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SUNY ESF Receives Highest Platinum Rating for Sustainability Achievements
College is one of only four institutions worldwide to earn top ranking under updated framework
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — May 14, 2026 —The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has earned a STARS Platinum rating, the highest distinction in higher education sustainability. Awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the rating is based on an internationally recognized framework for measuring campus sustainability performance. The rigorous, data-driven Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program places ESF among just four colleges and universities internationally to achieve Platinum status under the updated STARS 3.0 criteria.
With more than 1,200 participants in 52 countries, AASHE’s STARS program enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements, and it facilitates information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.
ESF is the only SUNY institution to achieve Platinum status and joins Loyola University Chicago, the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University in the top category. ESF earned top marks in categories that measure sustainability performance in academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration.
The College’s academic programs scored particularly high for integrating sustainability into coursework and applied learning. The report draws on direct contributions from 75 faculty and staff and captures sustainability efforts across ESF’s campuses and residence hall, highlighting initiatives such as its Sustainability Action Plan, Campus Bee Inventory, and nationally recognized materials management programs.
The rating reflects broad institutional efforts and strong student engagement, with more than 70% of students participating in civic engagement or volunteer activities. ESF also demonstrated its commitment to green building standards, highlighting its recent achievement of a LEED Gold rating for the renovation of a 1938 academic building. The College also spotlighted its reuse efforts, including its virtual surplus property exchange platform, and the collegewide elimination of most types of single-use plastics. ESF reported 89% of its investment pool is allocated to positive sustainability investments, as defined by AASHE.
“This recognition affirms ESF’s position as an international leader in sustainability in higher education and reflects the deep, institutionwide commitment of our faculty, staff and students,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “Earning STARS Platinum again shows how fully sustainability is embedded in the College’s academics, operations, and engagement. Congratulations to everyone across the ESF community for making this achievement possible.”
“Sustainability in higher education carries a unique responsibility, not only to teach these principles, but to demonstrate them in action,” said Susan Fassler, ESF’s director of sustainability. “At ESF, this recognition highlights the strength of our systems, our data, and our shared commitment to continuous progress. It shows how intentional, campuswide efforts can drive measurable impact and set a standard for institutions across the country. ESF’s STARS report provides more than just an assessment of our sustainability efforts; it tells our institutional story and celebrates the people behind our stellar outcomes.”
“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE executive director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “ESF has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Platinum Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”
Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone.
ESF’s STARS report is available here.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.