Drexel is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and is participating in the STARS sustainability tracking system.

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.

STARS® is intended to engage and recognize the full spectrum of higher education institutions, from community colleges to research universities. It encompasses long-term sustainability goals for already high-achieving institutions, as well as entry points of recognition for institutions that are taking first steps toward sustainability. STARS is designed to:

• Provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.
• Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the international campus sustainability community.
• Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
• Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.
• Build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

STARS measures a broad range of institutional sustainability indicators, including but not limited to academic opportunities, research resources, greenhouse gas emissions, business practices, governance, resources in student life, and more.

By participating in STARS, Drexel earns points toward a STARS Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Rating, with each rating level representing significant sustainability leadership. As a result of creating a number of new initiatives and strengthening the connections across the campus community among students, faculty and staff who are working hard to create a more sustainable Drexel, the University achieved a Silver rating in 2023. The Climate & Sustainability team has identified a pathway to Gold and feel confident that we will achieve that distinction within a few years. You can view our latest report on the AASHE website.