Ratings & Rankings

STARS

The primary tool used by the Sustainability Council to measure our progress is the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) framework developed by AASHE (the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). UofL is a Charter Participant in STARS and seeks to progressively improve our STARS score and rating across all sections of the framework.

UofL received its first rating, STARS Silver (50.11 points) on January 24, 2011. UofL was the first school in the region -- and the 10th in the nation -- to achieve a STARS rating and we continue to have the highest STARS rating in Kentucky. Check out the map of STARS schools.

View the full details of UofL's 2011 STARS report here.

Anyone can view finalized STARS reports from individual schools (like UofL’s) online without creating an AASHE Account. However, there are some very useful features within the STARS Dashboard for doing research into STARS reports (particularly the Content Display function which allows you to filter down to specific credits and/or particular types of schools, etc.) that you can only access with an AASHE Account. (It’s also worth noting that with such an account you can also access all of the great materials, reports, discussion groups, etc. available in AASHE’s Resource Center).

Step 1: If you do not have an AASHE Account, you may create one here (simply using your @louisville.edu email address).

Step 2: To access the full range of features on the STARS Dashboard, log-in using your email address and password associated with your AASHE Account. If you have lost or forgotten your AASHE password, you may re-set it here.

See Photos of our STARS press conference, and the following stories:

• UofL's sustainability efforts rank silver, gold (UofL Today)
• University of Louisville earns 'silver' sustainability rating (The Courier-Journal)
• U of L recognized for achievements in going green (WHAS-TV)
  
• UofL Gets the Silver (WHAS Radio - audio)
• UofL gets recognition for green efforts (WAVE 3 TV - video)

Other Surveys

UofL also participates in other surveys which give schools relative rankings in environmental performance or sustainability, such as:

• The Sierra Club's "Cool Schools" rankings. In 2011, UofL increased its ranking to 41st out of 118, up from 61st in 2010 and 92nd in 2009, and the top school in Kentucky for 2011 (Sierra magazine, Sept/Oct 2011).
• UofL will be featured in the April 2012 edition of Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges.
• UofL achieved Tree Campus USA status from the National Arbor Day Foundation for 2010 and 2011.
• The Sustainable Endowment Institute's College Sustainability Report Card. (now suspended)