STARS-Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System

STARS reporting is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. Boise State University currently holds a Silver rating from The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

2021 was the first year the school submitted information to AASHE. We are currently working on gathering data and improving our scores through new programs. More detailed information can be found in the report.

STARS Highlights

Transportation

Boise State University is a leader in supporting sustainable transportation. Whether you prefer pedal power, ride sharing, public transportation, or have an electric vehicle, we have programs and partnerships to help you get around our beautiful capital city, and beyond, sustainably!

Boise State University is one of 9 campuses across the country to hold a platinum designation as a Bicycle Friendly University from the League of American Bicyclists. The campus has many bicycle-friendly features, such as the Cycle Learning Center, bike rentals and purchases, dedicated bike lanes, self-service stations, classes, and more.

Bikes aren’t your thing? No Problem. We also provide free transportation for students and employees through Valley Regional Transit bus lines and the Bronco Shuttle program.

Have an electric vehicle? Permit holders with electric vehicles have access to preferential parking and 16 charging ports on campus, where charging is available for free!

These are just some of the ways Boise State supports transportation for a more sustainable future.

Dining

Boise State supports sustainable dining through the promotion of vegetarian and vegan options, food waste reduction and tracking programs, reusable serviceware and to-go boxes.

Daily, multiple stations offer a variety of plant forward and vegetarian options including entrees, sides, soups, sandwiches and vegetarian burgers. In 2018 and 2019, the Boise River Café (now called Buster’s Kitchen) received an A+ rating on PETA’s vegan report card. Internal food waste-tracking system,

Lean Path, tracks post production foods waste. Food wasted is weighed and tracked which helps determine improvements for food waste reduction during preparation. Before long break closures, perishable items are donated to the Boise Rescue Mission and Food Recovery Network.

Students are able to purchase a reusable to-go box that has saved thousands of single use to-go boxes from the landfill. Boxes are taken home by students and then brought back and exchanged for a clean one the next day. Allowing students to eat on the go or in their own home.

In addition to reusable serviceware, in 2009, tray-less dining was implemented in the dining hall. This minimizes post-consumer food waste while conserving resources previously used to clean and sanitize used trays.

Waste Diversion

Boise State University is driven to reduce the flow of waste from our campus to landfills. From 2018 to 2019, Boise State increased the quantity of materials recycled by 106.36 tons, and donated or sold by 2.72 tons. In that same time frame, materials disposed of in a solid waste landfill or incinerator were reduced by 318.12 tons. 1 ton of material was also composted on site.

Moving Forward

We are currently working on a small, pilot program to incorporate food scraps into the landscaping compost. Food scraps will be taken from the campus food pantry to the small area where landscaping services has been composting green waste.

A campus-wide waste report was done to learn more about the waste streams and dumpster usage on the university’s campus.

In the fall of 2023, the Office of Sustainability worked with a consultant from Circular Solutions to improve our recycling systems. We are currently still in the process of updating how our recycling is managed.

Academics

Students have many opportunities to learn about sustainability in their coursework. 3,016 courses offered in the academic year were either sustainability-focused or sustainability-related.

We identified 26 different Program Learning Outcomes that related to specific UN Sustainable Development Goals.

If students wish to have majors that focus on sustainability, they can choose between Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, or Global Studies majors and supplement that with a minor in Sustainability or Climate Studies.

Those wishing to continue their education can get their Masters of Environmental Management or a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Governance.

Those wishing to enrich their educational experience can participate in a Vertically Integrated Projects, or VIP, which is a program within the College of Innovation and Design created to increase student access to hands-on learning with faculty mentors and diverse teams.

The university also works as a living laboratory with the Community Garden Club, Bee Team, and The Biology Teaching Greenhouse.

In terms of sustainability research, the Boise State Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute invites applications for project funding through its institute and will grant 4-5 awards ranging from $1000 – $5000.

Moving Forward

We are working towards having faculty self-identify their course as sustainability focused/related and also teaching faculty how to incorporate sustainability into their course if it’s not already present.

We are also working on a Sustainability Literacy Assessment to gauge what the student body understands about sustainability.

Engagement

The university offers engagement on a number of levels for students, staff/faculty, and community members.

Students are able to participate in sustainability themed clubs such as Community Garden Club, Trash Club, the Bee Team, and the Environmental Club. Events such as the Sustainability Fashion Show and Celebrate Earth Day Event Series give opportunities for all to gather to celebrate and learn more about sustainability.

The campus also provides sustainability outreach to educate its community. The Office of Sustainability Newsletter and social media allows for interaction with a broad audience. Furthermore, the Office of Sustainability website hosts a large amount of information and resources such as the Bronco Green Living Guide.

Outreach programs such as Leave Green Move Out, RecycleFest, and May in Motion challenge members of the community to recycle more, buy used goods, and practice sustainable modes of transportation.

The university also has sustainability partnerships with Intermountain Bird Observatory, Diane Moore Nature Center, and City Of Boise to collaborate on numerous sustainability efforts.