Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.67
Liaison Aurora Sharrard
Submission Date Feb. 13, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Pittsburgh
IN-20: Grounds Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Samantha Chan
Assistant Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own and/or manage land that is currently certified under the following programs? (at least one positive response required):
Yes or No
ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation No
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) No
Bee Campus USA Yes
Demeter Biodynamic No
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard No
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List Standard No
National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program No
An Organic standard or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) endorsed by IFOAM No
Salmon-Safe No
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) No
Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation) Yes
An equivalent program approved by AASHE No

A brief description of the institution’s third party certified land holdings:
BEE CAMPUS USA
The University of Pittsburgh achieved its first Bee Campus USA certification in 2020 from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. This certification is renewed annually and applies to the entire Pittsburgh campus. Pitt was among the first five affiliates in Pennsylvania to receive a Bee Campus USA designation and has 2020, 2021, and 2022 designations upon this STARS submission.

1) Pitt Bee Campus USA webpage - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/bee-campus-usa-certification/
2) 2022 Pitt Bee Campus USA Report - https://beecityusa.org/wp-content/uploads/annual_renewal_pdfs/2023_university_of_pittsburgh.pdf
3) 2021 Pitt Bee Campus USA Report - https://beecityusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022_University_of_Pittsburgh_PA.pdf
4) Pittsburgh Campus Pollinator Plan: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Campus-Pollinator-Habitat-Plan.pdf
5) Pollinators at Pitt: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/landscape-ecology/?tab=Pollinators

TREE CAMPUS HIGHER EDUCATION
The University of Pittsburgh achieved its first Tree Campus Higher Education designation from the Arbor Day Foundation in 2021 for our outstanding commitment to protecting and enhancing local tree canopy. This designation was renewed in 2022, is renewed annually, and applies to the entire Pittsburgh campus.

1) Pitt Tree Campus Higher Education webpage - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/awards/tree-campus/
2) Pitt Tree Campus Higher Education Announcement - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/tree-campus-certification-received-for-pittsburgh-campus/
3) Pitt Campus Tree Care Plan - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/university-of-pittsburgh-campus-tree-care-plan/
4) Pitt’s Landscape & Ecology efforts - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/landscape-ecology/
5) 2018-22 Progress Report on Pitt Sustainability Plan, Landscape & Ecology goals - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/progress-report/landscape-ecology-2018-22/

Documentation affirming the certification(s):
Website URL where information affirming the certification(s) is available:

Optional Fields 

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Bee Campus USA Affiliates - https://beecityusa.org/current-bee-campus-usa-affiliates/

Tree Campus Higher Education designations - https://www.arborday.org/programs/tree-campus-higher-education/#recognizedSection

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.