American University of Sharjah
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

The AUS Sustainability Survey started as part of the Sustainable Campus Initiative in 2017 and has since been developed into a yearly survey to gain a greater understanding of AUS campus behaviors and attitudes concerning sustainability. The survey targets all members of the AUS community, e.g. AUS students, faculty and staff.

The cultural assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives. Questions in the 2021 Survey that relate to sustainability culture: During the past year, how often did you do the following when you had the opportunity? - Turn off my computer (not put it to sleep) when not using it - Use the power saving settings on my computer - Set thermostat (air conditioner) to 25C degrees (78F) or higher during warm or hot weather - Set thermostat (heater) to 18C degrees (65F) or lower during cool or cold weather - Unplug electrical appliances when not using them - Turn off lights when I leave the room - Limit time in the shower to 5 minutes or less - Recycle electronic waste (i.e., computers, cell phones) - Wash clothes with only cold water in the washing machine - Use a reusable water bottle, coffee cup, travel mug, etc. - Run washing machine only when I have a full load of clothes - Hang dry clothes rather than using a clothes dryer - Print double-sided - Recycle bottles, containers, and paper products - Bring reusable bags to the grocery store - Shop for things with minimal packaging - Shop in a second-hand store or online site such as Dubizzle or Ebay when I have to buy something (e.g., clothing, furniture, appliances) - Compost food scraps - Buy products (besides food) that carry some type of ecolabel or certification (e.g., organic cotton clothing, household cleaning products) - Limit your consumption of new items (e.g. electronics, clothes, etc.) - Walk, bike, or take public transportation instead of a car - Turn your personal electronics off or into low power mode when not in use - Eat animal products such as milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt - Use the stairs instead of an elevator when going up or down more than one flight of stairs How often do you limit your use of water (at home or in campus housing) for these reasons? - Want to conserve water to protect the resources - Religious reasons - Keep electrical bill down (heating, cooling, etc) - Keep water bill down - Not sure if the water well (typically a container that distributes water to the home) has enough water Are there any other reasons that cause you to limit your use of water at home or in the student residential housing? How do you deal with running or leaky toilets and faucets? How often do you drink water directly from a tap (without boiling, filtering, or treating it)? What is your preferred source of drinking water? About how many large bags of waste (about 13 gallons or 50 liters) do you/your household throw out per week? Please include recycled waste in this estimate. Please indicate your level of awareness of AUS Sustainability Office before taking this survey. You responded that you've engaged with AUS Sustainability in some way. Which of these best describe this engagement? Please select all that apply. Please describe your level of satisfaction with this engagement with AUS Sustainability. Which of the following sustainability efforts are you aware of at AUS? Select all that apply. How often do you use the following recycling bin while on the AUS campus (including academic buildings or residential buildings)? On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being extremely happy and 1 being not at all happy, how happy are you with the recycling procedures that are in place at the University campus. Is there anything that AUS can do to make recycling better? Select all that apply.

The survey was campus wide, distributed by email and via social media to all AUS community members. The survey was supported by Qualtrics survey software.

AUS Sustainability is currently working with faculty from the Department of Sociology and the Department of Environmental Science on a research paper that examines the connection between water consumption and religion based on the data collected through the AUS Sustainability Survey in 2017 and 2020.