The American College of Greece (ACG) is immensely proud to announce that it has earned a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARSⓇ) Gold Rating for the third consecutive time, recognizing the College’s sustainability performance and commitment to continuous improvement.
STARS is a comprehensive sustainability framework for colleges and universities administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Developed by the higher education community through a transparent and inclusive process, STARS evaluates and promotes sustainability across all aspects of higher education with participants reporting achievements in five overall areas: 1) academics 2) engagement, 3) operations, 4) planning and administration, and 5) innovation and leadership. It addresses the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability.
ACG’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website.
The 2026 submission marks ACG’s fifth report and reflects the College’s long-standing commitment to measuring, benchmarking, and continuously improving its sustainability performance. The framework provides a common set of measurements that enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions while helping identify opportunities for further progress.
This achievement is particularly significant because it was earned under STARS 3.0, the latest and more comprehensive version of the framework, released in 2024. Despite the more rigorous assessment criteria, ACG not only maintained its Gold Rating but improved its overall score from 81.87 in 2023 to 84.70 in 2026, achieving its highest score to date and placing the institution just 0.30 points away from the Platinum level.
“ACG’s STARS Gold Rating is both a recognition of our institution’s sustained commitment to sustainability and a testament to the collective work taking place across our community. As Sustainability Director and STARS project leader, I am proud of the collaboration that made this achievement possible across academics, operations, student engagement, and community partnerships. My role as Vice President of the AASHE Board of Directors has further reinforced my belief in the value of transparent, evidence-based sustainability reporting as a catalyst for institutional transformation and continuous improvement,” shares Rania Assariotaki, ACG Sustainability Director, Office of Sustainability – Public Affairs. “This achievement reflects not only how far ACG has come, but also our commitment to keep leading with purpose, measurable impact, and shared responsibility.”
With more than 1,200 participants in 52 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance.
“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. ACG has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Gold Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”
With this achievement, The American College of Greece remains the only institution in Greece currently submitting a report and is among a relatively small number of institutions (21) outside the United States and Canada to have achieved a STARS Gold Rating. The recognition places ACG within a select international cohort of colleges and universities demonstrating excellence in sustainability across academics, research, campus operations, engagement, and governance.
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. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.
The Office of Sustainability – Public Affairs at ACG will continue to coordinate, encourage, and report on all sustainability-related initiatives. For more detailed information on ACG’s sustainability achievements, please visit our Sustainability@ACG webpage.
About AASHE:
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.
For more information about the STARS program, visit stars.aashe.org.