Promote your institution’s STARS rating

Congratulations!  You’ve successfully navigated through STARS and published your institution’s report. Below are resources to assist you and your school’s communication staff in publicizing this significant achievement.

Here are a just a few examples of ways you can highlight your institution’s STARS Rating:

  • Share your certificate of rating with campus officials.
  • Post the appropriate STARS seal to your institution’s website, social media sites (#AASHESTARS), sustainability website, newsletters, email signatures, and other relevant locations.
  • Contact all of the individuals who helped you complete STARS, thank them for their efforts, share the link to your institution’s report, and invite them to collaborate on enhancing sustainability initiatives in their respective areas of campus.
  • Connect with your institution’s marketing and communications offices and design a strategy to gain broader public recognition of your achievement. 
  • Highlight your STARS Rating when connecting with prospective students and their parents to illustrate your institution’s commitment to sustainability.
  • Press Release
    Download and adapt a template press release to announce your institution’s STARS Rating:

  • Talking Points
    Drafting a press release, social media posts or other content? You may wish to reference the following:

    • Full title of framework: “Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System”. Full name and STARS acronym should be included in first mention, and only “STARS” in subsequent mentions.
    • STARS is a program of AASHE, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
    • STARS is a comprehensive sustainability rating system for colleges and universities that addresses the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability.
    • STARS was developed by the higher education community through a transparent and inclusive process.
    • An institution’s STARS score is based on the percentage of applicable points earned in credits across four main categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration.
    • STARS ratings are earned based on total overall score. Ratings are not awarded for the score achieved in an individual category.
    • STARS is a self-assessment that allows institutions to earn ratings. Language implying that AASHE gives, assigns, certifies, or grants STARS ratings should be avoided.
    • STARS incorporates data accuracy processes that improve report quality, protect the credibility of the program and provide a fair and transparent means for resolving questions about the accuracy of reported data.
    • STARS version 2.2 is the latest version of STARS, and was released in June 2019. Please see the STARS Technical Manual for a more in-depth overview of the credits included in STARS and how they are scored.
    • STARS is designed to:
      • Provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.
      • Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements
      • Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
      • Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.
      • Build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

  • Seal & Logo Use Guidelines

    Correct use of a STARS seal or logo

    • When used on a website, the seal and logo may link to your institution’s STARS Report or the STARS or AASHE homepage. You may not use it to link to other pages on your website or to link to any other third party websites.

    • The seal and logo must be used in its entirety and may not be altered in any way, including
      proportion, color, element, type, etc., except by express permission from AASHE.

    • The size of the ® attached to the STARS seals and logo should be kept intact and not modified or removed.

    • There should always be an area of clear space around the STARS seal and logo to ensure that it is always visible and is never cluttered by any materials.

    Incorrect use of a STARS seal or logo

    • A STARS seal should never be linked to other pages on your website or to link to any other third party websites. If linked, it should only be to the STARS or AASHE homepage.

    • Do not re-create or alter the seal or logo in any manner. Examples include, but are not limited to:

      • Adjusting the color values,

      • Animating, morphing or in any other way distorting the appearance of the logo or seal, and

      • Rotating the seal or logo.

    • Do not change the size, position or proportional relationships of the letters or elements of the seal or logo.

    • Do not use the seal or logo in the middle of a statement, sentence or other text.

    More information and examples of correct and incorrect ways to display the STARS seals and logo are found in the STARS Brand Guidelines document.

  • STARS Seals
    The STARS seals are for use exclusively by STARS rated institutions and registered participants. To check your institution’s current status, see Participant Reports.

    EPS format available upon request: email stars@aashe.org.

  • STARS Logo

    EPS format available upon request: email stars@aashe.org.