ACG has been awarded the STARS SILVER Rating from the “Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education” (AASHE). STARS is a voluntary, self-reporting framework designed for colleges and universities worldwide, in order for them to measure their sustainability performance, in the areas of Education, Research, Operations, Environment, Planning, Administration, as well as Community Engagement.
The first ACG STARS report was submitted in December 2015 and resulted in ACG being awarded a Bronze Rating. Since then, a lot has been accomplished. Just to name a few important developments, ACG: a) monitored and inventoried Green House Gas emissions for the first time, b) enhanced the sustainability dimension of Deree courses’ learning outcomes, c) established the position of Sustainability Manager, d) revised its purchasing policy to address environmental and social concerns and e) extended its social impact through a variety of socially responsible initiatives.
As also reflected in President Horner’s 2025 vision, and following US best practices, ACG is gradually developing an ever-growing number of sustainability best practices addressing issues from carbon footprint, to energy efficiency and social responsibility, to sustainability focus in academic programs and research, as well as further enhancement in transparency, diversity and accountability.
STARS facts:
- ACG is the second institution in Europe to win a SILVER rating.
- We are one of the 3 institutions for 2017 that were awarded with SILVER-rating outside the US and Canada
- ACG is the one of the two institutions outside the US and Canada to have been awarded with two STARS ratings – BRONZE and SILVER (ACG and the Universidad de Monterrey).
- ACG is the only institution in Greece to submit a report and to receive a STARS rating.
- ACG received third place worldwide among the institutions with SILVER rating in terms of overall score.