The UW-Stevens Point Office of Sustainability, represented by student Justin Seis at an annual Eco Fair, ensures the university’s commitment to sustainability in its daily operations and initiatives. (Contributed)

UW-Stevens Point honored nationally for sustainability efforts

June 13, 2018

For the Metro Wire

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been recognized for its sustainability efforts by three national organizations.

The university earned a Gold STARS rating from the Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. UW-Stevens Point earned high marks for its curriculum, research, campus engagement, waste and water management and reduced greenhouse emissions. A full report may be found at https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-wisconsin-stevens-point-wi/report/2018-05-14/.

UW-Stevens Point earned the Gold STARS rating previously in 2012 and 2015. Each is a three-year certification process. The STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information about a university’s sustainability performance.

The Arbor Day Foundation again named UW-Stevens Point a Tree Campus USA. This national program honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students, faculty and staff members in the spirit of conservation. The criteria include having a tree advisory committee, tree-care plan, annual expenditures for a campus tree program, Arbor Day observance and student service-learning projects.

UW-Stevens Point’s Dining and Summer Conferences was recognized with a Silver Award for Outreach and Education as part of the 2018 Sustainability Awards from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). The honor will be presented at the NACUFS national conference in Providence, R.I., in July. Dining and Summer Conferences was honored for its “Focus on Foods: Sustainable Diets” series in which four campus workshops offered students information on sustainability through food choices and reducing food waste.

UW-Stevens Point is consistently listed on the Princeton Review Green College Honor Roll and received a perfect score in 2018 with a Green Rating of 99.

The university also won the Green Ribbon Award in 2017 for postsecondary sustainability from the U.S. Department of Education.