| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.80 |
| Liaison | Martín Sánchez Gutiérrez |
| Submission Date | June 7, 2024 |
Tecnológico de Monterrey – Campus Monterrey
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Luis Ricardo
Fernandez Carril Sustainabiliity Academics Manager Sustainability Academics |
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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::
Longitudinally to measure change over time
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
The Sustainability Culture Index is a proprietary instrument of Tec that allows measuring attitudes, behaviors, ideologies, and knowledge of its different populations regarding sustainability to define or rethink actions and programs for the experience of sustainability.
The instrument was designed from January to July 2022 by Florina Arredondo and Gabriel Cué Guerrero from the School of Humanities, Eva Guerra from EGADE Business School, and is led by Luis Fernández Carril, academic coordinator of Ruta Azul.
The main objective of the index is to understand four essential aspects: ideologies, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of Tec de Monterrey members regarding climate change, the environment, and sustainable development.
The index was launched from October to December 2022, and in April 2023, the initial results of the first edition were presented.
To understand sustainable culture, an 80-question survey on various topics related to sustainability is used, which is applied to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. The data from the responses are quantified to establish a score from zero to 100, with a higher score indicating a stronger and more committed sustainability culture, while a lower score presents areas for improvement.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
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A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Encuesta del Índice de cultura de sostenibilidad.
STUDENTS: https://itesm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2bmhKryWwG5Bs8e
Proffessors: https://itesm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5Ab9pgowfNEnBWK
STAFF: https://itesm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6yXOxkMnk3lG10i
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The Sustainability Culture Index was developed based on quantitative and qualitative studies conducted through an online survey, responded to by high school and professional students, as well as professors and collaborators of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, with a reliability index of 95% or higher.
To calculate the Sustainability Culture Index by audience, the averages of each pillar (knowledge, ideologies, attitudes, and behaviors) were weighted on a scale of 1 to 100.
To calculate the Sustainability Culture Index of Tec, the averages were weighted according to the sample sizes of the participating groups.
The instrument was developed by Florina Arredondo, Gabriel Cué (EHE), Eva Guerra (EGADE), and Luis Fernández (coordinator), who are expert professors in the field, based on relevant literature such as the New Ecological Paradigm (NEPs), Pro-environmental Behavior (PEBs), and Attitudes, Behavior, Context Model (ABC Model), and coordinated by Ruta Azul, from the culture axis.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Findings from the First Measurement
We implemented the first measurement of the Sustainability Culture Index, which allowed us to discover the knowledge, attitudes, ideologies, and behaviors of the institution regarding sustainability and to establish an indicator for measuring Ruta Azul's progress.
We obtained an overall score and one per population, allowing us to identify the most important areas of attention for each demographic and to establish goals for Ruta Azul in the following periods. The overall index of this first measurement (2022-2023) marked a baseline of 66.48.
Findings by Pillar:
Knowledge (Global: 51.33)
- Although climate change is a known topic, the level of understanding is incipient for the challenge of change we face.
- Human industrial activity is recognized as the main cause of climate change.
- There is no evidence of denial of science or climate change (Denialism).
- According to the results by school, population, and region, the knowledge category is the lowest pillar and should be a critical area of attention.
Ideologies (Global: 62.37)
- There is a limited vision of sustainability and where the greatest responsibility lies.
- The perception of responsibility for climate change is identified in individual action (reducing consumption and making small lifestyle changes).
- The social and political dimensions of sustainability are not considered, and the roles of companies and governments are ignored. This has ethical and justice implications. Citizenship in favor of sustainability is not contemplated.
- One out of every three students and one out of every five professors and collaborators perpetuate the myth of overpopulation*, which is an unfounded belief.
*This myth refers to the idea that the Earth's population will surpass the planet's carrying capacity in the foreseeable future, leading to economic or social collapse, and that measures must be taken to curb population growth.
Attitudes (78.06)
- There is a recognized urgent need to change the paradigm regarding nature but not how to act.
- There is an overvalued optimism in science and technology as the only solutions to address climate change. The severity of the eco-crisis is recognized; over 90% believe that humanity is abusing the environment and facing a potential ecological catastrophe. Over 90% reject anthropocentrism (a philosophical theory that conceives humans and their interests as the center of everything), and 95% agree that animals and plants have the same rights as humans. Over 50% believe that human ingenuity will solve the environmental crisis, along with scientific and technological development addressing sustainability issues.
Behaviors (63.26)
BEHAVIORS LIMITED TO ACTIVITIES RELATED TO REDUCING ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT.
- It is possible that more sustainable behaviors are reported than those actually practiced due to awareness of moral correctness (such as in transportation and food); the greater the identification with leading a more sustainable life, the fewer concrete actions are taken.
Knowing which actions reduce the ecological footprint, but not knowing how to foster a culture of sustainability in educational, citizen, and cultural matters.
GENERAL CONCLUSION
- This initial measurement reveals the gap in sustainability culture in our community and supports Ruta Azul's priorities regarding informing, training, educating, and promoting sustainable lifestyle changes.
Future measurements will show the evolution of Ruta Azul's actions and its effectiveness in changing the sustainability culture at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
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.