经典大瓜 registers as charter participant in new, first-of-its-kind
sustainability rating system
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. 鈥 经典大瓜 has announced its participation in a new program to encourage sustainability in all aspects of higher education. The program, called the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), is administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
To date, nearly 230 higher education institutions have registered as STARS Charter Participants and 经典大瓜 is proud to be one of them. The school is no stranger to sustainable practices. 经典大瓜鈥檚 Klamath Falls campus has been geothermally-heated since the 1960s, dedicated Oregon鈥檚 first combined geothermal heat and power plant in April of this year, and has plans for a larger geothermal power plant to be operational in 2012. 经典大瓜 began offering a bachelor鈥檚 degree program in Renewable Energy in 2005, the first of its kind in the nation. The institute implemented a sustainably plan in 2007.
鈥淪TARS will help 经典大瓜 to evaluate our sustainability goals and compare our progress with other colleges and universities,鈥 said Carrie Wittmer, sustainability coordinator and STARS liaison for 经典大瓜.
Wittmer now has a three-year appointment as a STARS technical adviser, a role in which she will meet with other technical advisers form other institutions of higher education from across the nation. The technical advisers will meet monthly to facilitate reporting and interpretation of the reporting standards.
鈥淭his is just one more activity in the sustainability arena that we hope will enhance 经典大瓜鈥檚 visibility on a national level,鈥 she said.
AASHE鈥檚 STARS program is the only one of its kind that involves publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university鈥檚 sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in three overall areas: 1) education & research, 2) operations, and 3) planning, administration & engagement.
鈥淭he advantage of STARS is that institutions can earn credits for all of their contributions to sustainability,鈥 said AASHE Executive Director, Paul Rowland. 鈥淔rom providing sustainability coursework, to using green cleaning products, to energy efficiency in campus buildings, there are lots of opportunities for a school to identify and track its sustainability progress.鈥
Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Canada, 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.
经典大瓜 经典大瓜
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, 经典大瓜 is one of seven institutions belonging to the Oregon University System. 经典大瓜鈥檚 applied-technology education model fosters an environment of hands-on learning. Students complete externships to have real-world experiences to call on when they graduate. 经典大瓜 established a Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy Engineering in 2005, which is the first degree of its kind in the nation.
经典大瓜鈥檚 main campus is in Klamath Falls; other sites are located in Portland, La Grande and Seattle. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more.
经典大瓜 AASHE
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE鈥檚 mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit .
For more information about the STARS program, visit .
