Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 64.62
Liaison Sarah Fortner
Submission Date March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

Carleton College
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 4.00 Alexandra Miller
Sustainability Program Coordinator
Energy and Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Measurable sustainability objectives 

Academics

Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in curriculum and/or research?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to academics and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Although we have many curricular activities that are directly tied to campus sustainability, we do not have fixed, quantitative goals for our sustainability curriculum at this time.

Engagement 

Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address student, employee, or community engagement for sustainability?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to engagement and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Data for both the Climate Acton Week engagement and civic & community engagement is collected annually and compared to previous years.

The goals of the Carleton Climate Action Plan outreach and engagement sections are expressed in terms of action items, so they are measured by being noted as "N/A" (found to be not feasible), "Pending" or "Compete". The Climate Action Plan actions include:

- Re-establish the "green network" communication newsletter to update all campus groups focused on the environment and sustainability (COMPLETE)
- Provide competitive awards for students pursuing summer research positions, community service projects or internships related to sustainability (PENDING)
- Expand new student week to include mandatory sustainability awareness session (COMPLETE)
- Connect with the Career Center to establish a consolidated green-collar jobs and internships database (COMPLETE)
- Organize a series of speakers who are currently working in green-collar professions to visit Carleton (COMPLETE, the 30 minutes program and Climate Action Week speakers)
- Partner with other community groups such as St. Olaf College, the Northfield Environmental Quality Commission, etc. to expand individaul sustainability projects into community-wide collaborates (COMPLETE - est. the Greater Northfield Sustainability Collaborative in 2013)
- Create a reading/discussion group in partnership with the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching with a focus on sustainability (COMPLETE - "this changes everything" book group)
- Develop action guides for College departments and offices to help the campus community adopt widespread sustainability best practices and create opportunities to engage staff and faculty members in sustainability (PENDING)
- Establish environmental and sustainability networks or organizations for faculty and staff members to include sustainability practices in their work, include in new employee orientation (PENDING)

Operations

Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in operations?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to operations and the plan(s) in which they are published:
We aim to audit 3-6 buildings per year, eventually building a continuous commissioning system that will allow us to monitor buildings on a "real time" basis.

This information can be found in the 2011 Climate Action Plan and is referenced in the 2016 Utility Master Plan.

Administration

Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainable investment/finance; or wellbeing?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to administration and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Part of the FY22 process

Part 2. Sustainability in institution’s highest guiding document

Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
Yes

The institution’s highest guiding document (upload):
Website URL where the institution’s highest guiding document is publicly available:
Which of the following best describes the inclusion of sustainability in the highest guiding document?:
Minor theme

Optional Fields

The institution's sustainability plan (upload):
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Website URL where the institution's sustainability plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body?:
No

The formal statement in support of sustainability:
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The institution’s definition of sustainability:
The institution has no formal, custom definition of sustainability but ascribes to the United Nations statement that sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
Yes or No
The Earth Charter No
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) No
ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter No
Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability No
SDG Accord No
Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment Yes
The Talloires Declaration (TD) No
UN Global Compact No
Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) No

A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
Carleton signed on to the Second Nature Carbon Commitment in 2007. http://reporting.secondnature.org/institution/detail!2028##2028

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning efforts is available:
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.