Boston University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

*Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of sustainable development?
1)Giving universal access to education, health care and social services
2)Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
3)Setting aside resources for preservation never to be used
4)Building a neighborhood that is both socio-demographically and economically diverse

*Which of the following climate change research studies are being conducted by Boston University researchers? (Choose all that apply.)
1)Diminishing seasonality over northerly lands from anthropogenic forcing of climate, published in Nature-Geoscience
2)Using Three Decades of Landsat Data to Characterize Changes and Vulnerability of Temperature and Boreal Forest Phenology to Climate Change, funded by NASA
3)Local Scale Carbon Budgets and Mitigation Opportunities for the Northeastern United States, published in Bioscience
4)Projecting North American climate over the next 50 years: Uncertainty due to internal variability; published in Journal of Climate

*Corporate social responsibility implies a commitment to triple bottom line reporting, which includes:
1)Three forms of financial reporting
2)Environmental, social and financial performance
3)Offering health, dental and vision care to employees
4)Incorporating community and government representatives on the board of directors

*Which of the following activities contribute to climate change? (Choose all that apply.)
1)The generation of electricity from fossil fuels
2)Taking public transportation
3)Cutting down trees
4)Building dams to divert water

*The world’s population of about 7.1 billion is estimated to reach 9.1 billion by 2050. Which of the following is an expected result of this population growth? (Choose all that apply.)
1)Loss of farm land to urbanization
2)Increased demand for agricultural investment
3)Rising energy prices
4)Upsurge in global hunger
5)I don’t know

*Sustainability requires making decisions based on environmental impact. Please rank the following actions according to their impact on resource consumption over their life cycle. (#1 = smallest impact; #5 = largest impact.)
1)Using a stainless steel travel mug 45 times before recycling it
2)Using 2 disposable paper cups, then recycling them
3)Using 45 disposable paper cups, then recycling them
4)Using a stainless steel travel mug 2 times before recycling it
5)Using 45 disposable Styrofoam cups, then trashing them

*Like a greenhouse, the Greenhouse Effect allows in the sun’s radiation and the presence of greenhouse gases traps the heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The Greenhouse Effect can lead to the following: (Choose all that apply.)
1)Cooler Summers
2)Warmer Oceans
3)Sea Level Rise
4)Climate Change
5)Heavy Precipitation

*In 2012 which of the following countries were the three highest producers of renewable energy?
1)France – 84.629 Billion kWh
2)Denmark – 15.583 Billion kWh
3)Germany – 140.092 Billion kWh
4)Italy – 98.123 Billion kWh
5)Japan – 109.863 Billion kWh
6)Spain – 83.059 Billion kWh
7)United States – 507.788 Billion kWh
(Based on wind power alone, the answer would be (in order) US, Spain and Germany, as data for 2012 is not yet available for solar, tide & wave.)

*The average U.S. household uses approximately __ gallons of water per day.
1)50
2)100
3)200
4)300

*Temperatures in cities are generally hotter than surrounding areas. This is referred to as the Heat Island Effect. Which of the following strategies help reduce the Heat Island Effect?
1)Installing white or green roofs on buildings
2)Closing windows
3)Paving with lighter-colored materials
4)Planting trees
5)Turning on street lights
6)I don’t know

*Since 2007, the City of Boston has actively led city-wide green initiatives, focusing on energy efficiency, climate preparedness and community engagement.
The City of Boston’s 2014 Climate Action Plan goals include the following. (Choose all that apply.)
1)Reducing greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020, and 80% by 2050
2)Renew Boston - an initiative to increase residential solar energy
3)Greenovate Boston Engage - a website used by the Boston community to share ideas on how the city can reach its climate goals
4)Expanding bike infrastructure
5)Increasing number of automobile parking spaces

*Which of the following actions can we take to prepare for a changing climate?
1)Construct buildings that can withstand strong storms
2)Reduce green space
3)Construct buildings on wetlands
4)All of the above
5)None of the above
6)I don’t know

*Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is like Miles per Gallon for buildings. EUI measures a building’s total energy use per square foot. Generally, a low EUI indicates energy-efficient performance. Please indicate if you think that the following actions can help lower BU’s energy use intensity.
1)Turning off lights
2)Washing clothes in cold water
3)Taking shorter showers
4)Eating beef
5)Eating local or organic produce
6)Using shared printing resources
7)Replacing light bulbs with CFLs or LEDs
8)Using a smart power strip
9)Unplugging devices when not in use
10)Recycling paper/plastic/metal

*Please indicate if you think the following items can be recycled at BU.
1)White Paper
2)Newspaper and Magazines
3)Corrugated Cardboard
4)Tissues and Paper Towels
5)Plastic Bottles
6)Glass Bottles
7)Soda Cans
8)Paper Coffee Cups
9)Styrofoam Cups
10)Batteries
11)Cell Phones
12)Computers
13)Toner/Ink Cartridges
14)Small Appliances
15)Clothes
16)Light Bulbs
17)Bedding

*LEED is a green building rating system which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. What level of LEED have each of the following buildings/spaces received?
1)Center for Student Services at 100 Bay State Road
2)Sargent College Makechnie Study Center at 635 Commonwealth Avenue
3)Research Center at 670 Albany Street
4)Offices at 122 Bay State Road
5)Medical Student Residences at 815 Albany Street
6)Residences at 85-87 St. Mary’s Street
7)Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, MA

*Certified Green Restaurants are rated for their energy- and water-efficient facilities and waste reduction practices. How many stars have each of the following BU eateries received as part of being a Certified Green Restaurant?
1)Dining hall at Marciano Commons
2)Rize Café
3)Late Night Kitchen
4)GSU food court

The survey was designed to gauge progress on sustainability awareness at Boston University. Having information about the community's understanding and activities regarding sustainability helps sustainability@BU plan future efforts, programs and communications initiatives. Consistent with the guidelines of STARS, the survey was contains questions on general sustainability literacy. 32% of survey questions relate to literacy, 50% of questions are BU-specific, and 18% are behavioral.

The online survey was sent out via email on January 30th, 2014 to all Boston University undergraduate students, graduate students, staff and faculty. Students, as well as staff and faculty members who reponded to it constitute the representative sample.

Out of the 4607 total survey respondents:
- 92% correctly agreed that the definition of sustainability is ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’
- 49% thought that slowing climate change was extremely important from a global perspective more so than other issues such as public health, economic prosperity, access to education and access to clean air
- 49% thought that recycling was extremely important from a Boston University perspective more than other issues such as energy conservation, preparing for climate change, green buildings and sustainable purchasing
- 25% of respondents strongly agreed that they were aware of Boston University’s efforts in reducing our environmental footprint overall

Out of the 16 sustainability@BU initiatives that we listed on the survey, the majority of respondents said that they were most aware and involved with recycling on campus, cardboard recycling at move-in, receiving discounts for using a reusable mug on campus, and the BU Farmers Market. Other programs like Goodwill Not Landfill, the Sustainability Festival, and sustainability@BU on social media were less well-known with lower participation rates.
Moving forward sustainability@BU's initiatives, this data will be used to engage BU students, faculty, and staff in climate change related projects and research that they expressed an interest in pursuing. sustainability@BU will continue to encourage recycling efforts on campus, and promote awareness of Boston University’s efforts to reduce our EUI and overall environmental footprint. The results will also help in determining which of the sustainability@BU programs to promote more heavily at Boston University.

Answers to the survey are available online (see website URL above). sustainability@BU has conducted sustainability surveys in previous years, but this year is the first year the survey included sustainability literacy questions.