. Elliott, self-interests were still brought to light as
nations sought to adjust their quota of pollution,
62
She discusses the United States
stance:
The refusal in 2001 of the US (accounting for 5 per cent of the worlds carbon
emissions in that year) to sign the protocol on the basis that it would harm its
domestic economy and that it unfavoured developing countries, illustrates how
multilateral agreements are always threatened by more narrow national interests.
63



According to Elliott, The Kyoto Climate Agreement required 55 countries making over
half of the worlds greenhouse gas to sign to be legally binding. Australia also failed to
join and that it was left to Russia to decide the fate of the Kyoto Climate Agreement. In

58
Elliott,127.
59
Moore, 3 Mar. 2013.
60
EPA, 20 Feb, 2013.
61
EPA, 22 Feb. 2013.
62
Elliott, 86.
63
Elliott, 96.




17
November 2004, it became official, as Russia was the key signer.
64
This agreement
highlights a key obstacle to sustainability and sustainable development: the conflict
between concerns for the global environment and economy and that of national self
interest.
In 2002, the United Nations tried again, this time, the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August
26 to September 4
th
. According to the Environmental Protection Agencys timeline, this
summit, highlighted water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity, and they were
had defining support and cooperation.
65
As of the revised timeline on February 1, 2013,
The United States Environmental Protection claims that the United States has been
involved with:
Congo Basin Partnership, Clean Energy Initiative, Water for Poor Signature
Initiative, Initiative to Cut Hunger in Africa, Africa Education Partnership,
Geographic Information for Sustainable Development, White Water to Blue
Water Initiative and Investing in Health: Fighting Infectious Disease for
Sustainable Development.
66


It would not appear that any of these partnerships would greatly impact the way our
country does business! The (WSSD) also happened almost a year after the World trade
Center attacks on 9/11. Americans were still reeling from that assault and efforts were put
towards internal healing and not towards international concerns. Despite the damages
suffered on American soil, the world does not stand still.
In the decade of the 2000s, there are many issues of note before the Rio +20
conference in 2012. In 2000, water and biological diversity were key issues with The

64
Ibid.
65
EPA, 22 Feb. 2013.
66
EPA, 20 Feb.2013.




18
World Water Vision Report released in 2000 by the Second World Water Forum in
Holland. and the idea of genetically modified organisms (GMO) is addressed at the
Biosafety Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity where biological diversitys
future was discussed
67
Causing alarm over global warming were the 2002 break away of
the 32,000 square kilometer section of the Larsen B ice shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula
from the main land and NASAs 2006 report that the hole that forms every year in the
ozone layer above Antarctic which was the largest to date.
68
In 2007, folks could
judge for themselves the effects pollutants have had on the planet while watching An
Inconvenient Truth, Al Gores Oscar worthy documentary; while concerns about banks,
bankruptcies, home foreclosures, unemployment and the economy weigh more heavily on
the mind of many Americans than acid rain and ice sheet losses in 2009.
69
Perhaps the
time was right for nations to get creative. On October 17, 2009, television stations
around the world reported on the meeting held under water by the Maldives Cabinet
members. The BBC reported that:
President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet signed a document calling for
global cuts in carbon emissionsThe President said the UN climate change
conference in Copenhagen this December cannot be allowed to failWere now
actually trying to send our message, let the world know what is happening, and
what will happen to the Maldives, if climate change is not checked, President
Nasheed said. If the Maldives cannot be saved today we do not feel there is
much of a chance for the rest of the world, he added.
70


The Presidents goal for the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, average of
about seven feet above sea level and are at risk of being over taken by water as a result of

67
Keating, 2Apr. 2013.
68
Keating, 3 Apr. 2013.
69
Keating, 2Apr. 2013.
70
BBC, Maldives cabinet makes a splash, 17 Oct. 2009, 2 Apr. 2013
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8311838.stm.




19
the melting polar ice caps due to warming from greenhouse gases, is to be the first
carbon-neutral nation with in a decade.
71
They really have incentive! Once again,
sustainability is challenged as a result of nations putting their self-interests above that of
global equity. Wealthy nations want broad emissions cut from all countries, while
poorer ones say industrialized countries should carry most of the burden, reports NBC.
72

Sadly, the decade ended and the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
produces no positive results. President Nasheed of the Maldives had better get ready to
spendas he had already announced plans for a fund to buy a new homeland for his
people if the 1,192 low-lying corals islands are submerged.
73
By the end of the decade,
with billions of people on earth, everyone is wondering if it possible for so many people
to share such limited resources equitably?
The timeline is almost up to date. In 2012, Rio +20 was held again in Rio. In
twenty years, much has stayed the same. Nations were still talking about how to become
more sustainable and equitable. Some nations still did not really want to share. At this
UN Conference, the main ideas were, how to build a green economy to achieve
sustainable development and lift people out of poverty; and how to improve international
coordination for sustainable development.
74
While terms such as green may be new, the
problems are not. Finally, this sustainability highlights comes full circle as the last event
was inspired by mercury toxicity in Japan. In 2013, nations gathered in Geneva for the
United Nations Environmental Programmes Minamata Convention on Mercury.

71
NBC News, Cabinet makes splash with under water meeting, 17 Oct. 2009 2 Apr. 2013
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33354627/ns/world_news-weird_news/t/cabinet-makes-splash-underwater-
meeting/#.UW8QOiviomY.
72
NBC News, 2 Apr. 2013.
73
NBC, 2 Apr.2013.
74
Keating, 2 Apr. 2013.




20
Minanata, Japan had significant mercury issues and health damages from emissions and
water contamination, and this binding treaty will seek to control the mining and
distribution of mercury as well as the storage of mercury waste
75
. Between the images of
mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki to smoke stacks emitting toxic emissions
from smoke stacks in Minamata, a lot has happened in the field of environmental studies.
From the environmentalism of the 1960s thru the search for sustainable development that
is present in 2013, nations, regions and the world look for solutions.
It is hard to imagine our world without the word sustainability in it or the concept
of sustainable development. For some, it is difficult to comprehend the desire for it, for
others, it is definitely a concept that is not to be mandated by perceived foreigners. On
June 4, 2012, Alex Newman wrote in The New American about the state of Alabama that
had just outlawed Agenda 21:
Alabama became the first state to adopt a tough law protecting private property
and due process by prohibiting any government involvement with or participation
in a controversial United Nations scheme known as Agenda 21The people of
Alabama have the authority to develop the states environmental
policiesTherefore, infringements on the property rights of citizens linked to
any other international law or ancillary plan of action that contravenes the
Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of the State of Alabama are
also prohibitedThis billis intended to shelter Alabamians from the United
Nations Agenda 21, a sustainable development initiative that some conservatives
see as a precursor for the creation of a world government. The Republican
National Committee (RNC) adopted a resolution earlier this year blasting the
global scheme.
76


That certainly makes sustainability political! It also makes one realize that self-interests
are more important to some than international cooperation. Other states that must

75
Minamata Convention Agreed by Nations, United Nations Environment Programme, 19 Jan. 2013, 22
Jan.2013. http://www.unep.org/newscentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=2702&ArticleID=9373.
76
Alex Newman, Alabama Adopts First Official State Ban on UN Agenda 21, The New American, 4
June,2012, 20 Feb. 2013, http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/environment/item/11592-alabama-adopts-
first-official-state-ban-on-un-agenda-21.





21
certainly is thinking of doing the same.
Many businesses have taken on the issue of sustainability and are proud to share
their accomplishments and goals, particularly on line. One need only research sustainable
corporations to find countless corporate websites. As of January 24, 2013, the Smart
Planet lists the top 100 sustainable companies with Canadas Canadian National Rail
Road and Royal Bank of Canada and the United States Intel, The Clorox Company and
General Electric making the cut. In fact, Canada and The United States both have ten
companies on the list.
77
Multinational corporations such as Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Heinz,
IBM, PPG Industries, and Royal Dutch Petroleum all provide information on their
websites about their commitment to the Three Es of sustainability as detailed in the
Brundtland Report. Many of these companies are listed on the popular Dow Jones Index
as well as the world Dow Jones Sustainability World Index launched in 1999. Each one is
assessed upon their commitment to the environment, and equality as well as economic
successes. Many investors are truly dedicated to sustainability and other corporations can
learn about sustainability from those companies that are listed
78

With the politics of sustainability making it difficult to often find equitable
solutions to not only environmental concerns, but gender equality, poverty, gun control,
and other social issues, perhaps governments need to step aside and let corporations and
higher education try their hands. As seen by the long list of conferences, summits and
treaties, it is, as David W. Orr, renowned author and chair of Environmental Studies at
Oberlin College says, it is easyto offer long lists of solutions and still not solve the

77
Tyler Falk, Top 100 most sustainable corporations in the world, Smart Planet, 24 Jan. 2013, 2 Apr.
2013 http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/top-100-most-sustainable-corporations-in-the-
world/10936..
78
DJSI Index Family Overview, Dow Jones Sustainability Indices in collaboration with ROBECOSAM,
21 Feb.2013, 2 Apr.2013, http://www.sustainability-indices.com/.




22
larger problem.
79
Maybe traditional thought of might makes right, bullying and days of
demanding governments and nations take actions are over. Could it be up to a new
generation to find a better way?
























79
David W. Orr, Four Challenges of Sustainability, 3 Apr. 2003, 27 Dec. 2012,
http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/4CofS.html.




23
Chapter 2: The History of Sustainability in Higher Education

The concept of sustainability and sustainable development may have arisen out of
environmentalism and gatherings of multinational organizations, but Chapter One shows
that it morphed into a much larger, multifaceted concept that has spilled forth into the
discipline of higher education. While the 1960s saw millions of students out protesting
for a clean environment on the first Earth Day, this generation has the capability to reach
hundreds of millions via social media, including, but not limited to, Facebook, the
Internet, Twitter and Webinars. Higher Education has that connectivity as well. To gain
a more complete understanding of the sustainability movement, it is important to know
more about the history of sustainability in the field of higher education.
The study of biology, ecology and environmental studies have been part of the
curricula of higher education for decades, however the study of sustainability and the
implementation of sustainable practices were relatively new concepts prior to the
beginning of this millennium. Just as there were events that led up to the Brundtland
Report that popularized and defined sustainable development, there were also events that
led up to the well known historical signing of the Talloires Declaration in 1990.
In her 2002 article, Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability
in higher education, published in Higher Education Policy, Canadian Instructor, Tarah
S.A. Wright states that there were two important documents that were signed before the
Talloires Declaration. The Stockholm Conference, held in Sweden in 1972, was the first
declaration to make reference to sustainability in higher education, albeit in an indirect




24
way.[and Principle 19]stated the need for environmental education from grade school
to adulthood.
80

Whether one considers that as a basis for sustainability in higher education can certainly
be debated, however, the message of education was indeed included. Of the Tbilisi
Conference, held in Tbilisi, Georgia (USSR) in the fall of 1977, Wright claims that it
was:
One of the most important moments in the evolution of international
sustainability declarations related to educationThis conference
is considered to be one of the starting points for formal international
environmental education initiatives. Environmental education should be
provided to people of all ages, all levels of academic aptitude and must
be delivered in both formal and non-formal environments.
81


The 265 conference attendees came to Tbilisi to attend The worlds first
Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, organized by UNESCO
in cooperation United Nations Environment Programme.
82
This conference spoke of the
importance of educating people about the environment, but also believed that
environmental education should teach skills that enable people to act with ethical
valuesBy adopting a holistic approach, rooted in a broad interdisciplinary approach.
83

It is of note that these two declarations were mirroring the concern for the environment
around the globe that people were experiencing.
It was not until 1990 that the Talloires Declaration was drafted in Talloires,
France. According to the University Leaders for a Sustainable Futures (ULSF) webpage
this meeting was organized by Tufts President, Jean Mayer, and held at the Tufts

80
Tarah S.A.Wright, Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability in higher education,
Higher Education Policy, 15 2002: 105.
81
Wright, 106.
82
The Tbilisi Declaration, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), 13.
29 Dec. 2012, http://resources.spaces3.com/a30712b7-da01-43c2-9ff0-b66e85b8c428.pdf.
83
UNEP, 13-14.




25
University European Center, and was attended by 31 university presidents from around
the world, representing the countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Ghana, India,
Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Peoples republic of China, Russia, Thailand, The Union of
South Africa, The U.S.S.R. and The United States. ULSF said of the role higher
education institutions need to play:
Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage societys
institutions. For this reason, universities bear profound responsibilities to
increase the awareness, technologies, and tools to create an environmentally
sustainable futurePracticing professionals, decision-makers at major
institutions, and the general public must be given the training, expertise and
tools to encourage environmentally sustainable actions.
84


By signing the Talloires Declaration, it was assumed that universities would not

only implement sustainability plans on campuses, but would also develop curriculum

dealing with environmental education and sustainability in various content areas such as

English as well as the social sciences. As of early 2012, over 430 university leaders in

over 40 countries around the globe have agreed to the principles of the Talloires

Declaration.
85
When discussing the success of the Talloires Declaration, Wright states

that Many presidents just signed to sign, some leaders made mediocre attempts to
implement Policies, and institutions truly are making a go at being leaders in
sustainability in higher education.
86
Universities such as Emory universitys Piedmont
Project and Oberlin Colleges Sustainability Department to find great examples of the
Talloires Declaration in action. In fact, Oberlin was awarded the Best of Green Schools

84
Talloires Declaration, University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF), 29 Jan. 2013,
http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires_history.html.
85
ULSF, 29 Jan. 2013.
86
Wright, 106-107.




26
2012 by the U.S. Green Building Council Center for Green Schools in 2012.
87
A
universal problem that seems to plague universities as well as nations dealing with
sustainability issues is that of cost. The final questions always come around to cost and
who will pay for what. The lack of funding has been a major stumbling block in both
sustainable education and development.
In 1992 and 1993, there were several important conferences that impacted
sustainability in higher education. First, Agenda 21, held in Brazil in 1992, touched on
sustainability in higher education. Chapter 36 specifically addresses education. It paid
built upon the fundamental beliefs of the Talloires Declaration, that of focusing education
on sustainable concepts and practices, teaching about sustainability to all communities
and expanding the knowledge of university staff regarding sustainability and noted that
every institution would have to design and follow sustainability programs that were right
for their own institution, as well as educate people on and off campus about
sustainability.
88
In 1993, The Kyoto Declaration, called upon institutions to make their
physical plants sustainable.
89
COPERNICUS, (short for CO-operation Programme in
Europe for Research on Nature and Industry through Coordinated University Studies)
was a European approach to incorporate sustainability into higher education; making
certain that every discipline included sustainability, and that all teaching materials would
eventually include the concept of sustainability and encourage its distribution to those in

87
Oberlin Tops Center for Green Schools Best of Green Schools 2012 List, Oberlin College, Office of
Environmental Sustainaability 22 Jan. 2013, 30 Jan. 2013,
http://new.oberlin.edu/office/environmental-sustainability/update_detail.dot?id=5021555.
88
Wright, 109.
89
Wright, 109.




27
the fields of finance and politics across Europe.
90
By the mid 1990s, the concept of
sustainability had really caught on in the university settings around the globe.
While not a treaty or summit, the establishment of Second Nature in 1993 has
certainly been important to supporting the reality of sustainable education at our nations
colleges and universities. Established by Sen. John Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Dr.
Anthony Cortese and Bruce Droste, this organization strives to promote education for
sustainability, (EFS) and create change that would have students prepared for character
and citizenship as well as commerce and career in the 21
st
century.
91
Second Natures
amazing Internet site defines EFS:
building momentum, leveraging collaboration, and catalyzing change to move
higher education toward sustainability. We believe that creating a thriving
enduring society is the fundamental purpose of all learning and that sustainability
should be a fundamental principle of higher educationWe mobilize higher
education leaders and policy makers to advance sustainability imperatives and
inspire the sector to embrace sustainability as a core concept.
92


Second Nature provides the tools that institutions need to help make our planet healthier
and society more equitable.
In the United States from 1994-1996, there were several key conferences that
helped to spread the importance and influence of sustainability on college campuses. The
Campus Earth Summit was held in New Haven, Connecticut in 1994 at Yale University,

90
COPERNICUS, The University Charter for Sustainable Development (Geneva: May 1994), 21 Jan.
2013, http://www.iisd.org/educate/declarat/coper.htm.
91
Second Nature, Education for Sustainability, Mission, 5 Feb. 2013,
http://www.secondnature.org/mission/history.
92
Second Nature, Education for Sustainability, Impact, 5 Feb. 2013
http://www.secondnature.org/mission/impact.




28
alma mater of Sen. John Kerry and the late Sen. John Heinz, whose Heinz Family
Foundation, provided much of the start up funds.
93
The Blueprint for a Green Campus
was the result of collaboration of 400 people involved in higher education. Made up of
students, instructors and staff members from 22 countries and every state in the Union,
the conference suggested, that sustainability learning and issues be addressed in all
disciplines, in physical plants, and all economics decisions made by institutions.
94

Sustainability should always be considered in every decision.
The next conference, 1995s Workshop on the Principles of Sustainability in
Higher Education, tried to include a justice component to what was already being spoken
about. It also attempted to have old ways replaced by new, more sustainable practices in
teaching as well as managing physical plants. This meeting also tried to conceptualize
what it would look like it Agenda 21s Chapter 36 would be fully put into action at all
universities.
95
Nathan Cummings, philanthropist, art collector and head of the Sara Lee
Company, has a foundation that has a strong interest in business, education, innovation
and social justice.
96
The Class of 2000 report of the Nathan Cummings Foundation was
written in 1996 and repeated the values of the Blueprint for a Green Campus but added
that there should be student activism beyond the campus.
97
That there was a call for
campus to embrace sustainability cannot be denied. It was hoped that course work would
educate about sustainability and its practices. Campuses could become less wasteful, use

93
Rusty Callier, Operations: A Campus Environmental Audit at University Wisconsin-River Falls
University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, Vol.4, No.2 May 2001, 29 Dec. 2012
http://www.ulsf.org/pub_declaration_opsvol42.htm.
94
Wynn Calder and Richard M. Clugston, 4 Jan. 2013, http://www.ulsf.org/dernbach/history.htm.
95
Wynn Calder and Richard M. Clugston, 5 Jan. 2013.
96
Nathan Cummings, The Nathan Cumming Foundation, 2 Feb.2013,
http://www.nathancummings.org/about-the-foundation/nathan-cummings.
97
Wynn Calder and Richard M. Clugston, 6 Jan. 2013.




29
energy better and could be more accurate when purchasing supplies. Educators and
students could convey these new practices to the outside community, and graduates could
bring their outlook on and experience with sustainability to their new jobs and positions
in society. It was also hoped that students would speak up in their towns and at the voting
booth for the environment and sustainability.
It must be said that during this time of conferences and growth of the
sustainability movement, not all educators were well read about sustainability or had a
positive belief in its necessity. When researching sustainability in higher education, Anna
Reid and Peter Petocz confirmed this in their article, University lecturers understanding
of sustainability, written in 2006. Citing Swedens Goteborg University, they write:
many university staff members and even university policies-do not hold
sustainable development as a core value, and that for change to occur people
with different views are simply by-passed. Unfortunately, the results seem to
be in line with this less optimistic viewwe need to investigate the different
ways that academics struggle (or dont struggle) with the problems of
sustainability, and how they seek to integrate ideas relating to sustainable
development into their curriculum.
98


While each institution can have its own idea of sustainability, Reid and Petocz
conclude, sustainable development within the curriculum can only be done if there is a
common language and understanding about its importance.
99
Each discipline should
embrace sustainability as well as each campus and community. This should be done
while still maintaining the institutions own profile and individuality. How about that for
some lofty goals? Peggy Barlett, Professor of Anthropology at Emory University, echoed

98
Anna Reid and Peter Petocz, University Lecturers Understanding of Sustainability, Higher
Education, Vol.51, No.1, Jan., 2006: 106.
99
Reid and Petocz, 121.




30
Reid and Petoczs concern in her article, Reason and Reenchantment in Cultural
Change: Sustainability in Higher Education:
Sustainability leaders on many U.S. campuses recognize that getting faculty
involved is one of their toughest challenges. The workload, the reward system,
time constraints and selection for those who enjoy highly focused academic
expertise all militate against campus involvement.
100


Barlett does recommend Emory Universitys renowned Piedmont Project, (begun in
2001), to help instructors with their concerns about sustainability. Emorys Center for
Faculty Development and Excellence is involved with the Piedmont Project to develop
and train faculty on ways to integrate sustainability in their teaching as well as the
community. Dr. Barlett is a founder of the Piedmont Project and was awarded the first
Faculty Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for contributions to sustainability projects
in higher education.
101
While sustainability has become a vast and complex concept
politically and in the sphere of higher education, there are still some coincidences, such
as the relationship of Dr. Barlett to the AASHE program and the Heinzs Foundations
involvement with The Campus Earth Summits Blueprint for a Green Campus.
On December 2002, the United Nations formally threw its hat into the EFS

ring. The United Nations General Assembly declared the UN Decade (2005-2014)

for Sustainable Development (DESD) during its 57
th
Session.
102
(With an

100
Peggy F. Barlett, Reason and Reenchantment in Cultural Change, Sustainability in Higher Education,
Current Anthropology Vol.49, No.6, 6 Nov.2008:1079.

101
Piedmont Project infuses sustainability into curriculum, Emory Report, 9 Nov. 2011
http://sustainability.emory.edu/uploads/press/2010/11/2010111107372064/BarlettReenchantment08.pdf.
102
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Astrolabe, A Guide to
Education for Sustainable Development Coordination in Asia and the Pacific, (Bangkok: 2011) 7
13 Mar. 2013 http://www.unescobkk.org/resources/e-library/publications/article/astrolabe-a-guide-to-
education-for-sustainable-development-coordination-in-asia-and-the-pacific/.




31

emphasis on education, the request of the UN looked very similar to the goals of the

Brundtland Reports original Three Es, to encourage educational efforts that will
promote changes in behavior to create a more sustainable future in terms of

environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future

generations.
103
Being aware of the history of the sustainable development movement has

been helpful in understanding the role that the UN had in declaring that education must
play a key role in learning for change and learning to change.
104
The UN, with the
Brundtland Report and Agenda 21, for example, called on nations to see differently, to
behave differently, and to change wasteful and unjust practices. Different nations as well
as different universities would achieve various results, pursue different programs and
have a variety of different outcomes.
During the Decade for Sustainable Development, several pertinent events and
commissions formed that have left an impact upon sustainability in higher education.
Bard College has the opportunity to support at least two of these programs.
In 2001, The Education for Sustainability Western Network (EFS West) was
organized with the aid of the Compton Foundation and the Heinz Foundations Second
Nature and despite the fact that it was a regional group in the Pacific Northwest and
Canada, it gained national recognition as an outstanding organization, hosting the first
North American Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education in 2004.
105
Renamed
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, AASHE had

103
UNESCO,7.
104
UNESCO,3.
105
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 22 Feb.2013
http://www.climateneutralcampus.com/vol2/lower.php?url=solution-providers&provider=association-for-
the-advancement-of-sustainability-in-higher-ducation.




32
over six hundred and fifty people attend its first conference in 2006 in Tempe, as it
became the first professional higher education association for the campus sustainability
community.
106
This year, over 2000 attendees are expected to share ideas, learn new
strategies, participate in workshops, listen to outstanding speakers, discuss changes in
curriculum, set goals, and increase their understanding of sustainability in higher
education. While the 2013 conference will be held in Nashville, Denver, Los Angeles,
Pittsburgh (home of the H.J.Heinz Company) and Raleigh have had the honor of hosting
this important gathering.
107
One of AASHEs many programs is the self reporting system
known as Stars, (Sustainability Tracking and Rating System) It is this rating system that
will be the basis of the bulk of this project. While the idea for a rating system was
formulated in 2006, the STARS 0.4 document was not released by AASHE until
September 2007, with the latest report STARS1.0 officially released in January 2010,
with Bard College being a member.
108
This system provides enables those involved and
interested in sustainability in higher education to determine how well a specific
institution is doing with their specific plans towards sustainability and provide
comparison with other colleges and universities. A visit to the AASHE website details the
many contributions to sustainability education this organization provides and the
numerous opportunities to get involved.
According to Second Natures blog, on November 3, 2011, The American College
and University Presidents Climate Commitment owes its existence to AASHE. When

106
AASHE, 24 Feb. 2013.
107
AASHE, Conferences: resiliency and adaptation, 7 Apr. 2013,
<http://www.aashe.org/events/conferences>.
108
Historic Documents, STARS, a program of AASHE 24 Feb. 2013
<https://stars.aashe.org/pages/about/history/historic-documents.html>.




33
the initial committee met in Tempe, Arizona, in 2006, representatives from AASHE,
ecoAmerica and Second Nature met with university presidents to work toward common
goals, which was to, accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability by
empowering the higher education sector to educate students, create solutions, and provide
leadership-by-example for the rest of society.
109
To address the fundamental issue of
global warming, leaders committed to reduce or neutralize their campuses greenhouse
gases. There was also a commitment to educate students on ways to improve climate and
to make institutions more sustainable. This group had a self-reporting system as well,
known as the ACUPCC Reporting System. Twenty-Three university leaders were
members of the steering committee and as of 2013 there are over 650 American colleges
(including Bard), representing every state in the union, as well as several international
universities. Bard has submitted all three reports, which include Greenhouse Gas
Inventory (GHG) Climate Action Plan and Progress Reports.
110
Hopefully, greenhouse
gases will be significantly reduced and the rest of society will take notice and follow in
the footsteps of successful institutions.
In 2008, students from around the world formed the World Student
Environmental Network (WSEN) to aid in the attempt to make a positive impact on
climate change and to make the world more sustainable. Students realize how their voices
can be heard by, lobbying universities, local communities, and international governance

109
Meghan Fay Zahniser, STARS & the ACUPCC: A History of Collaboration, The Second Nature Blog
11 Nov. 2011, 7 Apr. 2013, http://www.secondnature.org/blog/20111/stars-acupcc-history-collaboration.
110
American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, (ACUPCC), 7 Apr. 2013
http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/.




34
bodies towards sustainable approaches while breaking the cross-cultural barriers of
campus-based collaboration.
111

One final gathering occurred in June 2012 in Rio, de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Rio
+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development at Universities. Colleges,
such as Macalester University sent representatives to this meeting that met at the same
time as the UNs conference on Sustainable Development was taking place in Rio. Just as
in the last chapter, meetings took place and reiterated and fine tuned previous summits,
this was also true of this event. Research, plans and curriculum were shared, as were
methods of making campuses and communities more sustainable. The results of the
conference were to be included as Volume 34 in the work, Sustainable Development at
Universities: New Horizons.
112
It was decided that it would be beneficial to continue
with the Teach-In-Day program. On Friday, February 8, 2013, the second world
Sustainable Development Teach-In Day was held for university students around the
globe. It is part of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development.
113
This is just another example of using the internet and power point
presentations to work with students and university staff members to promote
sustainability.
One needs only to look at a college or universitys web site to view its
commitment to sustainability. There are substantial programs at Emory, Oberlin,
Princeton University, Portland State University, The College of New Jersey, and Tufts. In

111
The WSEN, The World Student environmental Network, The WSEN, 7 Apr. 2013
http://www.wsen.org/?q=wsen.
112
World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities, (WSSDU) 5-6 June, 2012, 22 Mar.
2013, http://www.macalester.edu/sustainability/press/WorldSyposium2012.pdf.
113
WSSDU, 22 Mar. 2013.




35
1999, Bard College opened the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, hoping to prepare
students to be leaders who have an understanding of areas such as the Three Es that they
can take with them into their chosen professions as they tackle difficult environmental
and sustainability challenges.
114
It is also true that during the Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development, there were hundreds of courses and departments that were
established to varying degrees that deal with sustainability at specific colleges and
universities. One need just look at the over 650 signatories of the American College and
One Presidents Climate Commitment list to view each institutions commitment to
sustainability on campus and around the community.
However admirable, desirable or necessary sustainability might be on college
campuses, the major question of funding must be addressed. This is true whether the
issue deals with funding for international political commitments or sustainable
development or sustainability activities on college campuses. How will each institution
pay for the changes that need to be put into place to green a campus or retrofit a
building? Who wants to pay for staff development or teach supply purchasers new
methods? How will institutions afford to send staff and students to conferences or pay for
Teach-In videos and power point presentations? These questions all are affected by
endowments, tuition, student activity fees, foundations, grants, and corporate and private
contributions. Foundations such as The Heinz Familys contribution can never be under
appreciated. The MacArthur Foundations Global Security and Sustainability Program
donated an average of $ 2.5 million dollars to four Nigerian Universities in 2001 to stem

114
About CEP, Bard Center For Environmental Policy, 24 Apr. 2013,
http://www.bard.edu/cep/about_bcep/.





36
poverty and provide a better education for this very heavily populated country.
115
An
Internet search shows that Cornell University benefits from its partnership with the
Carnegie Foundation and The Kresge Foundation aided Second Nature, which in turn
partners with other groups such as AASHE. In 2012, The Alcoa Foundation and
Microsoft teamed with creator, Net Impact, to fund a promising program that is available
to college students who wish to participate. Small Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge
creates a fun way for students to compete and track their contributions to sustainability on
campus. Turning off lights, recycling, bike sharing, and other activities are tracked on
Facebook and the Challenge website. A totally voluntary program, winners are awarded
prizes supplied by REI and Pepsi.
116
(While not on campus in the winter, it was fun to
watch various posts.) Sustainability and sustainable development will always require
massive funding from the public and private sectors as well as from governments.
In 2003, Dr. Anthony Cortese created a picture that shows what the ideal
institution would look like. It would be all encompassing, with the intersecting of
education (teaching content areas such as architecture, economics, environmental studies,
ethics, logic, math, religion etc.) with university operations (retro-fitting existing
buildings, recycling, using bio-fuels, ride sharing, smart purchasing skills) with research
(information exchange with other institutions, policy development, freedom to
experiment with new ideas and concepts, creative freedom for professors,) with the
external community (provide good programs for locals, seminars on sustainable practices

115
Higher Education in Russia and Africa: Assessment of MacArthur Foundation Support to Nigerian
Universities, MacArthur Foundation, Nov. 2005, 12 Apr. 2013.
http://www.macfound.org/press/publications/assessment-macarthur-foundation-support-nigerian-
universities/.
116
Small Steps, Big Wins, Net Impact Campus Challenge, Net Impact, 2 Feb.2013,
http://smallsteps.netimpact.org/.




37
and practical knowledge, community service done by students) to form a true working
system.

117

This perfect picture includes a responsibility of institutions to educate students, staff,
teachers and town people about sustainable ways, to increase their skills and highlight
good morals and values that promote and achieve goals, so that every generation can
enjoy life on the Hudson River as well as knowing that thousands of miles away, polar
bears with cubs are roaming the Arctic, instead of being captive on a broken off sheet of
ice, and that the people of the Maldives are safe from literally being washed up. Higher
Education has been charged with teaching and fostering a spirit of cooperation as it has
the freedom to be idealistic, to experiment, to challenge old ideas and create new
concepts. This perfect picture is why so much money has been poured into international
conferences, programs like The Piedmont Project and AASHE, and why so much time,
energy and talent has studied this topic now for several decades.
On April 22 2013, students will once again have the opportunity to celebrate
Earth Day. People marvel at its longevity, celebrate its beginnings and cling to hope that

117
Anthony D. Cortese, The Crucial Role of Higher Education in Creating a Sustainable Future,
Planning for Higher Education. March-May 2003: 18.




38
Earth Days actions, beliefs and spirit will inspire students, faculty, staff and town people
to join together as one, to make changes, to be just and to care about others and the Earth.
The higher education community should be leaders in the field of sustainability and
sustainable development. The foundation is in place. The ability to reach millions is a
tweet or webinar away. The time is now because if those involved in higher education
dont take the lead, work towards a sustainable future, and educate the next generation to
come, who will?
























39
Chapter 3: The History of the AASHE and the STARS Program

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
(AASHE) was founded in 2005 to assist in the coordination and support of campus
sustainability efforts for higher education institutions across the country. AASHE
evolved from a regional organization that served campuses in the Western United States
and Canada. Anthony Cortese, the president of Second Nature, was a key facilitator in
founding the organization known as the Education for Sustainability Western Network
(EFS) in 2001. ESF West was established with the funding from the Compton Foundation
and support from the organization Second Nature. A few years after the organizations
formation in 2004, ESF West held the inaugural North American Conference on
Sustainability in Higher Education in Portland, Oregon. Due to the conferences success,
the increase in demand for the resources and services that EFS West offered to higher
education institutions was in need of expansion. This demand for services allowed the
regional organization to expand and evolve into an association that would assist not just
colleges in the Western United States, but encompass all North American higher
education institutions. This expansion would lead to the eventual development of
AASHE in 2005. AASHE became the first professional association in the country to act
as a base of knowledge and a center for campus sustainability. The formation of AASHE
would revolutionize the way in which higher education institutions addressed campus
sustainability.
The mission of AASHE is to provide the necessary tools for higher education
institutions to become leaders in further developing campus sustainability. This mission
is made possible by providing resources, professional advice/training, and a supportive




40
network that allows for higher education institutions to become involved with all aspects
that sustainability addresses from operations of buildings to education and research.
118

The vision of AASHE is to generate ideas that allow for the environment to
successfully prosper in a diverse world that is also healthy and sustainable. By engaging
interdisciplinary study in higher education, AASHE understands that education plays a
pivotal role in sustainable awareness, and generates a thoughtful understanding of the
interactions between the environmental, social, and economic spheres that play a large
role in addressing the issues of sustainability.
119
The environmental, social, and economic
spheres interact on a daily basis and are highly depended on one another. Unity among
these spheres is crucial for any project that involves aspects of sustainability.
To increase its credibility and influential position as a think tank for sustainable
thought in higher education, the organization has set forth a group of five goals to
accomplish by 2015, which coincides with the end of the decade for Sustainable
Development. Although the AASHE is already a primary resource for assisting in
campus sustainability across the United States, the organization wishes to extend its
leadership role as a think tank for sustainability in higher education.
According to the AASHE website, the first goal is to deliver services to members.
This will allow for significant increases in services that are needed to expand an already
existing membership. Increasing educational services such as webinars, workshops,
national sustainability events on/off campuses, and conferences will further perpetuate

118
AASHE, Mission, Vision and Goals Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher
Education (AASHE), 2012, 27 Jan, 2013,
"http://www.aashe.org/about/aashe-mission-vision-goals.
119
"Ibid.




41
the organizations already existing influence on campus sustainability in higher education
institutions.
Secondly, the next goal is important in any case involving the on-going process of
educating a specific demographic or population. AASHE wishes to gather educators who
are capable of efficiently educating individuals who play an integral role in generating
interest and creating a dialogue with influential individuals in the administrative
hierarchy of higher education.
120
These individuals are key in the collection and
distribution of information as well as implementing useful apparatus that help to educate
and make possible for individuals to garner a deeper, increased knowhow to achieve
sustainability that is more relevant for the stakeholders involved in sustainability projects.
These stakeholders can range from contracting and architectural firms, a college or
university president, board members, and even alumni who are project donors.
The third goal, which is highly desired by most organizations and companies, is
the overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Higher education can act as a body for
generating thought and awareness for our sustainable future. Through AASHE and the
STARS program, higher education institutions have the opportunity to become more
educated about practices that would significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
rates and present a feasible suggestion for these institutions to work with the changing
climatic conditions that are currently threatening our existing environment as well as our
sustainable future.
121

The next to last goal of AASHE deals primarily with educating students about
sustainability. AASHE wants to lead the way in furthering the educational practices that

120
Ibid.
121
Ibid.




42
includes involvement in the curriculum of the higher educational institutions that are
members of the campus sustainability organization.
122
By becoming involved in the
curriculum and education practices, AASHE can assist students enrolled at a college or
university by providing the proper knowledge that will allow students to attempt to
address the issues of sustainability.
Finally, the final goal of AASHE organization brings us to the history and
development of the STARS (Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System)
program. AASHE is very much interested in building upon and improving the current
STARS report tool for reporting and assessing aspects of campus sustainability in higher
education. It is a goal and priority to make amendments to this sustainability-measuring
program.
123
The program must be up to date in order to effectively address the challenges
that are presented on a daily basis when addressing campus sustainability.
The STARS reporting tool is an acronym that stands for the Sustainability,
Tracking, and Assessment & Rating System. The system itself is a self-reporting
structure that was designed for the evaluation and reporting of sustainability
measurement as well as track institutional improvements over time. The program is
entirely voluntary, but it allows for higher education institutions to track their progress
for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and other components of
campus sustainability.
The STARS program is the product of the efforts of AASHE to address the issues
of sustainability across higher education and create a system that effectively generates a
report and rates an institution that chooses to take part in the STARS program to assess

122
Ibid.
123
Ibid.




43
campus sustainability. The STARS program was created in August 2006 when the Higher
Education Associations Sustainability Consortium believed that it was of great
importance for a system to exist that addressed and measured campus sustainability. The
individuals that made up the consortium knew that in order for their proposed system to
be accepted, it needed to address the issues that are key components in the definition of
sustainability. These components include the environment, economics, and equity that are
the central topics that were addressed in the Brundtland Report. However, these were not
the only topics they needed to address on campuses. Other components such as all the
sectors and functions of campus, including curriculum, facilities, operations, and
collaboration with communities.
124
AASHE was called upon to gather up the appropriate
group of professionals who had experience in developing similar systems.
With AASHE on board, the organization found itself with the task of creating
events and conferences that would generate dialogue surrounding campus sustainability,
provide guidance, and generate ideas that would lead to the creation of the initial draft of
the STARS program. This version, STARS 0.4, released to the public in September 2007,
would allow for professionals and the higher education institutions to provide feedback
and suggestions on the first proposed system.
125

With this feedback, the AASHE was able to develop a pilot version of the STARS
program that was released in 2008 during two separate releases. This pilot version was
undertaken by nearly 70 colleges and universities... these institutions tested the systems
-- from gathering data to reporting results and provided extensive feedback about their

124
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual. Publication. Lexington, KY: AASHE, 2012 , 7.
125
Ibid, 7.




44
experiences.
126
The AASHE continued to improve its drafts based on the extensive
feedback received from the higher education institutions.
During this phase, AASHE released another version STARS 0.5, which again
received constructive criticism and feedback. As feedback continued to be generated
from 2008 to the present day, the system was updated and rendered accordingly in order
to have a system that is up to date and deemed effective for assessing campus
sustainability.
The current version STARS 1.2 is no different in its approach to appropriately
edit and build upon its existing literature. The current version and future versions will be
modified based on the feedback higher education institutions generate. Like many
different projects, STARS isnt without its flaws. While STARS is the most thoroughly
vetted and extensively tested campus sustainability framework for North American
institutions, it is by no means perfect.
127
The system needs to have some flaws in order
for any sort of improvement and development for future versions.
As stated in the STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, the most up to date version of the
system is meant to continue to generate dialogue about the best ways to measure campus
sustainability for higher education institutions. The system isnt set in stone and can be
modified accordingly with continued feedback and suggestions. The STARS 1.2 version
and future versions will continue to generate discussion regarding campus sustainability
initiatives.
A credit system was created to place higher education institutions in specific
levels determined the way campus sustainability is scored and measured. The credit

126
Ibid, 8.
127
Ibid, 8.




45
system was put into place after careful evaluation of similar models. STARS credits
were developed in large part by reviewing campus sustainability assessments,
sustainability reports from businesses, and other ranking systems.
128
The current system
is the product of this careful review process and displays the changes that were made
from draft to draft. The STARS credits system was designed to address four questions.
The first question specifically addresses improving the Brundtland Commissions
definitions for three Es environment, economics, and equity. An initial credit requires
the improvement of these three areas. It is highly important that institutions make the
improvements so that the credit can even be considered. The improvement could be the
transition to renewable energy systems by installing technologies on campus... teaching
students about renewable energy in and out of the classroom.
129
Examples of projects
that Bard College has adopted are the solar panels on Tremblay and Hirsh, which are
smaller dormitories. This renewable energy system only helps to generate some energy
for these specific dorm facilities. These solar panels on these two dormitories can be
models for larger scale implementation of such projects on other existing structures on
Bards campus given their rates of success and the overall feasibility of such projects.
The next question that the credit program addresses is the diversity of higher
education. Although it is true for some institutions to have similarities, institutions are
diverse and the respective STARS credit should reflect this diversity appropriately. In
order to accommodate this diversity, some STARS credits do not include detailed
specifications but are instead flexible or open. In other cases, credits include an

128
Ibid, 8.
129
Ibid, 8.




46
applicability criterion, so that the credit only applies to certain types of institutions.
130

Using this information, as a guideline, colleges or universities are able to address their
diversity and receive some relief when they are unable to meet the criteria for certain
credits. The third issue that the STARS credit system addresses is the interaction between
performance and strategy. STARS strives to prioritize performance over strategy when
possible.
131
Performance credits are more focused on gauging the overall performance of
campus sustainability. This differs from strategy credits because they focus on
approaches or processes that can help improve an institutions performance, such as
offering transit passes or operating a campus shuttle service.
132
While both performance
credits and strategy credits provide beneficial information, this system strives to catalyze
tangible improvements, not simply to encourage adoption of more strategies.
133
This
makes sense because the system wants to have measureable information that aids and
improves sustainability on campuses. Both credits serve important functions, but
performance credits are prioritized over strategy credits. The last issue to be addressed
doesnt contain much detail about the system but states that the desired outcome is to
help ensure that the system works as intended. AASHE strived to ensure that each credit
was objective, measurable, and actionable.
134

When all of these four credit areas are met, then STARS awards either a Tier One
or Tier Two credit. Tier One credits tend to have a larger impact than Tier Two credits.
Tier One credits have either a value ranging from 1 point to a possible maximum of 14
points. Tier Two credits are only worth 0.25 points each. Why do these two tiers of

130
Ibid, 9.
131
Ibid, 9.
132
Ibid, 9.
133
Ibid, 9.
134
Ibid, 9.




47
credits differ in value? According to the STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, Tier Two credits
acknowledge concise plans that are worthwhile to note, but have less of an immediate
affect than that of a Tier One credit.
135
An example of a Tier Two credit that the
Technical Manual cites is a bike-sharing program. A bike-sharing program is a useful
strategy to offer alternative modes of transportation but it does not have as large of an
impact as a shuttle service that takes students and faculty to and from campus. Both of
these services exist at Bard and are very useful (more so the Shuttle fleet) for students
who live both on and off campus. It provides a service that eliminates the need for a car
on campus. The shuttle service might not cater to an individuals every needs (specific
schedules/desired destination on campus) for transportation but it efficiently and
sufficiently meet the needs of many.
The Technical Manual also argues that some Tier Two credits promote strategies
whose benefits are already largely captured by a Tier One credit.
136
Noted earlier, Tier
Two credits are worth 0.25 points and Tier One credits can either be worth one point or
more. There are six criteria by which points are awarded. The criteria addresses the
impact and the benefits that proposed credit would have on environmental, financial,
social, and educational aspects of sustainability. The points are earned through the overall
impact that the project will have and not the difficulty of earning the credit. It is
entirely possible for a project to be very difficult, but it produces results that do not have
the intended impact. Less difficult projects can often produce impacts that are much more
powerful and noteworthy. However, STARS is designed to incorporate the full spectrum

135
Ibid,9.
136
Ibid,10.




48
of sustainability achievement, and upper levels of achievement represent highly
ambitious, long-term goals.
137

The STARS program recognizes that an institution, which is dedicated to
improving the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability on a given
campus, should be rewarded for its efforts. AASHE has worked hard to generate a
campus sustainability rating system that awards institutions for their stewardship and
advocacy for campus sustainability initiatives.
The categories that make up the foundation for STARS rating system include
Education and Research, Operations, and Planning, Administration & Engagement.
Within each of these categories, the available allotted point total is 100 points. There are
more points to be earned with Innovation credits. It is possible for an additional four
points to be earned by institutions for new and path-breaking practices and performances
that are not covered by other STARS credits or that exceed the highest criterion of a
current STARS credit.
138
It is not necessary for the credits to be within a specific
category. The total number of possible credits that can be addressed in STARS is 139.
There are 4 possible innovation credits. Within the subcategories, there are 17 overall
credits to be achieved. The 3 main category scores are then compiled and submitted to
generate an overall score and rating. At this stage in the process, all of the data that was
generated for the rating process becomes publically accessible.
139
The three categories
Education and Research, Operations, and Planning, Administration, and Engagement all

137
Ibid, 10.
138
AASHE STARS. "Scoring." AASHE, 2012, 20 Jan. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/pages/about/scoring.html.
139
AASHE STARS.Scoring Chart."AASHE, 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2013.
https://stars.aashe.org/pages/about/scoring.html.





49
earn a specific percentage of the available points. The scores that determine the STARS
rating are generated by the average of these three categorical percentages. After all of the
institutions data is processed, a rating is generated for the institutions specific level of
achievement.
The STARS Rating system has five rating levels that an institution can achieve.
These rating levels include Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Reporter. Each level has
a minimum score required to meet and satisfy the different rating levels. As noted in the
Technical Manual, the minimum score required for the STARS Bronze Rating is 25
points. STARS Silver requires at least a score of 45 points, STARS Gold is at least 65
points, and STARS Platinum is 85 points while a STARS Reporter doesnt require a
given institution to pursue a specific rating.
140

The Reporter institution wishes to use the system to measure campus
sustainability and submits the appropriate data to be viewed publically. The Reporter
institution isnt necessarily at a disadvantage because they receive the same benefits of
institutions that pursue a STARS rating, including positive recognition for participation
and the ability to share data publicly.
141
It presents the option for institutions to make
their rating public or to keep it private. The institutions that choose to make their results
public gain prestige and make the information readily available so that interested parties
can gain a better understanding of aspects of campus sustainability. The institutions that
keep their rating private and are Reporter schools clearly have a reason to not publicly
display their overall score.

140
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, Publication. Lexington, KY: AASHE, 2012, 11.
141
Ibid, 11.




50
The STARS program is an essential piece to address sustainability on college
campuses and it will continue to develop in accordance with the introduction of new
sustainable practices as well as improvements of existing sustainable practices.











































51
Chapter 4: Assessing Bard Colleges Campus Sustainability results for AASHEs
STARS Report

This chapter consists of Bard Colleges campus sustainability report results that
were generated by providing the appropriate information in accordance with stated
guidelines that are found in the AASHEs STARS Technical Manual. The results of the
report are examined and the significant categories and some of their subcategory credits
are explored in further detail which includes descriptions of how each tier one or tier two
credits are designed and assessed within the report. However, not all of the credits will be
examined within the categories of Education & Research, Operations, and Planning,
Administration, & Engagement. The most significant tier one credits will be examined
and the each covered category will have suggestions for the future STARS Report
submission.
The colleges Sustainability Coordinator, Laurie Husted, submitted the data that
was collected for the STARS campus sustainability report by the Bard College Office of
Sustainability to the AASHE STARS Reporting tool. The version of the STARS program
that the data was submitted under was version 1.0 in 2011. However since the submission
of the colleges data, there have been some revisions to the Technical Manual literature
with Version 1.2 and version 2.0 is expected sometime in 2013. The results for the
STARS Report assessed Bard Colleges main campus, which includes the leased USB
Building (a space that is often used for senior project art installations and other multi
purpose exhibitions) that is located in the nearby village of Red Hook, NY. The results of
the report show that Bard College has received a Silver Rating with an overall score of
50.60 based on the data that was provided by the BOS (Bard Office of Sustainability).
The BOS has made an ambitious goal to achieve a Gold Rating by 2015.




52
The categories of the STARS Report include Education & Research, Operations,
and Planning, Administration & Engagement. Each category includes subcategories and
credits. Each category has an overall ER percentage and each subcategory have possible
achievable points that vary based on specific credits. Each credit within the subcategories
can be pursued or not. There are certain criteria, applicability, scoring, required reporting
fields and specific timeframes that a reporting institution must meet in order to achieve
any points for a given tier one or two credit within a specific category and subcategory.
The Education & Research category and Co-Curricular Education subcategory results
will first be examined.
Co-Curricular Education
Within this specific subcategory, it:
seeks to recognize institutions that provide their students with sustainability
learning experiences outside the formal curriculum. Engaging in sustainability
issues through co-curricular activities allows students to deepen and apply their
understandings of sustainability principles. Institution-sponsored co-curricular
sustainability offerings, often coordinated by student affairs offices, help integrate
sustainability into the campus culture and set a positive tone for the institution.
142


The total achievable points for this category are 18. Out of possible 18 total points, Bard
has received a total of 13.75 points. Within the Co-Curricular Education subcategory,
there are 4 ER-1 Tier One credits and 8 Tier Two credits. Bard is pursuing all 4 Tier One
and only 4 Tier Two credits within this subcategory. The first ER Tier One Credit to be
examined within the subcategory of Co-Curricular Education is Student Sustainability
Educators Program.
ER-1 Tier One Credit: Student Sustainability Educators Program

142
AASHE, STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, Publication. Lexington, KY: AASHE, 2012, 20.




53
This credit is a Tier one credit that has a total of five achievable points within the
Education & Research category. This specific credit addresses a peer-to-peer
sustainability assistance and coordination program for students who are pursuing a degree
at an institution while living on campus in a dormitory setting. Many higher education
institutions have program initiatives that help to engage students to learn more about
aspects of sustainability on campus. These programs are commonly known as Eco-
Reps and the goal of the program is to spread information regarding sustainability
concepts that can be adopted and applied to daily life across an institutions campus
setting. In order to meet and be awarded any points for this credit, the institution:
Selects or appoints students to serve as educators and formally designates the
students as educators,
Provides formal training to the educators in how to conduct outreach, and
Offers staff and/or other financial support to the program.
143

For the scoring of this subcategory, in order to achieve all 5 points, an institution must be
able to provide the service of the Eco-Rep program for all students who are seeking a
degree and are enrolled for credit at the institution.
144

It is a requirement for an institution to provide reporting field details in order to
achieve any points for a specified Tier One or Two Credit. For this specific ER-1 credit,
the institution must provide the total number of degree seeking students enrolled on
campus, the program name, the number of students served by the program, a brief
description about how the students are selected, a description of their training, description

143
STARS, ER-1: Students Sustainability Educators Program, 2011, 22. February. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/ER/co-curricular-education/ER-
1/documentation/.
144
Ibid.




54
of the staff and financial support that is provided for the program at a said institution.
145

Bard College has provided all of the required information necessary to pursue this
tier one credit. The official program name is Bard Environmental Resource People or
BERP. These students are volunteers who self identify before the academic year begins.
Peer counselors are considered the BERPs until a suitable replacement is identified.
146

The formal training that they receive is presented in an orientation meeting for Peer
Counselors and BERPs before the beginning of the school year. These individuals receive
mandatory information to become familiar with and are the expected to serve as a liaison
for sustainability within their campus dormitory. This voluntary position usually involves
the BERP or Eco-Rep handing out energy efficient light bulbs (BERD office funds this
program when needed) as well as providing interested individuals with information
regarding sustainability practices in the dormitory.
The college scored fairly well for this credit. Based on the information provided
on the AASHE STARS website, Bard College received a 3.75 out of a possible total of 5
points. This number was found using the formula from the scoring chart on the previous
page. Bard has a total of 1800 degree-seeking students enrolled and the number of
students that are served by the program are 1350. This number has potential to be larger,
but based on a large off campus population this program is not able to reach everyone.
The next tier one credit to be addressed is the student sustainability outreach campaign.
ER-2 presents an opportunity for a campus community to participate in campaigns that
can generate conversation surrounding sustainable practices on a campus that are
measurable and have can have direct impact for the community.

145
STARS, Bard ER-1: Sustainability Educators Program,2011. 22 February. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/ER/co-curricular-education/ER-1/
146
Ibid.




55
ER-2 Tier One Credit: Student Sustainability Outreach Campaign
The student sustainability outreach campaign is subcategory within the Education
& Research category and is a tier one credit that has a total of five points that are
achievable. According to the STARS Technical Manual, the credit rationale:
recognizes institutions that hold sustainability outreach campaigns that yield
measurable, positive results in advancing the institutions sustainability
performance. Campaigns engage the student body in sustainability issues and can
help raise student awareness about sustainability. In addition, campaigns
encourage students to adopt or try to sustainable practices and lifestyles.
147


In addition to this, the criteria must be met by holding a sustainability driven
outreach campaign that is focused on educating students with measurable results that
prove the positive effectiveness of furthering sustainability education. The campaign is
not limited to just the home institution but can be guided by students in the form of an
organization or as coursework. The institution will receive five points if the criterion is
met and it is not possible to receive any partial points. Within the reporting fields, the
institution is required to meet the criteria, provide a name for the campaign, give a brief
description, provide description for the positive impacts, and make certain that all of the
information is accurate. The reports and descriptions for the campaign must be the most
recent data and not information from a previous campaign.
In this specific category, Bard pursued the credit and received all five possible
points. The name of the campaign was the Recyclemania- Compost Contest. According
to the report card AASHE compiled for Bard, the campaign description provided by
Sustainability Coordinator Laurie Husted is that:
Bard participates in Recyclemania but has difficulty doing dorm-by-dorm
comparisons. In 2010 and 2011 we undertook a Compost Contest. Each week

147
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 24.




56
during Recyclemania, compost buckets removed from each kitchen are weighed.
Information is shared via a Facebook event, a campus announce and kitchen
flyers.
148


The brief description that is needed for the measured positive impacts stated that
over the duration of the contest, the campus dorms increased compost production as
evident by the increase in compost bucket demand and the weight of compost generated
increased. The next credit to be examined and explained is ER-3, which is a tier one
credit that addresses sustainability in new student orientation.
ER-3 Tier One Credit: Sustainability in New Student Orientation
What is sustainability in New Student Orientation and how does Bard make it
happen? The rational for credit for Sustainability in New Student Orientation is based on
the importance of sustainability in the activities and programs that are directed towards
students who have just begun their education at an institution of higher education. By
including aspects of sustainability in new student orientation, it shows that sustainability
is an institutional goal that is they are pursuing and also provides valuable encouragement
for individuals to think about how they will be able to create a more sustainable lifestyle
while attending the institution. In order for an institution to meet the criteria, the
institution must:
include sustainability prominently in its new student orientation activities and
programming. Sustainability activities and programming are made available to all
new students and intend to educate about the principles and practices of
sustainability.
149


However, there can be variance in the campus activities and each campus will present
different forms of sustainability activities. When submitting the data for this credit,

148
STARS, Sustainability in New Student Orientation,2011, 4 April. 2013.
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/ER/co-curricular-education/ER-3/.
149
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 27.




57
institutions must determine what sustainability means in its context and include its
appropriate use in the submitted descriptions. Like the Student Sustainability Outreach
Campaign, this full credit that can be earned is two points and there are no partial points
awarded. The required reporting fields for this project includes:
an indication of whether the institution meets the criteria for this credit, a brief
description of how sustainability is included prominently in new student
orientation, an affirmation that the submitted information is accurate to the best of
a reasonable partys knowledge and contact information for the responsible party,
the website URL where information about sustainability in new student
orientation is available, and finally notes about the submission.
150


The timeframe for the program must be from the most recent orientation event
information.
In this specific category, Bard College scored two out of two possible achievable
points. The description that Bard provides on the STARS website is somewhat vague, but
provides a brief description of what is done during new student orientation. According to
Bard Colleges Sustainability Coordinator Laurie Husted, sustainability is prominently
included in new student orientation through the use of:
an S demarcation in the New Student Orientation manual to denote sustainable
activities Examples of sustainability activities that occur during Orientation
include film screenings, a guided bike trip to the nearest village and farmers
market, farmer panel, etc. The Bard Office of Sustainability also submits a full-
page advertisement for upcoming yearly sustainability-related items.
151


It seems like this particular description should provide a bit more of a detailed
description in the next submission for the STARS report when it is deemed necessary for
the college to reevaluate their previous results and refine that information. The next
subcategory to be addressed is curriculum.

150
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 27-28.
151
STARS, Sustainability in New Student Orientation,2011, 4 April. 2013.
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/ER/co-curricular-education/ER-3/.




58
Curriculum:
The subcategory of Curriculum within the larger category of Education &
Research identifies and assesses sustainability courses within an institutions main
curriculum. The tier one credits that will be examined in the Curriculum subcategory will
be Sustainability Course Identification, Undergraduate Program in Sustainability, and
Graduate Program in Sustainability. These credits will be discussed and Bard Colleges
results will be examined.
ER- 5 Tier One Credit: Sustainability Course Identification
The Sustainability Course Identification credit has three available total points for
an institution to pursue. The credit rationale acknowledges institutions that identified
courses that focus in sustainability as well the offerings that the programs provide for
students and shares this information with their campus or campuses. By collecting this
information, an institution is able to provide a curriculum for sustainability education on
campus. It allows for students to become familiar with the course offerings that focus or
discuss aspects of sustainability and present the students with an organized list that will
help them plan their academic pursuits. Through addressing and identifying sustainability
course offerings, the pursuit of this credit allows for an institution to report on four
additional credits that are all focused on elements of sustainability courses. The criteria
for this credit is divided into three different sections and these must be met in order to
achieve all three possible points. The institution will receive one point for each section if
it is deemed that the institution has successfully fulfilled the criteria guidelines. Part 1 of
the criteria discusses the necessity for a definition of sustainability. The definition is
required to have been developed by at the very minimum of three faculty members that




59
teach courses in different fields of study. This definition of sustainability should decipher
which courses focus on the idea of sustainability throughout the courses duration and
courses that either address aspects of sustainability or mention sustainability in any form
during the course. Sustainability focused courses must concentrate on the concept of
sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine
an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens.
152
Whereas sustainability related courses
examine aspects or focus directly on a specific issue or principle doctrine of
sustainability. Part 2 discusses that an institution has identified its courses as being either
sustainability focused or related. However, a course cant be both addressed as
sustainability focused or related course and must be one or the other. To decide which
courses should be either sustainability focused or related is something that departments
and faculty members must figure out based on the definition of sustainability that is
provided in Part 1. Finally, Part 3 states that there be a public display of the courses
online through a course catalogue. It is required that all of these items be addressed and
that all submitted information is accurate in order to receive any points for the credit.
What information did Bard College submit to the STARS report for this particular
category? Bard has developed a definition of sustainability that is in the curriculum. The
committee that developed the definition of sustainability for the campus provided two
definitions one being short and the other longer. The first definition states that
sustainability at Bard is:
ensuring that human opportunities for self-realization do not decline over time.
Needs and opportunities for self-realization depend on access to: food, housing,
clean air and water, security, political freedom, health care, education, electric

152
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 39.




60
power, transportation, relationships with other species and with well functioning
ecosystems.
153


This definition is basic, but it provides a good point about how self-realization should not
decline over time if provided with appropriate means of survival and interaction with
individuals and the surrounding environment. It also means that conserving the goods and
services that are provided is a necessity for living a sustainable lifestyle that is modeled
after a balance of consumption and preservation in order to secure resources for future
generations. The longer definition provided states that:
Sustainability, on institutional, local, regional, national or global scales, means
assuring that human opportunities for self-realization do not decline over time.
Why might current social processes be unsustainable? In the 21
st
century, human
consumption and population growth faces resource limits and threats to critical
services: climate stability, fresh water, air quality, oil, fisheries, biodiversity,
forests, top soil, and arable land. The study of sustainability is inherently
interdisciplinary, involving underlying scientific processes, ethical and aesthetic
questions, and social relationships: the 3Es (environment, equity and economy).
At the same time, for the college to become a model of sustainability will require
students, faculty and staff to engage with both the campus and community as
laboratories, seeking ways to reduce our ecological footprint, while enhancing our
economic stability and social well being.
154


This longer definition expands on the short definition and provides important insight
about how an institution must react to leading the way in sustainability. Higher education
institutions cant directly change the consumptive patterns that are have plagued and
continue to plague fisheries as a result of the tragedy of the commons, but they can
influence and provide the necessary information about regarding sustainability through
courses and using this information to change the way in which they live and think about
sustainability while maintaining as well as prolonging the resources that are available to

153
STARS, Bard Colleges Sustainability Course Identification, 2011, 4 April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/ER/curriculum/ER-5/.
154
Ibid.




61
an individual. Higher education institutions are places where students learn and further
develop skills that are necessary to function as members of society.
ER-10 Tier One Credit: Undergraduate Program in Sustainability
The Undergraduate Program in Sustainability category has 4 points available to
be achieved. The credit rationale for this credit recognizes institutions that have formal,
undergraduate-level degree programs focused on sustainability. Developing such a
programs signals an institutions commitment to sustainability.
155
This commitment to
sustainability and program development allow for students to further investigate topics of
sustainability, which allows for the students to become better prepared to address issues
of sustainability. Having an academic program in sustainability also provides a home
base for researchers and scholars within the institution. The criteria for this credit require
that the institution offer majors either focusing directly in sustainability or a program that
is similar in design. However, to qualify for this credit, sustainability does not have to be
included in the title. For instance, Environmental and Urban Studies at Bard College is an
acceptable title for this credit because the program covers the equity, environment, and
economic facets of sustainability. However, a program that focuses solely on
environmental issues is not qualified to pursue this credit. Also, concentrations within a
major are not included in this credit category. The institutions that choose to pursue this
credit will be awarded with 4 points if the program meets the criteria above. The required
reporting fields are that all sustainability-focused courses be named, provide a URL for
each program, and confirm that the information submitted to the report is accurate and up
to date. Bard College meets the requirements for the credit and has titled the program

155
STARS Technical Manual, 55.




62
Environmental and Urban Studies. Laurie Husted has provided the URL information for
the programs homepage. The next credit to be discussed is the tier one credit ER-11:
Graduate Program in Sustainability.
ER-11 Tier One Credit: Graduate Program in Sustainability
In order to be eligible to pursue this credit, the graduate program in sustainability,
an institution must have at least one sustainability program or a similar program at the
graduate level. The credit has a total of 4 possible points that an institution can achieve. A
program that only focuses on social or environmental issues is not eligible for this credit.
The unique aspect for the applicability of this credit is that an institution must offer at
least 25 graduate programs across the board. This is intriguing because it shows that there
needs to be diversity within the institutions graduate program offerings.
Bard College chose to pursue tier one credit ER-11 and offers multiple graduate
programs that meet the requirements for this credit. The institution received a total of 4
out of 4 points and has provided descriptions of each program. An individual is able to
pursue a masters of science in Environmental Policy or Climate Science And Policy
through the Bard Center for Environmental Policy graduate program.
The program curriculum for an M.S. in Environmental Policy focuses on social,
environmental, and economics aspects that address and allow for a further understanding
of the environmental issues that challenge the planet on a daily basis. Through this
diverse curriculum, a graduate student has the opportunity to learn in depth viewpoints
about social, environmental, and economic topics that allow for the student to create their
own perspective that allows for them to create tangible connections between the




63
interconnected social, environmental, and economic spheres.
156
The M.S. in Climate
Science And Policy program curriculum and focus differs slightly:
The Master of Science degree in climate science and policy focuses on the
interplay between climate science and solutions. The program trains future policy
leaders to guide critical greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation efforts, working
in business, government, and NGOs at the local to international levels. Students
develop specific expertise in the development and deployment to scale of clean
energy technologies and the interaction of ecosystems, agriculture, and climate.
157


The program curriculum for Climate Science And Policy provides the necessary tools and
skills for graduate students to be prepared to properly face the challenges that are
presented by the environment through policy making. These skills are highly important to
posses due to the nature of climate change and addressing the facets of the sustainability
question. In order to effectively govern and address the issues surrounding sustainability,
environmental, social, and economic policy plays a huge role in establishing sound
literature that can provide the necessary action needed to further address and attempt
implementation of such sustainability policies on a larger scale. Bard College offers
strong options for graduates who wish to pursue and tackle the topics of climate change,
policy, and further examine the components of sustainability.
A new program established at Bard College that is worth discussing that was not
included in the original credit description in the of the Bard Colleges STARS report is
the MBA program in Sustainability. Eban Goodstein, who is also the Bard Center of
Environmental Policy Director, directs the MBA program. The MBA program partnered
with the BCEP graduate program and had its inaugural semester in Fall 2012. The
creation of the program was a result of the growing demand in training for sustainable

156
BCEP, M.S. Environmental Program Flier,2012. 4 April. 2013,
http://www.bard.edu/cep/files/file.php?action=getfile&id=6770633
157
BCEP, M.S. Climate Science & Policy Program Flier,2012, 4 April. 2013,
http://www.bard.edu/cep/files/file.php?action=getfile&id=709585




64
business practices being created by green start-up businesses and major corporation
efforts, such as IBMs Smarter Planet and General Electrics Eco-Imagination.
158
This
growing demand has created new departments in the business sector and has made
sustainability a popular topic of discussion. This rise in popularity should however
encourage businesses and individuals to continually think about addressing and
implementing the core values of sustainability in the both the short and long run. Bards
MBA program presents individuals with a curriculum that addresses the goals of
sustainability within a business setting.
According to Bards MBA program brochure, the programs curriculum is meant
to prepare an individual graduate for a leadership position who has a wealth of
knowledge in business practices and applies this knowledge through the lens of
sustainability. Core Business principles are established and done so with regard to the
three Es of sustainability: economics, equity, and environment.
159
This knowledge
allows for an individual to address sustainability in a business setting that can have a
powerful impact in the way in which a company addresses and practices efficiency that is
justifiable in relation to equitable, environmental, and economic sustainability. Based on
the information provided from AASHEs STARS report for Bard and additional sources,
it appears that Bard is performing extremely well in terms of the programs it offers for
graduate students that address components and business aspects of sustainability.
The STARS Report Operations Category:
The Operations section of the AASHE STARS reporting program deals with the

158
Mark Primoff, Bard College Press Release on MBA Program Launch.11 Dec. 2011, 11 April. 2013.
http://www.bard.edu/news/releases/pr/fstory.php?id=2220
159
Bard College, MBA in Sustainability Program Catalog,2013, 4 April. 2013,
http://www.bard.edu/mba/program/index.php?action=getfile&id=7688760.




65
sustainability for the overall operations of an institutions campus. The tier one credits
that will be addressed in this section will be Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction that is
listed under the subcategory of Climate as well as Building Energy Consumption that is
listed under the subcategory of Energy. Once these credits are explained, an analysis of
Bard Colleges results will be conducted.
OP-5 Tier One Credit: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
In order for an institution to be eligible to meet the criteria for this subcategory,
the institution must have reduced reduced its net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions
per weighted campus user compared to a 2005 baseline.
160
The Scope 1 and Scope 2
GHG (Green House Gases) categories are comprised of a combination of emissions from
various direct and indirect sources. Scope 1 GHG emissions are emitted from direct
sources such as fuel combustion and emissions from vehicles owned by an institution.
Scope 2 GHG emissions are emitted from sources of electricity that are purchased and
used by an institution.
161
In addition to these two scopes, carbon offsets are included. To
know the amount of GHG emissions an institution is producing, an emissions inventory
must be completed and performed under circumstances that is consistent with the
Greenhouse Gas Protocols Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standards
162
The
baseline data that is provided for the GHG emissions inventory needs to be identical to
the inventory of the performance year.
The scoring for the credit has a possible 14 points that can be earned by a
pursuing institution. By achieving 14 out of 14 points, an institution will have

160
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 104.
161
Ibid, 104.
162
Ibid, 104.




66
successfully reached climate neutrality on campus.
163
This is the desired goal of many
institutions that are addressing the issues of campus sustainability and many institutions
have committed to the ACUPCC that requires for institutions to commit to tackling
climate neutrality. To calculate the score for this category, a formula has been developed
to determine an overall score for an institution. The formula is presented in the STARS
Technical Manual:
Points Earned = 14 x {[(A/B) (C/D)] / (A/B)}
A = Adjusted net greenhouse gas emission in 2005 baseline year
B = Weighted campus users in 2005 baseline year
C = Adjusted net greenhouse gas emissions in the performance year
D = Weighted campus users in the performance year (Most Recent Data).
164



Within in this formula, the numerical value for A represents the overall impact that the
institution has on the climate. This value is the overall rate of emissions in metric tons for
both Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG for the baseline year. B represents the number of on-
campus residents, non-residential/commuter (full-time/part-time) students, faculty, and
staff members in 2005.
165
C addresses the same details as A, but the only difference is
the performance year and the increase or decrease of GHG emissions that the institution
has experienced since the 2005 baseline year. This also applies to B and D; however, the
institution is recording the increase or decrease in campus users. For both the baseline
and performance year data, the submitted information needs to take place consistently
over a span of 12 months. What were the results from Bards submission and how well
did the college score?

163
Ibid, 104.
164
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 105.
165
Ibid,105.




67
In this category, Bard College has scored a 1.83 out of a possible 14 points. The
total number for Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions in the 2005 baseline year was
10,624 Metric Tons of C02 Equivalent.
166
The college also had 1,229 on campus
residents, 855 non-residential/commuter full-time students, faculty/staff members, and
271 non-residential/commuter part-time students, faculty/staff members in 2005.
167

These numbers changed significantly in the performance year in 2011. However, instead
of a decrease in total GHG emissions, Bard increased their overall Scope 1 and Scope 2
total to 10,803 Metric Tons of CO2.
168
The number of on campus residents increased to
1,410 and as well as non-residential/commuter full-time students/faculty/staff, which
increased to 1,102. The part-time individuals experienced a decrease by about 53
individuals.
When analyzing this data, it may seem like Bard College is moving towards an
unsustainable future when it comes to reducing the overall amount of GHG emissions
produced from Scope 1 and Scope 2 sources. This information suggests that the college is
growing and using more energy than it should. The college is expected to continue to
grow over two years by 57,000 square feet and done so with the assumption that there
will not be growth in student/staff/faculty population or the emissions associated with
such growth.
169
While Bard continues to grow, it is necessary to reduce the emissions
associated with new construction and keep them at a minimum. These instances of new
construction must be looked at very carefully and it should be insisted that these

166
STARS, Bard College OP-5 Green House Gas Emissions Reduction,2011, 4 April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe
167
Ibid.
168
Ibid.
169
Laurie Husted, Bard Climate Action Plan2010. 4 April. 2013, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY,
www.bard.edu/bos/energy/index.php?action=getfile&id=9464173.





68
buildings be built with energy efficiency in mind. Future new construction will positively
contribute to the reduction of the colleges overall emission levels by practicing the best
strategies for new construction such as using options like the USGBCs LEED Green
Building Standard and Net Zero Energy approaches to construction. Bard wishes to make
this a part of their goals and expectations according to the colleges New Construction &
Major Renovation Policy for High-Performance Building document.
Subcategory of Energy OP-7 Tier One Credit: Building Energy Consumption
The OP-7 Building Energy Consumption credit is listed under the subcategory of
Energy. The energy subcategory seeks to recognize institutions that are reducing their
energy consumption through conservation and efficiency, and switching to cleaner and
renewable sources of energy.
170
The criteria for the OP-7 credit is that an institution has
reduced its total building energy consumption per gross square foot of building space
171

The total possible score an institution can achieve in this credit is 8 points. In order to
calculate an institutions total points, some additional information is needed. The
information that is needed is the total building energy consumption and the total amount
of building space per square footage for the baseline year in 2005 as well as the
performance year.
172
All of this information needs to be recent and accurate in order to
properly assess an institutions figures. When an institution has all of this information,
the STARS Technical Manual provides a formula to calculate the overall points earned:
Points Earned = 16 x {[(A/B) - (C/D)] / (A/B)}
A = Building energy consumption in the 2005 baseline year
B = Gross square foot of building space in the 2005 baseline year
C= Building energy consumption in the performance year (most recent year for

170
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 124.
171
Ibid, 124.
172
Ibid,124.




69
which data are available)
D= Gross square foot of building space in the performance year (most recent
data).
173


Using this formula, an institution will be able to figure out their overall points in this
category.
Bard College has provided the appropriate information for this credit and has
pursued this credit. In the 2005 baseline year, Bard College consumed 106,734.90
MMBtu (British thermal energy unit) for 967,036 gross square feet of building space. In
2011 for the performance year, Bard College consumed 121,018.30 MMBtu for
1,128,211 gross square feet of building space.
174
The total points that Bard received for
this credit was 0.45/8.00. This number is significantly low due to the difficulty of this
specific credit. As mentioned in the previous description for the OP-5: GHG Reduction
credit, the college is expected to continue the growth of planned new construction until
the end of 2015. As a result of this, building energy consumption will also increase.
However, Bard should focus its attention on reducing total building energy consumption
by retrofitting campus buildings to make them more energy efficient and educate the
population about efficient practices that can reduce energy consumption.
Many buildings on campus could be experiencing calibration issues, poor
insulation, or a lack of efficiency. Poor insulation and poorly sealed windows in older
academic buildings are issues such as in Wardens Hall, which is made up of three
buildings: Fairbairn, Hopson, and Seymour is seen as a problem. On several occasions,
professors have complained about these poorly sealed windows that leak heat and air

173
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual. 127.
174
STARS, OP-7 Tier One Credit: Building Energy Consumption,2011, 4 April. 2013.
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/OP/energy/OP-7/




70
conditioning. The energy that is being consumed is not being utilized as it was originally
intended. It shows that these existing buildings arent receiving the necessary
maintenance needed to run as efficiently as possible. Retrofitting older existing buildings
is a goal that Bard has according to the Climate Action Plan, but the document sees
retrofitting existing buildings as time consuming and expensive.
175
This is true, but it
should be a priority for Bard to use a significant amount of funding to do so. Existing
buildings would only benefit from these retrofits and thus decreasing the amount of
energy that is wasted on older energy inefficient buildings.
Residential dormitories on any college or university campus are going to consume
large amounts of energy. The typical use of the energy in dormitories consists of taking
showers, to charging computers, and using lights. People who live in dormitories have a
significant control over how they choose to use facilities water and electricity amenities.
Many residents leave lights on, leave electronics plugged in when not in use, and take
excessively long showers without thinking about the consequences of their actions. All of
these things add up and over time it becomes extremely expensive to operate buildings
when people are not using their resources efficiently. At Bard College, the larger
dormitories are easily going to be consuming the most energy. With more people in a
residential building it is a safe assumption that there is going to be a higher demand for
the energy resources. Bard should make it a priority to properly educate the residents of
all of the dorms about conserving energy through events and campus wide dorm energy
reduction competitions.
Planning and Administration & Engagement:

175
Husted,28.




71
The last major category to address in the STARS reporting program is Planning,
Administration & Engagement. The subcategory that will be examined is Coordination
and Planning. Credits of interest in this subcategory are Sustainability Coordination and
the Climate Plan. Each credit will be explained and Bards results will be analysis The
first credit that will be explained that will be addressed is PAE-1 Tier One Sustainability
Coordination.
PAE-1 Tier One Credit: Sustainability Coordination
The Sustainability Coordination credit focuses on an institutions sustainability
committee. For an institution to meet the criteria for this credit, it must have a
sustainability committee that focuses on several issues of sustainability on campus and
not just one specific issue.
176
When the criterion is met, the institution is able to pursue
this credit for points. There is a total of 3 points that can be achieved for this credit. This
is a credit that Bard is pursuing.
Bard College has a sustainability council that addresses the issues of sustainability
on campus. This council is made up of several members of the faculty, staff, and several
students. The sustainability committee meets on a monthly basis and discusses issues that
range from energy efficient building standards to proposing new campus sustainability
initiatives on campus. The council strives to assist the college in serving as a model of
sustainability in higher education, in our curriculum, in our operations, and in planning
for our future.
177
With the councils insight and the assistance of the colleges
Sustainability Coordinator, Laurie Husted, Bard is working the right direction in

176
STARS, Bard Sustainability Coordination,2011. 4 April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/PAE/coordination-and-
planning/PAE-1/.
177
Ibid.




72
addressing campus sustainability initiatives and making small steps in achieving climate
neutrality. Achieving climate neutrality is no simple task and steps will only be made
towards the 2035 climate neutrality pledge if there is agreement among all involved
parties. The board of directors and the sustainability council need to find common ground
in order to receive the appropriate funding for future sustainability projects. The final
credit to be assessed for this category and the rest of the project is the Climate Plan.
PAE-5 Tier One Credit: Climate Plan
The PAE-5 Climate Plan credit is one of the most important credits in the entire
STARS program. An institution can pursue this credit if there exists a:
formal plan to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions. The plan includes a
measurable, numerical goal or goals and a corresponding date by which the
institution aims to achieve its goals(s). The plan has been adopted by the
institutions administration.
178


This particular credit is worth a total of 2 points. An institution is able to pursue this
credit if the stated criteria requirements are met. It seems strange that such an important
document for addressing campus sustainability is only worth 2 points. These goals and
initiatives that are documented in such a report are the necessary steps that need to be
taken to reach climate neutrality by a specified date. In the next version of the STARS
technical manual, this credit should be worth more points. Bard College is pursuing this
credit and has a Climate Plan that is well written and is realistic about the goals that it
presents.
Bard College has met the necessary criteria to be eligible for this credit and
received the full 2 points. Laurie Husted and Daniel Smith prepared the Climate Plan and

178
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 232.




73
the Bard Climate Committee approved the document in 2010.
179
The approval of the
Climate Action plan was a necessary step in fulfilling the guidelines that Bard and
President Leon Botstein committed to by signing the ACUPCC document in 2008.
Within the second year of signing the commitment, Bard was to develop a Climate
Action Plan (CAP) that encompasses the entirety of actions to be taken on by the
institution to achieve climate neutrality.
180
The CAP that Bard has put together
addresses the goals that the institution feels will provide the best results for the pursuit of
the long-term objective of climate neutrality by 2035. Short-term goals include
restructuring of the curriculum to embody CAP goals, implement individual energy
conservation measures and renewable energy systems in select buildings.
181
Although
these are short-term goals, they too can be difficult to implement. Change in the
curriculum may be more likely to see immediate implementation than the installation of
renewable energy systems in select buildings. Installing such systems cost money and
like many other sustainability initiatives on campus, limited funding will always restrict
certain possibilities.
However, the CAP is an essential document that is necessary for significant
development of campus sustainability initiatives. Having Bards CAP available to the
public presents opportunities for new insight that can aid in the reduction of the colleges
GHG emissions. This insight could range from suggestions in new renewable
technologies to proposing a new course in sustainability. Laurie Husted and Daniel Smith
who are the authors of Bards CAP make the point that it is understood that the path to

179
Husted, 2.
180
Ibid, 7.
181
STARS, Bard PAE-5 Climate Plan,2011, 5 April. 2013.
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/PAE/coordination-and-
planning/PAE-5/.




74
carbon-neutrality will be an ongoing process, comprised of both short-and long-term
strategies. Bards CAP is intended to be a living document.
182
The document is meant to
adapt to new and changing ideas and technologies that will help Bard College come
closer to reaching the goal of climate neutrality by 2035.






















182
Husted, 7.




75

Chapter 5: Bard Campus Sustainability Compared to Similar Higher Education
Institutions
The focus of this chapter is to examine Bards overall performance results for
AASHEs STARS report and to compare these results to institutions of similar size. The
results will also be compared to the STARS national average score. The chapter will also
look at the compared institutions campus sustainability initiatives and how each
institution differs from one another.
Bard College has received a Silver STARS rating and has an overall point score
of 50.60. The STARS overall average point score is 52.49. The data in Chart 1 shows the
overall category breakdown for Bard College and its comparison to the STARS national
average.
183
In Education & Research category, Bard College is below average by roughly
10 points with 40.51% compared to the STARS average of 50.96% points. In the
operations category, Bard is slightly above the average with 39.94% points compared to
the STARS national average of 37.08%. In the Planning, Administration, & Engagement
category, Bard College scored above the average with 59.35% points compared to the
STARS average of 57.45% points.

183
STARS, Bard College, STARS National Average, 10. April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/data-displays/dashboard/.




76

Chart 1: Bard vs. AASHE STARS National Average
Based on these findings, it is noted that Bard College has scored just below the average
rating for the overall score for a STARS institution. However, Bard is within the most
frequently occurring rating for STARS, which is Silver and there are 123 institutions that
have achieved this rating level.
184
Bard has made it a goal to achieve a Gold rating by
2015 and this is indeed possible but it will require much effort in order to improve the
institutions existing overall STARS score. The college needs to generate at the very least
15 more points to achieve a Gold (minimum 65 points) rating by 2015. To put this into
perspective, the next comparison that will be made is between Bard College, Oberlin
College, and the STARS national average.
Oberlin College has been a pioneer in the campus sustainability revolution and is
one of the most sustainable colleges in the country. Oberlin College is located in Oberlin,
Ohio and has a student population of about 2,900. The institution was founded in
December 3, 1833 and has been highly progressive since its founding as it was the first
college in America to adopt a policy to admit students of color (1835) and the first to

184
STARS, Dashboard,2013. 4 April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/data-displays/dashboard/.
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77
grant bachelors degrees to women (1841) in a coeducation program.
185
It comes as no
surprise that the college has also been progressive in its approach to environmental
education and stewardship. In 1990, the year the Tallories Declaration was created,
Oberlin College welcomed David Orr to their Environmental Studies Program. David Orr
is a pioneer in the environmental movement and has contributed several influential
publications such as Ecological Literacy (1992), Earth In Mind (1994), and proposed the
goal for carbon neutrality for college and universities and subsequently organized and
funded an effort to define a carbon neutral plan for his own campus at Oberlin.
186
David
Orr continues to act as the head of the Environmental Studies program. Oberlin College
is also home to a Living Machine, that treats wastewater using a system of engineered
ecologies that include microbes, plants, snails and insects, and is designed to treat up to
2,000 gallons of the building's wastewater daily in a beautiful, garden-like
atmosphere.
187
In addition to this highly unique feature on Oberlins campus, it also has
several LEED Certified Silver Buildings and a Gold Certified Music facility. Oberlins
commitment to sustainability is obvious and it is truly a remarkable example for other
institutions to use as a model for their sustainability initiatives. The institutions
extremely impressive display and commitment to address sustainability on its campus
makes it difficult to compare it to Bard College, but if Bard wants to reach the goal of a
Gold Rating it should use Oberlin as a model for success in order to meet the desired
goal.

185
Oberlin College, Fast Facts,2013, 4April. 2013,
new.oberlin.edu/about/fast-facts.dot.
186
Oberlin Project, About David Orr, 2013, 4 April. 2013,
www.oberlinproject.org/about/excutive-director/david-w-orr.
187
Marci Janas, Living Machine
System
Allows Award-Winning Center for Environmental
Studies to Treat Wastewater, 31 Aug. 2000, 4 April. 2013,
www.oberlin.edu/newserv/stories/living_machine_release.html.




78
Oberlin College has a Gold STARS Rating and has an overall point total of 65.71.
Compared to Oberlin, Bard College has some improvements to make in order to become
a Gold Rated STARS institution. Chart 2 shows the breakdown for each category for
Bard College, Oberlin College, and the STARS national average.
188
In the Education and
Research category, Bard (40.51%) is well below both the STARS national average
(50.96%) as well as Oberlin who has 60.12% in the category. The numbers for Oberlin in
this category are well above the STARS national average. In the Operations category,
Bard (39.94%) is a bit higher than the STARS national average (37.08%) and Oberlin
(48.88%) scored almost ten points more than Bard. Once again, Oberlin is well above the
STARS national average and Bard. In the last category, Planning, Administration, &
Engagement, Bard (59.35%) is once again slightly above the STARS national average
(57.45%) and Oberlin College (76.14%) is well above both Bard and the STARS national
average.

Chart 2: Bard vs. Oberlin vs. STARS National Average

188
STARS, Bard College, Oberlin College, STARS National Average Chart Data, 10. April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/oberlin-college-oh/report/2012-02-15/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/data-displays/dashboard/.
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79
It is not surprising that Bard is not very comparable to Oberlin when examining the
figures presented by AASHEs STARS report. Oberlin College has been far more active
than Bard in campus sustainability for a longer period of time. Bard College does not
have an influential member of the environmental movement like David Orr who is a
pioneer in his field of study. Bard College also doesnt have the luxury of a large
endowment that is clearly present at Oberlin College. The total endowment for Oberlin as
of June 30, 2012, was $661.3 million, compared to $689.9 million the previous year, a
decrease of $28.6 million.
189
Bard Colleges total endowment is around $350 million,
which is nowhere near Oberlins level.
190
Oberlin is essentially a think tank for campus
sustainability and is fortunate to have opportunities to use endowment money for certain
projects that Bard would simply be unable to fund without the aid of grants and donors.
However, simply examining the numbers from STARS and the endowment
funding doesnt do Bard justice for their efforts to address sustainability in the curriculum
and on campus. There are many aspects that Bard and Oberlin can be compared on
similar levels. Both Bard and Oberlin have Sustainability Committees that include
faculty, staff, and students as members of the committee. These committees address
issues such as energy efficiency buildings, net zero construction, new sustainability
projects on campus and so on. Both universities are members of AASHE and are
committed to the ACUPCC (American College & University Presidents Climate
Commitment). Both institutions committed to these organizations in order to make a plan
to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions but also to achieve ambitious long-term goals such

189
Oberlin College, Assets Under Management,2013, 2 April. 2013,
http://new.oberlin.edu/office/investment/assets-under-management.dot.
190
Bard College, Campaign Goals,2013, 2 April.2013,
http://www.bard.edu/about/150th-campaign/goals/.




80
as climate neutrality. For a better picture of how well Bard is performing against STARS
silver rated institutions, Bard College is compared with Denison University.
Denison University, located in Granville, Ohio was founded in 1831. The
enrollment for the college is 2,185 students and is one of the nations leading liberal arts
colleges.
191
This history of sustainability at Denison has been well documented and its
initial commitment to sustainability began in 1977 with The Homestead Project. Below is
a time line of the colleges major sustainability achievements.

192

Bard College and Denison University are much more comparable in terms of the
STARS overall and individual category scores than the comparison that was previously
made between Bard and Oberlin. Bards overall STARS report score (50.60) is a few
points more than Denisons total of 49.50. Bard College and Denison University are both

191
Denison University, Fast Facts,2013, 2 Feb. 2013.
http://www.denison.edu/about/fast_facts.html.
192
Denison University, History of Sustainability Chart,2013. 10 April. 2013,
http://www.denison.edu/sustainability/history_of_sustainability.html.




81
Silver STARS rated institutions. Based on the report from the results for Denison on the
institutions STARS Report website details, Denison only is pursuing one Innovation
credit whereas Bard is pursuing all four Innovation credits. If Denison were to pursue the
three additional Innovation credits, they would have a higher overall score (52.50) that
would surpass Bards current score. The category breakdown for Bard College, Denison
University, and the STARS national average is presented in Chart 3
193
. For the Education
& Research category, Bard (40.51%) is below the national average (50.96%) and is also
below Denison (50.92%). It is intriguing as to why Bard has consistently scored lower in
this category than the average STARS institution. Examining the subcategories in
Education & Research shows that Denison has more points than Bard in all three
subcategories (Co-Curricular, Curriculum, and Research). In these three subcategories,
Bard has scored (13.75/18.00, 19.76/55.00, and 7.00/27.00) whereas Denison scored
(17.50/18.00, 21.67/51.00, and 9.71/27.00).
194
Based simply on these numbers, it seems
like Bard should take more initiative for the colleges next submission of the STARS
report to add additional courses focused on sustainability, hire more faculty to pursue

193
STARS, Bard College, Denison University, STARS National Average, 10. April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/denison-university-oh/report/2012-07-25/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/data-displays/dashboard/.
194
STARS, Bard College and Denison University Report, 2011/2012, 10 April. 2013.
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/#ec_1,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/denison-university-oh/report/2012-07-25/#ec_10.




82
sustainability research, and focus on strengthening the student educators program.

Chart 3: Bard vs. Denison vs. STARS National Average
In the Operations category, Bard (39.94%) performed better than Denison
(34.67%) and the STARS (37.08%) national average. It is interesting that despite the
presence of LEED Certified buildings on Denisons campus, the institution has
performed slightly worse than Bard who currently has no LEED buildings on campus but
there several buildings on campus that use a geothermal (ground-source heat exchange)
system that provides heating and cooling for the buildings. Bard should make the
appropriate steps to the construction of a LEED Silver building, but the point should be
made that although implementing green building strategies--- through conservation of
resources, energy efficiency, and increased reliance on renewable energy resources--- it
can be described as a big step towards campus sustainability, it cannot solely ensure
campus sustainability.
195
LEED building design should be implemented on Bards
campus, but it should be done so carefully and with energy efficiency in mind in order to
address the reduction of a buildings overall energy use. The Operations category does

195
Habib M. Alshuwaikhat, Ismaila Abubakar, An integrated approach to achieving campus
sustainability: assessment of the current campus sustainability management practices, Journal of Cleaner
Production, (January 2008): 1779.
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83
not only address green building design practices but also look into subcategories like
Climate that involve credits such as Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction.
Overall in this category, Bard has performed above the STARS national average,
which is an indicator that Bard has the potential to only improve their overall score for
the category if more focus is placed greenhouse gas reduction and lowering building
energy consumption. Bard and Denisons scores are fairly close in the Planning,
Administration & Engagement category.
The Planning, Administration & Engagement category evaluates subcategories
such as Coordination and Planning and Public Engagement. Overall Bard College
(59.35%) is pretty much even with Denison (59.92%) and slightly better than the STARS
(57.45) national average. Bard has performed particularly well in the Coordination and
Planning subcategory scoring a 15.00 out of a possible 18.00 points. Some of the
subcategory credits that make up this category include Sustainability Coordination and
Climate Plan. Bard has a very strong sustainability committee thats mission is to assist
the college in serving as a model of sustainability in higher education, in our curriculum,
in the operations, and in planning for our future.
196
The sustainability committee is made
up of college staff and faculty members as well as two students. This council has
significant roles on campus as well as influence to present ideas and strategies that could
be considered for implementation such as the construction of a LEED Certified Building
or proposing upgrades to existing HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Condition) systems
that would allow the system to function more efficiently thus using less energy that

196
STARS,Bard College PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination,2011, 15 April.2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/PAE/coordination-and-
planning/PAE-1/.




84
would result in savings for the college. Like Bard, Denison University also has a
sustainability council and although there may be different issues that Denison focuses on,
both institutions have councils that strive to implement sustainability projects on their
respective campuses. Bard College can be compared to many institutions of similar size,
but Vassar Colleges sustainability initiatives and location in the Hudson River Valley
make it an ideal comparison.
Vassar College, located in Poughkeepsie, NY, was founded in 1861. The
institution has approximately 2,400 students that are currently enrolled. Vassar College
has been addressing elements of sustainability on campus since the 1980s but more
recent initiatives have been the formation of the College Committee on Sustainability and
the completion of the STARS assessment. The College Committee on Sustainability was
created as a suggestion proposed by a students senior project in the fall of 2000 and was
an ad hoc committee until the college president formally acknowledged it in official
documents in 2008.
197
The committee was at work before it was officially recognized by
the president in 2008 and sought out a way to assess campus sustainability with the aid of
company called Good Company in 2003. Since STARS (2006) was not yet in existence,
Vassar wanted to figure out what they could do to make the campus more sustainable.
Good Company located in Portland, Oregon offers several services, but most notably
provides analysis and strategy for sustainability assessments, carbon footprints, and
sustainability plans.
198
Using the Global Reporting Initiative as the reporting framework,
Good Company provided the college with 10 recommendations, which have been

197
Vassar College, About Sustainability,2013, 24 March.2013,
http://pages.vassar.edu/ccs/about/.
198
Good Company, General Information, 2013, 24 March.2013,
http://www.goodcompany.com/.




85
addressed and are being addressed at this time.
199
While Vassar continued to address
these recommendations, organizations such as Second Nature were at work assisting the
Education for Sustainability Western Network (EFS WEST) to further develop to become
the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE in
2006) that would create go on to create the STARS project also in 2006. It wasnt until
August 2011 that Vassar College completed the STARS Version 1.0 assessment.
Bard College and Vassar College are both members of AASHE and have
participated in the STARS rating system assessment. Both Bard and Vassar have a Silver
STARS rating based on each institutions results from the assessment made by AASHE.
In Chart 4 below,
200
the comparative results are presented in for Bard College, Vassar
College, and the STARS national average. In Education & Research category, Bard
College (40.51%) performed almost six percentage points better than Vassar College
(34.30%) while both schools performed less than the STARS (50.96%) national average.
Bard out performed Vassar in terms of the ER subcategories of Co-Curricular Education
(Bard: 13.75/18.00, Vassar: 11.75/18.00) and Curriculum (Bard: 19.76/55.00, Vassar:
10.90/55.00). However, in a very important subcategory in which Vassar outperformed
Bard was Research (Bard: 7.00/27.00, Vassar: 10.28/27.00). The credit that Vassar has
pursued that Bard has chosen not to is ER-16: Faculty Involved in Sustainability
Research. According to the STARS credit information for Vassar; there are 27 professors

199
Vassar College, About Us: Sustainability,2013, 24 March. 2013,
http://pages.vassar.edu/ccs/about/
200
STARS, Bard College, Vassar College, STARS National Average Chart 4, 10. April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/vassar-college-ny/report/2011-07-27/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/data-displays/dashboard/.





86
who are involved in research while Bard obviously has not listed any information as the
institution chose not to pursue this credit.

Chart 4
It is puzzling as to why there lacks professors researching sustainability at Bard
during the time that Laurie Husted reported this information to AASHE to be assessed
under the STARS Version 1.0 rating system. When Bard College reevaluates its previous
results and prepares for its next submission which will be under STARS Version 2.0, it
will be interesting to see if this credit is pursued and if any professors are researching
sustainability. Sustainability research in higher education institutions is very important
for driving new innovative practices that can provide campuses with opportunities to
develop effective ways to achieve energy reduction in operations.
In the Operations category, Bard College and Vassar College once again had very
similar results. Bard (39.94%) and Vassar (39.97%) were above the STARS (37.08%)
national average. In Operations subcategory of Energy, Bard and Vassar are both
pursuing the tier one credit OP-7: Building Energy Consumption
201
that has a possible
eight points that an institution can achieve. Out of a possible eight points, Bard has

201
STARS 1.2 Technical Manual, 126.
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87
scored (0.45/8.00 points) and Vassar scored (2.43/8.00 points). Why Bard did score lower
in this subcategory than Vassar? When further examined, the data provided by Bard that
was submitted to STARS, shows that the college had in fact increased their total building
energy consumption from the baseline year in 2005 (106,734.90 MMBtu) to 121,018.30
MMBtu in 2011.
202
However, Vassars building energy consumption data only improved
over that same time frame as Bard. The details of the data show that there is an additional
component to the credit criteria. The data also presents the total square footage of
building space that is consuming energy on an institutions campus. During the years of
2005-2011, Bard Colleges total square footage increased from 967,036 Gross Square
Feet to 1,128,211 Gross Square Feet where as Vassar had no growth and stayed at a
consistent 2,400,000 Gross Square Feet.
203
This data provides a rational for why Vassar
has scored higher on this credit. Unlike Vassar, Bard is continuing to grow and add new
buildings that are necessary to meet the demand for the services provided by the
institution. Although this growth may not be entirely sustainable, this growth provides
opportunity for Bard to think about the potential for new energy efficiency buildings that
can be built that will help to remediate carbon emissions on campus in the short and long
term of the colleges quest to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.
Compared to similar institutions, Bard College performs particularly well for
having such a short history of addressing campus sustainability through the use of rating
systems. Each comparison made in this section provides an insight to what these

202
STARS, Bard College OP-7 Building Energy Consumption, 2011, 10 April. 2013,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/OP/energy/OP-7/.
203
STARS, Bard College and Vassar College OP-7 Building Energy Consumption,2011,2012, 10 April.
2013.https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/bard-college-ny/report/2011-06-14/OP/energy/OP-7/,
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/vassar-college-ny/report/2011-07-27/OP/energy/OP-7/.





88
institutions are doing in order to address campus sustainability. Bard shares similarities
and differences with Oberlin College, Denison University, and Vassar College in
addressing components of campus sustainability. All of these institutions provide an
insight into successes and difficulties that can be met when attempting to create a more
sustainable campus. What must be taken away from these comparisons is that everyone
of these institutions are different and can only do so much with the resources that they are
provided with. For pioneer of campus sustainability like Oberlin, it is going to be easier
for them to gain access to more energy efficient technology based on the large
endowment that the college has. Bard College doesnt have the luxury of a large
endowment to fund campus sustainability projects. Despite the lack of funding for large
Green building initiatives, Bard College has performed fairly well when it comes to
addressing aspects of campus sustainability based on the resources that are available.
Campus sustainability initiatives at Bard will continue to be met with success if only the
institution continues to provide an environment that is conducive to learning about the
tenants of sustainability.

Conclusion
The idea of sustainability and sustainable development should be relevant for
years to come, or at least until a new catchphrase is created or some organization decides
that sustainability is unsustainable. But until that time, the people who inhabit this planet
will be faced with many challenges that are trying to be met. Ours is a world where it is
hard to escape comparisons. Even the STARS program compares schools in their pursuit
of sustainable activities and practices. But it also recognizes that small steps can lead to
big bounds, and that one institution can truly learn from another, if it is a good student.
Higher education institutes and local communities, just as each nation is charged, must do
what they can to become more efficient users of our limited natural resources. It is a more
knowledgeable world in which we live than when Little Boy and Fat Man were
dropped on Japan in 1945. We are aware of the destruction that nuclear waste,
fluorocarbons, mercury emissions have on the environment, but we are also now more
keenly aware of the unsettling consequences of ignorance, over population, poverty,
hunger and a wide range of social injustices. In the sustainable world, people are no
longer in charge of the environment, but rather, caretakers, or maybe just guests, who
should leave things better than how they found them. For sustainable development to
truly take hold, we must all look beyond our own self -interests to a world where
compassion and justice are considered when making economic investments (Dow Jones
Sustainable index) and contributions. We must be open to new concepts and approaches
to both new situations as well as old, (such as building new LEED certified buildings as
well as retro-fitting older facilities,) as well as learning about other cultures and

approaches, while staying true to our own values. Is sustainability difficult? Yes. Is it
worthwhile? Hopefully, we, as well as the people of The Maldives, will be around to see.



























REFERENCES

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