Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 77.56
Liaison John Pumilio
Submission Date Oct. 11, 2022

STARS v2.2

Colgate University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 John Pumilio
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability Office
"---" 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). https://www.aashe.org/
Second Nature. https://secondnature.org/
Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform. (SiMAP) https://unhsimap.org/home
Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) GRITS. https://www.endowmentinstitute.org/our-initiatives/.
Intentional Endowments Network (IEN). https://www.intentionalendowments.org/
Association for Energy Engineers (AEE). https://www.aeecenter.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
United States Green Building Council (USGBC)

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):
Member, Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Northeast Region
Member, United States Green Building Council (USGBC) New York Upstate Chapter
Member, New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE)
Member, New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse, & Recycling (NYSAR3) College Council
Member, New York 6 Consortium of Sustainability Officers (Colgate, Hamilton, Hobart and William Smith, Skidmore, St. Lawrence, and Union). We meet monthly to share best practices and troubleshoot challenges.

Additional organizations Colgate collaborates with focusing on regional sustainability programs in higher education:
Member, National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Northeast Region
Member, APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities. Northeast Region.

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):
October 22, 2021
NYS Conference on the Environment. New York State Association of Conservation Commissions. Colgate's Director of Sustainability presented on building climate resilience at the community level.

December 10, 2021
Second Nature's Climate Action Pursuit Conference. Colgate's Director of Sustainability presented on the Climate Acceleration Fund and the work of the Hamilton Climate Preparedness Working Group.

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):
New York State's Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) REV Campus Challenge members are invited to participate in the Roadmaps Technical Assistance program, which supports New York State colleges and universities in kick-starting their clean energy efforts. Launched in December 2016, the Roadmaps program provides funding for REV Campus Challenge members to work with energy consultants to better understand and pursue clean energy opportunities on their campuses and develop action plans for the future. Previously, Colgate submitted information that was featured as a case study, primarily pertaining to the university's work with geothermal energy.

Last year, Colgate was spotlighted by NYSERDA for becoming the first college or university in NYS to achieve carbon neutrality.
https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Files/Publications/Case-Studies/Colgate.ashx

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):
2016-2021 State of New York Sustainability Conference: Planning Committee
Second Nature: Resiliency Assessment Working Group, member, director of sustainability
Second Nature: Advanced Carbon Mitigation Working Group, member, director of sustainability
AASHE Advisory Council, member, director of sustainability
AASHE Advisory Council: Value of Campus Sustainability Subcommittee, member, director of sustainability
AASHE Advisory Council: Professional Development Subcommittee, member, director of sustainability
New York Consortium for Sustainability in Higher Education, member, assistant director of sustainability

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:
Colgate has an ongoing interinstitutional collaboration with five other New York schools in our region: Hamilton, Hobart and William Smith, Skidmore, St. Lawrence, and Union.

Colgate's Sustainability Office also has an interactive relationship with the following institutions in a collaborative/mentorship capacity:
William and Mary, Sustainability Advisory Team
Bucknell University, Sustainability Council
Swarthmore College, Office of Sustainability
California Lutheran University, Sustainability Council
Middlebury College, biomass energy
Vassar College, forest stewardship
Hamilton College, forest carbon inventory and management

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:
Colgate's director of sustainability and two student interns served as peer reviewers of Williams College STARS submission in 2022. In return, staff from Williams' Zilka Center served as peer-reviewers of Colgate's 2022 STARS submission.

Optional Fields 

A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
Colgate's Office of Sustainability has been working closely with Hamilton College and Middlebury College regarding forest preservation and carbon sequestration.

Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations 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.