École de Technologie Supérieure
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

5. According to the United Nations (UN) definition, what is sustainable development?

Answer choices: Stable and sustainable economic development that does not compromise the growth and economic interests of countries; Development that does not compromise the quality of life of current generations, regardless of the country of origin; Development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; Development that advances the goals of developing countries without compromising the growth of industrialized countries.

6. What do you think were the objectives of COP26, which took place November 1st to 12th, 2021 in Glasgow?
Answer choices: Gathering of major oil producers on a transition to renewable energy; Informal discussion surrounding waste management in emerging countries; Meeting and discussion of world leaders, negotiators, businesses and citizens on current climate issues; Gathering of the 26 largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting countries on their ecological transition plans; All of the above.

7. Which of the following statements best describes the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Answer choices: They are the three pillars of development that must be met by 2050 ; They are 17 goals aimed at making the world more sustainable and just ; They promote economic degrowth in the richest countries to slow the impacts of climate change ; They are goals that promote slowing down reaching and exceeding the global limits presented by Rockström.

9. In your opinion, what are the 3 pillars, or spheres, of the definition of sustainable development, as adopted by the Quebec government?
Short answer (open)

10. What percentage of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is emitted by information and communication technologies (ICT)?
Answer choices: Less than 1%; 2%; 3%; 4%.

12. How would you define the circular economy?
Short answer (open)

13. Based on the choices presented below, what is the role of an ecocentre?
Answer choices: Centre for awareness, information, mobilization and education of the community on environmental issues ; Centre for the deposit of bulky, toxic, hazardous waste, construction or renovation materials and organic residues that promotes reuse and recycling ; Municipal complex for biomethanization and composting ; Volunteer centre for social, cultural and sports activities and for community support ; I don't know.

14. The 3RV-E represents a way to prioritize our actions with regard to waste management. Which "R" do you think would be the most important to prioritize?
Answer choices: Reuse; Recycle; Reduce; Don't know; None of the above.

16. Which of the choices below do you think is the biggest cause of climate change?
Answer choices: Emissions from human activities since the beginning of the industrial era ; Animal waste (methane) during digestion ; The natural carbon cycle in the atmosphere, cryosphere and hydrosphere ; Illegal fishing by coastal communities in tropical and subtropical regions.

17. Which of the following impacts of climate change do you think is true?
Answer choices: Reduction in sea levels due to increased evaporation ; Increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather and environmental events ; Increase in tropical and polar biodiversity due to warming in these areas ; Increased food insecurity ; Coastal erosion.

The Student Community Sustainability Knowledge and Culture Survey was developed in Fall 2021 by the School's Sustainability Team and inspired by the survey sent out in 2018, the Sulitest of other STARS-certified universities, and the Quebec government website. The survey was reviewed and improved by the intern in charge of the STARS certification, the sustainability advisor, the communications advisor of the Sustainability Team, as well as a master teacher from ÉTS. The survey was then approved by the university administration before being sent to the ÉTS community. The survey includes questions on sustainability knowledge and culture. Most of the questions are multiple choice and some are short answer. The survey was sent to the entire ÉTS community via the Google Forms platform.

The survey has 4 distinct sections, totaling 30 questions:
1. General Information
2. General knowledge in sustainable development
3. ÉTS's commitment and actions in sustainable development
4. Culture (Practices, food and consumption habits)

An email from the Executive Office was sent to the entire ÉTS community (students, non-academic and support staff, and academic staff) inviting them to complete the survey on November 22, 2021, and they had one week to respond.

A total of 582 people from the ÉTS community responded and completed the survey. The results and the answers provided will allow the Sustainable Development Team to better direct its efforts in terms of awareness and information. In addition, the results show a fairly good understanding of the concepts of sustainable development and climate issues, accentuated by anthropogenic activities.
Q5. The vast majority (87.8%) of community respondents understand and are familiar with the definition of sustainable development.
Q6. 41.6% of respondents are not aware of the objectives of COP26. However, this event is recent. It would be interesting for the community to be more interested in the news surrounding major meetings on sustainable development, the environment and climate change.
Q7. The majority of respondents (60%) are quite familiar with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Q9. Almost half of the respondents (45.4%) provided an answer that explicitly included the 3 pillars (or sphere) of sustainable development. However, 28.7% of respondents answered "I don't know" or some variation.
Q11. The vast majority of respondents (83.3%) recognize or understand that human activities cause significant impacts on freshwater quality and availability.
Q12. 13.2% of respondents did not provide an answer or attempt to answer. The concept of circular economy could be better understood and known by our community.
Q13. The vast majority of respondents (84.9%) recognize or understand the role of an ecocentre from the choices presented. The most common error was to answer "A centre for community awareness, information, mobilization and education on environmental issues".
Q15. 93% of respondents were able to identify renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Since the survey was sent to the engineering school community, respondents may have a better understanding of these principles.
Q16. The vast majority of respondents (90.7%) recognize the impact of human activities on climate change since the pre-industrial era.
Q17. The impacts of climate change are understood and recognized by the majority of respondents.
Q19. 281 (48.3%) of the 582 respondents answered "I don't know" to this question. Although, it is to be understood that not all staff members are trained as engineers.