| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.04 |
| Liaison | Prabhakar Shrestha |
| Submission Date | Jan. 13, 2023 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Sadia
Mohiuddin Sustainability Specialist Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Yes
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire campus community (students and employees) directly or by representative sample
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples of the same population
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
The Office of Sustainability did a review of how other AASHE members had developed their cultural assessment. Then, the university's first sustainability cultural assessment survey (tailored to NJIT) was built in September 2022 and administered in October of 2022.
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:
1. List two words that come to your mind when you hear the word sustainability (open ended)
2. How often do you engage in each of the following sustainability practices on-campus? [combine 2.1-2.5 into one grid question]
2.1. Recycle:
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.2. Turn lights off when leaving your office or room
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.3. Limit food waste
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.4. Use reusable bags
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.5. Attend sustainability-related events on campus
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
3. How do you find out about campus events? [can pick more than one]
a. Through Highlander Hub
b. From friends
c. Through social media
d. From professors
4. How often do you buy eco-friendly products?
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
f. Don’t know
5. Do you learn about sustainability ideas and practices from the following sources? [yes/no grid]
a. My department
b. My faculty advisor
c. My professors
d. Local community organizations
e. Student club activities
f. Other:
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? [combine 6-10 into one grid]
6. It is important to me that the campus leaders make sustainability a top priority.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
7. Practicing sustainability behavior like recycling, car-pooling, turning lights off, and buying local is important to me.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
8. I believe I have the ability to advocate for sustainability practices, ideas and projects at NJIT.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
9. If I had a sustainability project in mind, I know whom to contact to see it implemented.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
10. I know about the Office of Sustainability at NJIT.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
11. Which of the following sustainability initiatives do you think NJIT should pursue [can pick more than one]
a. Additional recycling opportunities
b. Additional recycling education
c. On-campus composting
d. Zero waste events
e. More courses related to sustainably
f. Alternative modes of transportation
g. Accessibility to alternative modes of transportation
h. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
i. Adopt a climate action plan and/or sustainability master plan to guide NJIT’s sustainability efforts
12. Which of the following barriers apply to you when it comes to participating in sustainability-related efforts at NJIT? [yes/no grid]
a. I do not have enough time to participate
b. I do not know what I can do to help
c. I do not feel as though my participation is encouraged by my academic program
d. I do not feel as though my participation will make a difference
e. Sustainability is not a high priority at NJIT
f. Sustainability is not a high priority for me
g. The cost to participate is too high
13. NJIT is pursuing the path of becoming a carbon-neutral campus. List some things you can do to help NJIT achieve its carbon neutrality goal. (Open-ended)
2. How often do you engage in each of the following sustainability practices on-campus? [combine 2.1-2.5 into one grid question]
2.1. Recycle:
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.2. Turn lights off when leaving your office or room
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.3. Limit food waste
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.4. Use reusable bags
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
2.5. Attend sustainability-related events on campus
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
3. How do you find out about campus events? [can pick more than one]
a. Through Highlander Hub
b. From friends
c. Through social media
d. From professors
4. How often do you buy eco-friendly products?
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
f. Don’t know
5. Do you learn about sustainability ideas and practices from the following sources? [yes/no grid]
a. My department
b. My faculty advisor
c. My professors
d. Local community organizations
e. Student club activities
f. Other:
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? [combine 6-10 into one grid]
6. It is important to me that the campus leaders make sustainability a top priority.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
7. Practicing sustainability behavior like recycling, car-pooling, turning lights off, and buying local is important to me.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
8. I believe I have the ability to advocate for sustainability practices, ideas and projects at NJIT.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
9. If I had a sustainability project in mind, I know whom to contact to see it implemented.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
10. I know about the Office of Sustainability at NJIT.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
11. Which of the following sustainability initiatives do you think NJIT should pursue [can pick more than one]
a. Additional recycling opportunities
b. Additional recycling education
c. On-campus composting
d. Zero waste events
e. More courses related to sustainably
f. Alternative modes of transportation
g. Accessibility to alternative modes of transportation
h. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
i. Adopt a climate action plan and/or sustainability master plan to guide NJIT’s sustainability efforts
12. Which of the following barriers apply to you when it comes to participating in sustainability-related efforts at NJIT? [yes/no grid]
a. I do not have enough time to participate
b. I do not know what I can do to help
c. I do not feel as though my participation is encouraged by my academic program
d. I do not feel as though my participation will make a difference
e. Sustainability is not a high priority at NJIT
f. Sustainability is not a high priority for me
g. The cost to participate is too high
13. NJIT is pursuing the path of becoming a carbon-neutral campus. List some things you can do to help NJIT achieve its carbon neutrality goal. (Open-ended)
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The survey invitation emails were sent out to all students, faculty, and staff on October 5, 2022 by The Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
* The results of the survey show that around 50 percent of faculty, staff and students want campus leaders to make sustainability a top priority.
* The top four sustainability initiatives faculty, staff and students want the university to pursue are: accessibility to alternative modes of transportation, additional recycling opportunities and education, on-campus composting, and adopting a climate action plan and/or sustainability master plan to guide NJIT’s sustainability efforts.
* Employees and students learn about sustainability practices and ideas form their peers.
* The most common sustainability practices students and employees engage in include turning off the lights and using reusable bags.
* Faculty, staff, and students are still unaware of the Office of Sustainability (31.2%, 32.1% respectively).
* Results demonstrate the NJIT community (students, faculty, and staff) find information about campus events mostly through campus publications and Highlander Hub.
* The top four sustainability initiatives faculty, staff and students want the university to pursue are: accessibility to alternative modes of transportation, additional recycling opportunities and education, on-campus composting, and adopting a climate action plan and/or sustainability master plan to guide NJIT’s sustainability efforts.
* Employees and students learn about sustainability practices and ideas form their peers.
* The most common sustainability practices students and employees engage in include turning off the lights and using reusable bags.
* Faculty, staff, and students are still unaware of the Office of Sustainability (31.2%, 32.1% respectively).
* Results demonstrate the NJIT community (students, faculty, and staff) find information about campus events mostly through campus publications and Highlander Hub.
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.