Overall Rating | Gold |
---|---|
Overall Score | 66.43 |
Liaison | Greg Maginn |
Submission Date | June 30, 2023 |
The Ohio State University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Office of
Energy & the Environment OEE OEE |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
Building from those past efforts in social scientific sustainability assessment, five Ohio State faculty and staff members of the ESS Lab further developed an ambitious, campus-wide sustainability survey in 2018 intended to both answer specific research questions and provide a source of valuable longitudinal (panel) data on Ohio State student’s sustainability perceptions, values, and behaviors.
In addition, portions of the survey were collaboratively developed with partners including the Sustainability Institute (formerly The Sustainable and Resilient Economy Discovery Theme and the Office of Energy and the Environment), the ENGIE-Axium energy partnership, and The Office of Student Life, Facilities, Operations, and Development (FOD) to inform important efforts on campus such as sustainability curriculum development and campus initiative assessment. Please see below for a summary of our approach and scales used:
The items used in previous versions of the survey were developed through expert input, focus groups, and analysis of sustainability literature. The 2018 survey updated these items and included additional measures of sustainability values including the Sustainability Attitudes Scale (SAS) (see Zwickle & Jones, 2018), as well as normative and control perceptions related to a sub-section of sustainability behaviors (adapted from Stern, 1999; Hassan, Shiu, & Shaw, 2014; Heath & Gifford, 2006).
The 2021 survey continued the practices within the 2018 survey, with some changes in questions relevant to support for specific campus sustainability initiatives.
The 2021 assessment tool survey report, in addition to previous years, is available here: https://ess.osu.edu/campus-sustainability-survey/reports
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
“Below is a list of behaviors you may or may not do. Please indicate how often you do these behaviors”
• Carry a reusable water bottle
• Turn off the lights in an empty room where you live
• Eat animal products such as milk, cheese, eggs, or yogurt
• Eat meat
• Print on both sides of the paper
• Sort out your recycling
• Walk, bicycle, or take public transportation instead of taking a car
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator when going up or down more than one floor
“Below is a list of behaviors you may or may not do. Please indicate how often you do these behaviors”
• Turn your personal electronics off or into low-power mode when not in use
• Use reusable bags when shopping
• Act to conserve water when showering, cleaning clothes, dishes, or other uses
• Limit the energy used to heat or cool your living space
• Limit your consumption of new items (e.g. electronics, clothes)
• Purchase second-hand items instead of purchasing new items
• Eat organic food
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
Of the 20,500 students contacted, 2,600 started the survey and 1,846 completed it (9% completion rate). The final sample size used for this report (i.e., students who began the survey and answered at least one behavior question) was 2,374 students, for a final response rate of 11.6%.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Sustainability knowledge: Student knowledge of sustainability-related topics (e.g. sustainable economics, social sustainability) as assessed through quiz-type questions remains higher than that assessed in 2014. However, some misconceptions remain on topics regarding the causes of pollution and environmental degradation. One major misconception worsened among students in relation to causes of pollution. In 2021, 36.6% of students incorrectly answered that waste dumped by factories is the main cause of pollution of streams and rivers (in 2018 the percent answering incorrectly was 24.1%). Less than half of student respondents identified the correct answer— surface water runoff from yards, city streets, paved lots, and farm fields.
Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
ESSL@osu.edu
Please visit the website for the Environmental and Social Sustainability Lab at https://ess.osu.edu/home or contact us at ESSL@osu.edu to receive more information about the OSU campus sustainability survey, as well as our other social scientific sustainability research initiatives.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.