Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 64.13
Liaison Michael Kensler
Submission Date Feb. 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Auburn University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Michael Kensler
Director Sustainability Operations
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Sustainability Accelerator Network, United States Green Building Council (USGBC), College and University Recycling Council, Leave No Trace Center for Ethics. Auburn Outdoors is a member of NIRSA and Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) where they have presented, attended, served on committees, and worked with other institutions.

Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
SouthEastern Campus Sustainability Network (SESN)
Alabama Campus Sustainability Group
Schools of the SEC & Friends Sustainability in Athletics Network

Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
AASHE 2019 Conference presentation: Enter as Intern, Depart Further Down the Path Toward Sustainabilista: Leadership and change agentry education program for interns; also presented as an AASHE webinar

AASHE 2019 Conference Presentation: Inside/Outside: Advancing a Socially Just Campus Sustainability Agenda From All Sides: incorporating social justice in campus sustainability initiatives

SESN 2020, 2021: Closing sessions on personal resilience, reflection, and empowerment.

Alabama Rivers Alliance Water Rally 2021: Envisioning the Future and Bringing it into Being

Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
No

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
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Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Served on SouthEast Sustainability Network workshop planning committee. Served on AASHE conference proposal review committee.

Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
Two of the sustainability employees at Auburn University participated in the AASHE Peer Mentoring Program as mentors. The communicator participated in 2020 – 2021 with the Office of Sustainability communicator at Notre Dame. The director participated in 2019-2020.

Auburn University is mentoring the Gulf Shores School District in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to ensure sustainability is a framework for their newly formed (2 years) school district in everything from operations, new construction, curriculum, school culture, experiential learning, etc. Faculty in a variety of disciplines and staff in the Office of Sustainability are advising and consulting with the school district.

Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the peer review activities:
Yes, Auburn University reviewed Missouri State University’s ASSHE STARS submission.

Optional Fields 

A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
Auburn is working with University of Alabama-Birmingham to pursue renewable energy options. Auburn is working with Agnes Scott College and University of Florida on how to better collaborate with Second Nature to develop and implement next versions of climate action plans and identify opportunities for use of renewable energy. Auburn is part of a consortium of colleges and universities in Alabama to further sustainability initiatives at institutions in the state. Auburn Outdoors participates in the Alabama Meet-Up once a semester. This is a group made up of 5-6 institutions with higher education professionals in the outdoor industry where we share resources, train staff on sustainability and best practices and share ideas for more efficient operations which leads to sustainable practices. Auburn facilitated the creation of the Schools of the SEC & Friends Sustainability in Athletics network comprised of sustainability staff and athletics department staff at each SEC institution to further the incorporation of sustainability initiatives in athletics departments and events.

Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.