Six years after becoming the first Australasian university to join the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), the University of Tasmania has achieved the highest possible STARS rating: Platinum.
We achieved a Silver rating in 2020, our first year as a STARS-rated university. We reached the Gold standard in 2022, and in 2026 the high standards of our sustainability initiatives and performance saw us attain the Platinum rating.
Over 1,000 universities worldwide use STARS to help guide and share their sustainability activities. Across the University, and in partnership with our students, we work hard to put programs, guidelines, and approaches in place that will ensure our sustainability efforts will continue long into the future.
The STARS rating system has allowed us to record the initiatives that are contributing to the University’s comprehensive approach to sustainability. There are four key areas of activity: learning, teaching and research; facilities and operations; partnerships and engagement; and community leadership and impact.
Our STARS reports are publicly available and detail many of our sustainability activities.
What is STARS?
STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance, engaging and recognising 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.
Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.
How does STARS work?
Participation in STARS involves collecting information about your institution’s sustainability initiatives and performance, documenting that information in the online Reporting Tool, and submitting a report to earn public recognition.
The final score is based on the percentage of points it earns by pursuing relevant credits across Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. In addition, institutions may earn Innovation & Leadership points for exemplary and path-breaking initiatives.