Dallas College Earns International Recognition

Dallas TX

09 April, 2022

3:39 PM

Description

Press release from Dallas College: April 7, 2022 (DALLAS) — Dallas College has received a prestigious international rating recognizing its institutionwide effort to operate more sustainably amid increasing social and environmental challenges in the region and globally. Among colleges and universities nationwide, the STARS "Silver" rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) puts Dallas College on the map for sustainability practices already undertaken, while charting the way for what is needed to attain "Platinum" status — an honor shared by only 10 colleges and universities to date. With more than 900 participants in 40 countries, AASHE's STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college's or university's sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: 1) academics, 2) engagement, 3) operations, 4) planning and administration, and 5) innovation and leadership. "Sustainability at Dallas College is about much more than being good stewards of the environment," said Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon. "This latest achievement emphasizes that sustainability transcends climate and recycling, and many other areas people often quickly associate with it. Sustainability touches on equity, the economy and social justice issues and includes everyone across the college who worked so hard to contribute the information that was critical to our submitting a successful application." Starting last year, Dallas College undertook the arduous process of conducting a collegewide sustainability inventory as the institution was undergoing its transformative consolidation process. While there is more work to be done, AASHE ranked Dallas College as performing well in key academic areas where the concepts of sustainability are increasingly being embedded in students' studies. This press release was produced by Dallas College. The views expressed here are the author's own.