Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 83.20
Liaison Maddie LoDico
Submission Date Nov. 5, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Colby College
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Maddie LoDico
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture (i.e. the assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire campus community (students, staff and faculty), directly or by representative sample

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Longitudinally to measure change over time

A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
Using sustainability surveys from other higher education institutions, the Sustainability Coordinator, current students, and professors developed our first environmental literacy survey in the summer of 2014 specific to Sustainability at Colby. Revisions and improvements have been made based on feedback to the first assessment. Currently, we use a modified version of the Ohio State University's ASK Survey with questions specific to Colby's sustainability initiatives, as well as behavioral and opinion questions to assess sustainability culture.

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:
Please see attached survey (students. The survey for faculty and staff can be found at: http://www.colby.edu/green/2018/09/28/faculty-and-staff-sustainability-literacy-survey/

A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The survey is sent out to all first years during their first year, and seniors during their last semester. This year, the Class of 2021 had 125 respondents, which is about 25% of the class. We plan to continue this trend so that we can compare responses of the same class years as seniors to when they were first-years. Over the course of 4 years, 100% of the student body will have been asked to participate in the survey. Faculty and staff are able to take the survey at any time by clicking the link provided above (from the Green Colby website). A survey announcement is sent to faculty and staff annually to encourage participation.

A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:
The survey asked respondents about their opinions on environmentally-preferable practices, and then asked them if they actually performed these practices in their daily lives. We found that those who said that they did try to incorporate environmentally preferable practices, such as actively trying to conserve water, scored higher on the sustainability knowledge portion of the test, indicating that those who are conscious of their impact on the planet are also those who are most informed about the topic.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.