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SUNY ESF was ranked first for its sustainability curriculum on The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainable Campus Index, the college announced Monday.

The index uses a special ranking process, called the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, to identify the most sustainable colleges in the country and rank them on topics such as courses and programs, public engagement and sustainable practices on campus. In addition to its curriculum, the college placed second in public engagement efforts and tied for ninth overall in sustainable water use.

“This recognition is a testament to our faculty and staff’s commitment to providing a curriculum that addresses the challenges created by climate change and the role sustainability plays in finding solutions,” ESF President Joanie Mahoney said in a press release.

Out of all institutions with Ph.D. programs, ESF ranked eighth. Only one New York institution, Cornell University, placed higher.

Despite it not being the college’s highest ranking, Mark Lichtenstein, ESF’s executive operating officer, said was most proud of how ESF measured up to other larger institutions with doctorate programs. ESF has approximately 2,300 students within the college while the University of California Irvine, which came in first among schools that offer doctorate programs, has over 37,000 students.

“It’s very unique to find small colleges that offer Ph.D.s,” he said. “It’s even more impressive that we got to number eight, because we’re going up against massive institutions.”

Liechtenstein said he’s focused on all the rankings, and not just the categories the college placed well in. The university’s scores were a bonus, not the goal, he said.

“This isn’t just about chasing credits and stars, this is our sustainability roadmap,” he said. “Even when ESF wasn’t participating in (STARS) or even when STARS wasn’t available to participate in, we were always trying to up our game of sustainability.”

ESF implemented the STARS around a decade ago, he said. When the college first began participating in the system, AASHE gave it a “silver” ranking, which was the third-highest. This year, ESF earned platinum, the highest ranking possible.

AASHE awarded the platinum ranking to 10 other schools in its 2022 Sustainable Campus Index, which puts ESF in the top 2% of all schools the organization surveyed.

Aside from ESF ranking in four categories this year, Lichtenstein pointed to the 13 other “impact areas” that AASHE set out. He said ESF is looking to continue to better handle its waste.

“Waste is one of those areas that we have done so much better since 2012,” Lichtenstein said. “We’re not in the top 10 for this rating, but if you look at the data on how much we’ve reduced from landfills, it’s so much better.”

Recently, the college has switched to composting food from its cafes along with paper waste from its bathrooms. Even though the change seemed small, the college completely switched out its recycling and trash containers, Lichtenstein said. The new trash containers are smaller and the new recycling bins are larger than the new trash cans, in an effort to demonstrate the importance of recycling.

Apart from ESF, Syracuse University received a STARS rating of “silver.” SU did not rank in the top 10 in any of the index’s 17 impact areas.

“The University earned this new silver rating through the commitment of our campus partners and commitment within academics,” Melissa Cadwell, a sustainability coordinator at SU, told The Daily Orange after the AASHE published the rankings. “The community has stepped up to increase sustainable measures, products, classes, research and more.”

Lichtenstein said SU and ESF have worked closely regarding the campus’ sustainability efforts. He added that still, ESF’s students deserve much of the credit for its high rankings.

“Our student body in particular holds us to a super high standard,” he said. “They don’t expect anything but the best from us in sustainability and environmental stewardship.”

Published on September 28, 2022 at 12:51 am

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard