Grand Valley receives gold status from national sustainability group

Grand Valley State University has again received gold status after completing a sustainability assessment developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. 

Grand Valley submits a sustainability report every other year for review, and has maintained its gold status consistently since 2013. 

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) gauges the progress of colleges and universities toward sustainability in all sectors, including education and research, operations, innovation and planning, and administration and engagement.

"We are proud to see our score continue to increase," said Yumiko Jakobcic, Office of Sustainability Practices director. "This represents the hard work of many sustainability leaders across campus. Together, we’re able to move sustainability forward at GVSU." 

This is the sixth time Grand Valley has participated in the program. Grand Valley became the first Michigan university to receive gold status in 2013, up from silver status in 2011. Grand Valley joins gold STARS institutions such as Oregon State, Arizona State and Texas A&M University. 

This year's report included the new Sustainable Agriculture Project's Demonstration Garden. Jakobcic said the Demonstration Garden was established in 2018 in the center of the Allendale Campus to reach students who might not make a special trip to the farm, but who can play an important role in the interdisciplinary work that takes place there. 

The self-reporting assessment includes bronze, silver, gold and platinum statuses. View the full report at https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/grand-valley-state-university-mi/report/2019-03-01/IN/innovation/IN-24/

 For more information, contact the Office of Sustainability Practices at (616) 331-7366.