| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.33 |
| Liaison | Lisa Kilgore |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
Cornell University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Sarah
Carson Director, Campus Sustainability Office FS - Energy & Sustainability |
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:
Mission Sustainability Assessments
The Mission Sustainability module includes both a "Sustainability Survey" (see attached: quantitative literacy & culture questions) as well as three qualitative short-response questions designed to capture knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of all incoming students. The course also includes an "Engagement survey" with questions focused on sustainable attitudes and behaviors. A copy of this course is also available broadly to campus, and staff, faculty, and upperlevel students are also encouraged to complete the course (including all questions). A follow up survey is conducted in the following spring/summer to see how knowledge and beliefs change over the course of the first year. The survey is repeated each year with all new students, which shows changes over time amongst incoming students.
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A sustainability behavior survey has been utilized as part of our Green Team program focused on employees. When a college or unit is starting up a green team, a pre-survey is administered to staff and faculty within the area. Once the program is implemented, post-surveys are done after a year with the same group to assesses the impact and adoption of sustainability cultural awareness and behavior change. Additional long-term survey follow-up is a target strategy for the program.
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Additionally, as part of the university's pandemic response, many sustainability behavior-related questions were included in employee surveys, including questions about health & wellness, remote work, business travel, etc.
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:
Mission Sustainability questions
(See attached document for full assessment tool)
Short-response questions:
1) In two or three sentences: Share one key idea that stood out to you from the "Cornellians Address the Climate Crisis" video, and explain why.
2) In one or two sentences: Identify one course from any college that intrigues you. How do you think this sustainability course might relate to your interests or long-term goals?
3) In one or two sentences: Describe one way you imagine getting involved in sustainability and climate action at Cornell.
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Question sample from Green Team survey
Please indicate which statement best describes your engagement with each of the below behaviors/practices:
- Use reusable mugs, water bottles, and/or plates
- Reduce the overall amount of printing you do
- Unplug computers, printers, and other electronics during winter and/or spring breaks.
Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the below statements:
- It is personally important for me to work for an employer who values sustainability.
- Since participating in Think Big, Live Green, I now engage in more sustainable practices in my home.
- Sustainability is a personal passion for me.
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The Mission Sustainability course was added to the new student To-Do List (orientation tool). All new students typically complete items on the To-Do List with a 95% completion rate. During Fall 2020, the rate of completion for the mission sustainability course was 85% of all new student (3,200 students). During Fall 2021, the completion rate was much higher with 3,800 new students completing the survey. During Fall 2022, 3,400 new students completed the survey, and 3,800 new students completed the course & survey in Fall 2023.
With nearly 90-99% of all new students completing this survey each year, the sample size for the Mission Sustainability survey is huge and representative, as it includes almost every new student on campus each year.
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The employee survey was sent directly to all employees (1000+) in colleges & units where Green Teams were deployed. Responses were anonymous, though participants did provide basic demographics and some provided contact information. Although colleges & units adopted Green Teams, employees within these areas were not necessarily directly connected to Green Teams and served as a representative population of the larger Cornell workforce (11,300 employees). We received 110+ responses from employees, which helped inform the creation of employee engagement programs on campus.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
From the qualitative questions on the Mission Sustainability course, the vast majority of students indicated knowledge of sustainability, a willingness to engage in sustainability behaviors on campus, and set intentions to engage in behaviors like proper waste management, participating in sustainability-focused student orgs, taking sustainability-related courses, and more.
In 2021, we found the following results to our questions focusing in on social norms. Interestingly, results were very similar in 2022 and 2023:
- 98.5% (9 out of 10) students were concerned about the state of the environment to some extent
- 94% (9 out of 10) students were moderately, very, or extremely concerned.
- Less than 2% were “not at all concerned,” and 7 out of 10 new students were very or extremely concerned
- New students underestimate the level of concern their peers have about environmental & sustainability issues. Students were asked to “…think about the average Cornell student, in your best guess, how concerned do you think they are …”
-- Collectively, new students guess only 5% of their peers are extremely concerned, whereas 27% were extremely concerned.
-- Collectively, new students guess only 40% of their peers are moderately or extremely concerned, whereas 67% are moderately or extremely concerned
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An example excerpt from one program survey summary:
"Key programs of the College Engagement Program in the College of Engineering were the Green Labs and Offices Certification Programs. According to the survey, 45% of respondents did not know about the Green Lab Certification Program. 43% of respondents did not know about the Green Office Certification. “Lack of departmental organization and communication” and “physical constraints” were the main barriers to participating in this program. COE Green Ambassadors were also key to the campaign communication and success by actively conducting the self-assessment for their work-group with campaign provided outreach materials and strategies."
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:
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.