Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, founded in 1885, has become the second university to reach the Platinum STARS rating as developed by AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.  Stanford, with 7,032 undergraduates and 9,304 graduate students, now joins Colorado State University in this highest level of sustainability distinction.

Stanford’s fourth STARS submission presents recent advances in sustainability on campus including solar on 15 campus buildings.  It also includes the Stanford Solar Generation Station, a 67 MW, 200 acre, off-campus solar farm interconnected in December, 2016 in Kern County, CA. It provides 53% of Stanford’s power requirements.  Other advances include expanded student, staff and administration opportunities for sustainability, an ever-increasing number of sustainability courses, and the My Cardinal Green Program that was launched in May, 2017 that encourages individual action in environmental conservation.

Launched in 2009, STARS is a widely recognized framework for publically reporting comprehensive information to higher education sustainability performance. Over 800 participating colleges and universities, spanning six continents… report achievements in academics, campus and community engagement, operations, and planning and administration.