Kwantlen Polytechnic University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

1) What is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Metro Vancouver?

2) How may the region of Metro Vancouver be impacted by climate change by 2050? Please select all that apply.

3) As climate change worsens over this century, how may this affect residents of Metro Vancouver? Please select all that apply.

4) The food system (food production, packaging, shipping, waste) is responsible for 1/4 of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to “Our World in Data”. In Metro Vancouver, it is recommended that food waste should be placed in the compost bin. From an environmental perspective, why should you add food to the compost bin and not the garbage bin?

5) Globally, around 11 billion tonnes of solid waste is produced each year. In order to address the global waste problem, what is/are the most impactful practice(s) we can undertake?

6) Salmon are culturally significant to the Coast Salish peoples in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. In Western Science, salmon are considered “keystone species”, which are plants or animals that have a large impact on a community of plants and animals. If their numbers decline or they are negatively impacted, it may have negative effects on the entire community of plants and animals. Which of the following are causes of the salmon decline in British Columbia? Please select all that apply.

7) Active transportation is a way of moving people and/or goods using human power, rather than automotive power (e.g. a gasoline or electric car). Some examples of active transportation include walking, biking, skateboarding, scootering, jogging, and using a non-mechanized wheel chair. Which of the following are benefits of active transportation? Please select all that apply.

8) What are some of the possible benefits of supporting sustainable food choices? Please select all that apply.

9) Which of the following can be considered “economic viability” from a sustainability perspective?

10) What does it mean if a product is labelled as "Fair Trade"?

KPU's sustainability literacy assessment, called "Sustainability Awareness Quiz" was a part of a wider Annual Sustainability Survey sent to the entire campus community in February, 2024, which will be launched annually moving forward. The Quiz included the minimum of 10 questions. This survey had approximately 43 questions, including mandatory and optional questions containing closed and open-ended responses. There were three sections which divided the literacy assessment portion: "Climate Change", "Responsible Consumption and Production", and "Society and Economy". The questions were created after an extensive review of sustainability literacy assessments used by other organizations and post secondary institutes. KPU's bespoke survey was created with the local/regional and KPU contexts in mind. Additionally, questions were asked in ways that kept in mind the nuances of the KPU community. All questions for the Sustainability Survey and therefore the literacy assessment ("Quiz") were written by the Office of Sustainability (OoS) with input from the Office of Planning and Accountability (OPA). OPA then supported OoS in launching the survey by setting the survey up on Qualtrics, a survey software, and also providing their expertise in attaining the most statistically valid responses.

The Annual Sustainability Survey was launched to half of the student body. The other half of the student body received another institutional survey at this time. The Office of Planning and Accountability ensures the survey is sent to a randomly generated list of half of the student body, therefore, it can be assumed it was a representative sample and not a selective sample. The assessment was sent on February 8th, 2024 and remained open until March 3rd, 2024. Students received an email from the President's Office to encourage their participation and were reminded once each week until the closing date for their participation. All students who participate are invited to enter themselves into a draw for a $500 tuition waiver or a $400 grocery gift card. This prize draw was the same for the other institutional survey (sent to other half of student body) to ensure there were no discrepancies in response rate due to the prize itself.

7164 students received the survey. 1425 answered at least one question and 1160 completed the entire survey, leading to a 16% response rate. In the Climate Change section, the average score for students was 58%. In the Responsible Production & Consumption section, the average score was 55%. In the Society & Economy section, the average score was 63%. This totaled to an overall average score for the literacy assessment to 60% for students.

Note: Follow-up assessments in future years will help determine whether sustainability literacy has improved amongst the KPU community. As noted in the "Help Center", a post-assessment that has not yet occurred but has been scheduled may count. This is why the selection was made above for "structure of the assessment". The Annual Sustainability Survey is scheduled to occur in February each year. KPU will be able to determine whether sustainability literacy has improved for students by analyzing the overall score from one year to the next by looking at the representative sample of students. This representative sample can be analyzed due to the demographic questions asked, namely year of study.