In Spring 2023, USC Upstate began tracking, managing, and sharing information about sustainability efforts through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). A program of AASHE, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, STARS is a comprehensive sustainability rating system for universities that addresses the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. With more than 900 participants in 40 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.
Throughout the past year, USC Upstate has made strides in each of these areas. Phase 1 of our sustainability initiatives launched numerous projects. The Engage Green program, led by Dr. Dave Marlow, provided an ecology boot camp for instructors to design service-learning projects for their courses. The partnership with Spartanburg Area Conservancy (SPACE) has provided more than 700 hours of service learning to more than 230 students through engagement at the Upper Chinquapin Greenway.
The Sustainable Upstate certificate for faculty and staff launched as a five-session overview of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and practical, sustainable lifestyle recommendations to encourage actions that reduce human impact on the planet. Since April 2023, more than 40 USC Upstate employees have completed the certificate to become Green Ambassadors. Also, more than 25 events held on campus have been certified as Green Events through the application of reduce, reuse, recycle principles.