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De La Salle Lipa: 1st PH institution to get STARS Silver Rating

September 21, 2021, 9:14 pm

<p><strong>SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL.</strong> One of DLSL’s sustainability efforts, an aquaponics system for Integrated School students’ use during their Technology and Livelihood Education classes. The school became the first academic institution in the Philippines to get the STARS Silver Rating for its continuous efforts in practicing sustainability on many fronts. <em>(Photo courtesy of DLSL)</em></p>

SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL. One of DLSL’s sustainability efforts, an aquaponics system for Integrated School students’ use during their Technology and Livelihood Education classes. The school became the first academic institution in the Philippines to get the STARS Silver Rating for its continuous efforts in practicing sustainability on many fronts. (Photo courtesy of DLSL)

LIPA CITY, Batangas – De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) received the internationally-renowned STARS Silver Rating for its continuous efforts in practicing sustainability on many fronts, the first academic institution in the Philippines to earn this accolade.

STARS means Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. It is a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

DLSL’s STARS report is now publicly available on the STARS website: https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/de-la-salle-lipa-batangas/report/2021-07-07/. The institution joins the ranks of only 153 Colleges and Universities all over the world that have been given the STARS Silver rating.

Silver Rating

De La Salle Lipa proudly reported to its Lasallian stakeholders that they were conferred a Silver Rating on its first application, skipping the Reporter and Bronze categories.

The rating starts with 'Reporter' status, then Bronze, Silver and Gold, with the highest rank being Platinum. There are only 11 institutions worldwide that have been granted Platinum Ratings, and among the notables are Stanford University, University of California-Berkeley, and Cornell University. 132 institutions worldwide have earned gold ratings.

Among the current 153 HEIs with similar silver ratings are Boston College and Boston University, University of Ottawa, Universidad de Monterey, and University of Toronto-Mississauga.

Quest for Sustainability

DLSL, pursing the goal of “compliance with and certifiable by a global sustainability standard” under its Strategic Direction to Create Sustainable Futures, aspired to adopt the STARS Program of AASHE to create a baseline for continuous improvement, generate fresh ideas for advocacy, and adopt sustainable, just and inclusive practices – by its students, faculty, parents and other stakeholders - to continuously take care of its side of the planet.

Bro. Dante Jose Amisola FSC, DLSL president, De La Salle Lipa, believes in the importance of taking care of the planet and of progress that is not at the expense of the planet.

“It is a progress of inclusive societies, which are essentially sustainable societies. It is a space where our children live in a world that is safe, inclusive, where growth is inclusive, where the planet is taken care of, and, where future generations are regarded in the decisions we make today,” he said.

In 2020, De La Salle Lipa was acclaimed as EAUC International Green Gown Awards (IGGA) Finalist for all of its three categories: Benefitting Society, Student Engagement, and Sustainability Institution of the Year.

STARS Program Rationale

With more than 900 participants in 40 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.

Unlike other rating systems, this program is open to all higher education institutions, 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.

For more information about De La Salle Lipa:, visit https://www.dlsl.edu.ph/.

For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org. (PR)

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