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UofL retains top spot in sustainability ratings

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville continues to set a high bar for higher education sustainability in Kentucky as it today announces its second gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

“UofL’s unwavering commitment to the health of our planet is another reason to be proud of this institution, but this is not the time to remain idle,” said Neeli Bendapudi, president of the university. “We will and we must continue this hard work to ensure a bright future. I am so proud of our faculty, staff and students who are devoted to this issue for the university and in their daily lives.”

UofL scored 66.24 for 2019 in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), the global standard AASHE uses to gauge progress in environmental, social and economic stewardship. The score represents a 1 percent increase since UofL’s last STARS rating in 2016 and is the highest rating for any college or university in Kentucky.

UofL ranks fourth among ACC schools with a STARS rating.

“This is the fourth STARS report we have submitted since 2011 and we continue to increase our score each time,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. “Our new score puts UofL in the top 100 most sustainable schools on the planet. We can attribute this progress to the ongoing commitment of our university’s administration, faculty, staff and students to this increasingly important issue.”

Among the efforts that helped push UofL to the top were the new Green Heart Project, the Cooperative Consortium for Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research and our annual maple-tapping project on campus.