W&M Sustainability Report

The W&M Sustainability Report (pdf) was released in 2017 with data collected from 2014 - 2016. This report is a compilation of the information submitted to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) STARS program, in which W&M was awarded a silver rating. As a member institution since 2010, anyone with a wm.edu email address also has free membership.

The AASHE STARS program allows institutions to collect a common set of sustainability data, benchmark ourselves against other institutions, gain inspiration for how others are tackling challenges and obtain a snapshot of sustainability at our institution. STARS is similar to a LEED certification for buildings in that points can be earned in multiple categories, with the total determining whether the institution is awarded a Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Reporter status.

This report is separated into AASHE STARS categories and provides suggestions for ways that we may improve sustainability at W&M based off of where we could accrue additional points within STARS.

To learn more about this data featured in the Sustainability Report, the W&M submission is publicly available on the STARS website.

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Count of W&M Sustainability Courses

Part of the STARS data collection is a report of sustainability focused and related courses.

2015-2016 W&M Sustainability Courses

What is sustainability?

Sustainability encompasses the dynamic interactions between society and the environment, both natural and human-driven, operating in ways that improve the well-being of all. This recognizes the natural changes of the environment and the multiple dimensions of society, such as individual well-being, culture, the economy and governance; systems that are integrally connected. For examples of the scope of sustainability, please visit the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainability-focused courses are explicitly focused on sustainability as a concept and/or on understanding or solving a sustainability challenge.

Sustainability-related courses are not primarily focused on sustainability, but include units or lessons on sustainability or a sustainability challenge, incorporate one or more sustainability-focused activity, or integrate sustainability issues throughout the course. Courses that have a strong social sustainability component, but not an environmental component, can be counted as sustainability-related.