CSUDH has once again received a STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), affirming the campus’ commitment to climate resilience and environmental justice.
The STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) framework measures universities’ sustainability performance in five areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. Valid through 2028, CSUDH’s renewed Gold status reflects the collective efforts of faculty, staff, students, and administrators in upholding sustainability practices. It also marks CSUDH as the fourth-highest STARS scorer within the CSU system.
“Social and environmental justice are fundamentally linked. CSUDH’s institutional commitment to do right by people, and by extension the planet we all live on, makes our university a natural sustainability leader,” said CSUDH Sustainability Director Ellie Perry.
“This most recent AASHE STARS score shows how much we’ve grown in that role since we first started reporting through this framework in 2018. We’re no longer an underdog, but a top sustainability champion and innovator within the CSU.”
CSUDH first achieved STARS Gold in 2023, marking one of the fastest climbs from Bronze to Gold in CSU history. Since then, the university has invested in programs and partnerships aimed at reducing greenhouse gas, improving resource efficiency, and engaging students in environmental problem-solving.
CSUDH was the first CSU campus to achieve full compliance with SB 1383, mandating universal access to organic waste recycling. The university also won first place in the Large Campus Category in the national Race to Zero Waste competition in 2023, and the top spot in Southern California Edison’s Clean Energy Optimization Pilot to reduce greenhouse gases.
Sustainability is woven into all aspects of campus life. In 2024-25, CSUDH engaged more than 5,500 people through the weekly Farmers Market, class tours of the Campus Urban Farm, and annual campaigns like October Sustainability Month and the Earth Day Festival.
Perry says the university will continue to set its sights high. In addition to fulfilling its Climate Action Plan, which commits CSUDH to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, CSUDH is next aiming for STARS Platinum — the highest tier. Only a handful of institutions nationally, and none in the CSU system, have yet achieved that goal.
“We have countless programs, policies, and initiatives, as well as resources for elevating sustainability concepts in our academic discourse,” Perry said. “As these efforts continue to mature and reap dividends, CSUDH is only going to grow as a sustainability leader in higher education.
“If we can continue to build a strong culture of sustainability, I have no doubt we’ll be able to achieve Platinum status recognition in the next few years.”
