Following the completion of the  Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), Luther College's sustainability efforts have provisionally achieved a Silver rating. This comprehensive sustainability assessment takes into account everything from curriculum, research and campus and community engagement to campus operations, administration and investing. Luther last submitted a STARS report in 2014 and our score of 47.51 scored us a silver rating. Our 2017 submission is still under review but we have a provisional score of 62.74, which falls within the silver range once again (scores between 45-65 achieve silver).   Important to note is that our score improved significantly over the past three years, thanks to the efforts of many departments across campus. For instance, we learned through our most recent STARS assessment that nearly 20% of all courses at Luther include sustainability in some capacity. Our work over the next few months is to meet with campus partners to identify opportunities for improving the sustainability of our campus across all areas and to set related goals. The Center for Sustainable Communities will conduct a STARS inventory every few years to assess how we are improving as a campus. Thank you to the more than 100 faculty and staff from across campus who helped to provide the necessary information and data for the report. It wouldn't be possible for Luther to complete this report without you! To read more about the STARS Inventory and other categories, visit the AASHE program website. 

The Land Stewardship Committee has moved to the second phase of evaluating the proposal to build an elementary school on Luther's Anderson Prairie. Feedback shared through faculty and staff forums, written letters and the online form is being reviewed as part of the process. Thank you to everyone who has taken time to provide verbal or written comments. The committee will now complete a final review of the comments and questions received, and submit their report to the Luther Administration in the following weeks. For more information on the proposal and the decision-making process, visit the Elementary School Proposal webpage.