| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.61 |
| Liaison | Tina Woolston |
| Submission Date | Nov. 2, 2022 |
Tufts University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Tina
Woolston Director Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
The Eco-Reps Survey is intended to provide assistance to the Eco-Reps program on how to best encourage sustainability in Undergraduate dorms, and which areas are of particular interest to the participants, and to measure impact. Questions include knowledge of Tufts' recycling programs, interest in various sustainability-education or outreach activities, self-awareness of personal environmental impact, ideas for improving sustainability at Tufts.
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:
Where do you live?
If you live in a Special Interest House, where do you live?
If you live in a Greek House, where do you live?
What year are you at Tufts?
Have you heard of the Eco-Representative (Eco-Rep) Program?
Do you know who your Eco-Rep is?
How did you find out about your Eco-Rep? - Selected Choice
How did you find out about your Eco-Rep? - Other - Text
Do you know how to contact them?
Environmental issues are important to me
It is important to me that I act in ways that minimize my contribution to greenhouse gases
"How
important were strong University environmental policies and practices to you when choosing colleges"
I believe Tufts has an obligation to control its greenhouse gas emissions
How concerned do you think the following people are about global climate change? - Yourself
How concerned do you think the following people are about global climate change? - The average Tufts student
How concerned do you think the following people are about global climate change? - The average American
Recycling is important to me
I understand the recycling and waste infrastructure at Tufts.
I think tap water is as safe as, or more safe than, bottled water.
Which of the following are recyclable at Tufts
Do you know where the compost bin is in your dorm?
How often do you compost in your dorm?
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Environmental or sustainability related movie (>1 hr)
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Environmental or sustainability related video clips (<1/2 hr)
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Anything with free food
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Recycling competition
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Grow your own seedling event
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Trashion show
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Local hike or bike ride
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Crafting party
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Eco-Trivia
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Interactive cooking demonstration
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Energy efficiency building tour of your dorm
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Hall snacks in your dorm
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - How to 'live green' event
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - How to compost event
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Other
How likely are you to attend or participate in the following events? - Other - Text
On average, how long are your showers? - minutes
About how often do you leave your computer on when you are not using it?
How often do you... - Unplug your cell phone, computer charger, power strip, or other electronics when they are not in use
How often do you... - Use a reusable water bottle
How often do you... - Use a reusable coffee mug
How often do you... - Buy or trade secondhand clothing
How often do you... - Print double-sided
How often do you... - Consider the environment when selecting food
How often do you... - Consider the environment when making transportation choices
How often do you... - Recycle
How often do you... - Turn off the lights when you exit an empty room
How often do you... - Compost in your dorm
How often do you... - Think about your impact on the environment
How often do you... - Talk about environmentally-friendly practices
Do you participate in Meatless Mondays?
What do you think are barriers to living in a more environmentally-sustainable manner at Tufts?
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The survey is issued when necessary via emails sent by the Office of Residential Life and Learning, the Eco-Reps, and the normal Office of Sustainability channels. The last time it was sent out was the 2018 - 2019 academic year. The survey itself is built in Qualtrics, an online survey software. Past participants are not specifically targeted for longitudinal study (they were once but resulted in a very low response rate), but the data is gathered regularly and the questions are comparable over time. The survey is incentivized by a gift card raffle to increase response rate.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
This assessment typically covers student's awareness of on-campus sustainability efforts, like recycling, compost bins, and Meatless Mondays. Additionally, the survey assesses students' awareness of their environmental impact through shower length, energy saving practices, sustainability considerations in food choices, and perception of climate change concern on campus and across America. It also allows for general measures of change over time.
The results show on average a sustainability aware student body, which on average participate in a given sustainability measure more than not. For example, more students assessed participated in Meatless Mondays in some form than did not. A vast majority of the population that filled out the survey indicated that they "Strongly Agree or "Agree" that they understand the concept of sustainability.
Overall, the survey indicated that the respondents were more inclined to be aware of and participate in sustainability efforts, though were generally undecided or unlikely to participate in outreach programming like video showings and Eco-trivia activities, unless free food was an incentive.
Changes over time are not assessed from the same cohort or sample, but the questions are similar semester to semester to facilitate measurement of changes over time. In the 2018-2019 survey, Around 80% of the student body was aware of how to contact their Eco-Rep to learn more about sustainability and 85% were aware of how to compost. Survey results show a 29% increase in student participation in events in the fall semester (before students went home due to COVID), as well as an increase in participation in Meatless Mondays.
Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.