University of California Merced Continues Green Efforts

MERCED, Calif. — The University of California Merced has improved its sustainability rating through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), after a long and rigorous review process, according to University of California Merced. Going through the STARS process will allow the campus to become eligible for other sustainability ranking lists such as Princeton Review’s Green Colleges and Sierra Club’s Cool Schools.

The campus has improved from a STARS silver rating to a gold rating and hopes to achieve a platinum rating by 2020 to become the first University of California campus to be awarded a platinum rating, Colleen McCormick, campus sustainability director, told the University of California Merced. The Merced campus hopes to join Colorado State University as the second university in the country to meet platinum STARS standards, and is only 19 points away from doing so.

Sustainability has been a large consideration when designing the campus, so achieving a platinum status is an attainable goal, according to McCormick. “We embrace sustainability throughout the campus, from curriculum and research to transportation and construction,” Breeana Sylvas, strategic facilities planning senior analyst, told the University of California Merced. The STARS Program has helped the university to understand and work toward sustainability, as detailed reports of academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration have to be filed during the review process. The STARS standards have allowed the institution to identify opportunities and act on them to improve sustainability on campus, including expanding its sustainability curriculum and creating a living-laboratory.

Other new additions to the curriculum include a LEED Lab class, in which students conduct a sustainability audit of campus buildings operations and maintenance and, through the class, are eligible to sit for the USGBC’s LEED Green Associate and Accredited Professional credential exams, according to the University of California Merced. Although this provides many opportunities for students and the campus, McCormick believes that the addition of more classes and projects will better help students learn about the importance of sustainability efforts.

The university’s sustainability efforts have earned it more than 25 state and national awards for environmental sustainability and design. Every new building project on the campus has earned USGBC LEED certification to some degree. While the campus already has many sustainable projects in place, McCormick and Sylvas are working on plans for future projects and initiatives to raise the university’s STARS score even higher.