Princeton University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

In 2015, the Office of Sustainability evaluated sustainability contradictions on campus by surveying staff and students. The survey was administered using a free, online wiki survey tool called All Our Ideas, which was created by Professor Matthew Salganik from the Department of Sociology. The findings have revealed areas rich with opportunities to develop initiatives that better align campus practices with sustainability principles, as well as where there are mismatches between perception and reality.

Please note the URL with the survey has been deactivated to prevent any further submissions. Here is a sample of questions: As a staff member, which campus experience do you find to be most contradictory with sustainability? 3-hole trash/recycling can lids haven’t yet been converted for mixed recycling Bottled water served at meetings and events Disposable plastic water cups near bottle-filling stations Flyers on lampposts Frist TVs are always on Gas-operated campus golf carts Gas-powered leaf blowers High odor materials during small renovations Inefficient heating and cooling in offices Inefficient lighting still in place in many buildings Lack of accessible public transportation in 10-mile radius Lack of electric vehicle charging stations for personal cars Lack of food scraps composting options for individuals Lack of signage about the sustainability features already existing on campus Lack of sustainability training for staff

Surveys were sent to both undergraduate and graduate students through campus email. The survey was also advertised on table tents in dining halls. Staff were reached via email as well as through in person tabling at large administrative meetings.

Overall, the top options selected among all surveyed groups were primarily related to events and waste. These included "Too many foam and plastic cups and plates at meetings and events"; "waste leftover from campus events"; "the use of styrofoam at Princeton sponsored events"; and "Immense amount of food thrown away at Reunions and other large events". To address the event-related sustainability contradictions happening across campus, the Office of Sustainability established The Sustainable Event Working Group. The group is made up of staff from key departments involved with event planning on campus, as well as students. The group has developed a list of sustainable event guidelines that can be applied to all events on campus to help guide event planners to green their events. Another finding was a clear mismatch between the perception of what’s happening on campus and reality. For example, while many impactful behind-the-scenes operations have little impact on campus ethos, less-impactful, yet highly visible activities have an enormous perceived impact. To help bridge perception and reality, campus-wide communications efforts will continue. Looking ahead, these and other findings are also helping to inform the next version of the University's Sustainability Plan, expected to be rolled out in 2018.