Wartburg College is Iowa’s first private institution to earn a Gold rating from the leading authority on sustainability in higher education.

The college is the second private school in the Midwest and ninth in the nation to achieve the designation under the newest version of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

STARS 2.0 ratings are based on scores in nearly 75 categories encompassing academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration.

Wartburg has been intentional in its environmental efforts since forming a sustainability committee in 2007.

• During construction of the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center in 2007, the college partnered with the local energy utility to fund a wind turbine that offsets the facility’s energy consumption. 

• Removal of trays from dining facilities in 2008 eliminated thousands of pounds of annual food waste. 
• In 2011 and 2012, campus-wide installation of low-flow plumbing and time-control and sensory lighting, along with major mechanical changes, saved about $270,000 per year.
• In 2014, an overhaul of the waste management process led to decreased landfill collection. Waste containers were retrofitted into recycling-waste sorting containers, and employees are responsible for bringing the contents to bins placed near each office. The college has adopted a goal of 80 percent landfill diversion by 2020.

Anne Duncan, sustainability coordinator, found a framework for success upon her position’s creation in 2011.

“Sustainability is part of our governmental and operational culture,” she said. “A lot of efforts in this regard were done even before we had a sustainability department and committee.”

STARS, a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, launched in 2010. Wartburg last year earned a Silver rating in STARS 1.2.