This searchable database of New School courses that address sustainability issues is meant to be a student resource as well as impetus to expand the university's offerings in this area. The university's pursuit of a STARS rating required this inventory of sustainability in our curriculum. More specifically, the university was asked to account for its sustainability-focused and sustainability-related courses across all divisions.
Sustainability-focused courses have assessment tasks that involve two of the three sections of the definition below. Sustainability-related courses have assessment tasks that involve one of the three sections of the definition below.
Sustainability names a concern for the quality of the future that is likely to result from the structure of societies today. That concern can be widespread, extending from a concern for evolutionary viability of particular non-human species to issues of the equity of access to resources of different human communities.
For 2010-11, The New School is defining sustainability as a concern about future generations' equitable access to complex materials, dense energy sources, clean air and water, when a diversity of non-human species also depend upon all those for their well-being.
At The New School, learning about sustainability involves understanding:
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System™ (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS® was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. The New School received a STARS Silver rating in August 2011.