Awards

Stanford’s achievements in sustainability-focused operations and academic research have been recognized by regional, national, and international organizations. The wide spectrum of Stanford’s awards and commendations highlights the multifaceted nature of sustainability.

In 2022, Stanford renewed its Platinum rating through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in recognition of its sustainability achievements--making it one of only eleven higher education institutions in the world to reach this milestone at the time. Its score of 85.88% reflects significant sustainability advancements such as the Stanford Energy System Innovations project and continual increases in sustainability-focused academic and engagement opportunities. Stanford’s report is publicly available on the STARS website.

In addition to the Platinum ranking, Stanford also performed well in AASHE's 2024 Sustainability Campus Index, which recognizes top-performing colleges and universities overall by institution type and in 17 sustainability impact areas. Stanford ranked in the following categories:

Diversity & Affordability (1st)
Energy (3rd)
Food & Dining (5th)
Curriculum (7th)
Water (tied for 9th place)
Doctoral institutions [overall] (10th)

Additional Broad Recognition

Sustainability Magazine Top 10: Sustainable Universities list in 2024
Princeton Review's Green Honor Roll list in 2024
Newsweek's Seven of the Greenest Campuses in the U.S. list in 2023
Climate Registered™ Hero, through The Climate Registry for its 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 emissions inventories
California Higher Education Sustainability Conference's Best Practice Award, for sustainable design at Stanford Redwood City in 2019, and for My Cardinal Green in 2018
PR Daily's Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, for Green and Environmental Stewardship in 2019
California Resource Recovery Association's Outstanding Waste Prevention Award for Cardinal Clean in 2023
Campus Race for Zero Waste, second in both the Per Capita Recycling and the Food Organics categories for large universities in 2024