Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.21
Liaison Stephen Ellis
Submission Date June 9, 2023

STARS v2.2

Boston University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Dennis Carlberg
Associate Vice President for Sustainability
BU Sustainability
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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):
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
The University Climate Change Coalition (UC3)
The Society of College and University Planning (SCUP)
The Urban Land Institute (ULI)
The US Green Building Council (USGBC)
The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC)

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):
Boston Green Ribbon Commission
The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE)
The Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC)
The Sustainability Student Leaders Symposium (SSLS)

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):
"Better Together: Co-designing Student Engagement with Sustainability and Residence Life" | NASPA Region 1 Conference | November 2021

"Using STARS As A Change Management Tool" | GCSHE 2021 | October 2021

"Strategic Contracting for Zero Waste" | GCSHE 2021 | October 2021

"Drilling Through the Carbon Barrier" | SCUP: 2021 North Atlantic Conference | March 2021

"Approaches to Strategic Zero Waste Planning and Implementation" | 2020 AASHE Conference | October 2020

"Better Together: Co-designing Student Engagement with Residence Life" | 2020 AASHE Conference | October 2020

"Conversations on STARS as a Strategic Tool for Advancing Sustainability" | 2020 AASHE Conference | October 2020

"Leveraging the Buying Power of Universities: Before, During, and After COVID-19" | 2020 AASHE Conference | October 2020

"Leverage Your Renewable Energy Impact Through Avoided Emissions Power Purchase Agreement Strategies" | 2020 AASHE Conference | October 2020

"St. Louis Higher Ed Consortium Presentation on Green Cleaning" | 2020 AASHE Conference | October 2020

Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
AASHE Sustainability Award 2021

Campus Sustainability Research Award Winners: Wiley J. Hundertmark, Marissa Lee, Ian A. Smith, Vivien Chen, Conor K. Gately, Pamela H. Templer and Lucy R. Hutyra at Boston University and Ashley H.Y. Bang at Brown University for Influence of landscape management practices on urban greenhouse gas budgets. This study quantifies the impact of landscaping management strategies – such as mulch application and expanding tree canopy – on biogenic carbon emissions.

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):
AASHE STARS AC
Boston Green Ribbon Commission
Sustainability Student Leaders Symposium Board of Curators

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:
Through the Green Ribbon Commission Higher Education Working Group, BU along with other local institutions and professional organizations mentors the development of climate action plans. Through a year long process we support institutions developing their plans through monthly meetings of the Higher Education CAP Cohort. This also provides knowledge exchange with the GRC Cultural Institution Working Group.

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:
Our Director of Data Analytics has been a reviewer of the data collection for STARS for Tufts University and Northeastern University in the past three years.

Optional Fields 

A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
BU Dining Services collaborates with sustainability managers and stewards from across the country, through the Aramark Higher Education Sustainability network. Through regular conference calls, meetings, conferences and general collaboration, best practices, challenges and idea sharing are exchanged.

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:
This represents FY2021 and FY2022 BU Metrics.

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.