Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 76.52
Liaison Maria Kirrane
Submission Date July 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Maria Kirrane
Sustainability Officer
Office of the Director of Buildings and Estates
"---" 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:

‘Build Back Better’
In 2021, As part of Build Back better, UCC's first Climate Assembly a survey was issued to all staff and all students. The survey was structured around the targets and indicators of the UCC Sustainability Strategy. This enabled us to effectively illustrate the progress and challenges which are impacting successful sustainability citizenship within the UCC community. The survey covered attitudes toward sustainability and their impression of sustainability action on campus. The survey also sought to determine what sort of future actions staff and students would like the university to undertake.

Sustainability & Wellbeing
In December 2021, The School of Applied Psychology in collaboration with the UCC Green Campus programme undertook a survey to assess the relationships between green space on campus, space design and student wellbeing. The survey also sought to understand how student values toward sustainability influenced behaviour on campus. The results of this survey are not yet available.


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:

A copy of the questions asked in the Build Back Better Survey are attached.

Examples of the questions asked in the Sustainability & Wellbeing Survey are below. This is not the complete list of questions. Please note that most questions allowed for a scaled response:

- When you were on Campus, how often on average did you spend your time outdoors, in green areas and natural spaces, doing the following activities? Physical activity or sports; studying or working; socializing; relaxing; other (specify)

- How many times have you been outdoors in green areas and natural places on your Campus in the last 14 days?

- I always find beauty in nature

- I always treat nature with respect

- Being in nature makes me very happy

- Spending time in nature is very important to me

- I find being in nature really amazing

- I feel part of nature

- I am taking more time to notice and engage with everyday nature (e.g., listening to birdsong, noticing butterflies)

- I recycle when I am on Campus

- I use disposable cups when I am on Campus

- I avoid to drive to the Campus

- I eat plant-based food when I am on Campus

- I volunteer with a conservation organisation in habitat management work

- I volunteer with a conservation organisation in another area not mentioned above (e.g. fundraising, education, etc.)

- I participate in organised clean-up events

- When I see litter, I pick it up

- I vote for nature or wildlife conservation friendly legislation in local or national referendums/votes/etc

- I attend local council/local authority meetings about nature conservation issues

- I sign petitions supporting nature conservation efforts

- I get in touch with local authorities on nature conservation issues

- I vote for parties/ candidates with strong pro-nature conservation policies in elections


A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:

‘Build Back Better’
The survey was issued to all staff via the ‘All Exchange Users’ function on the server.
The survey was issued to all students via the Student’s Union monthly mail shot.
Both Surveys were shared on UCC Green Campus and UCC EnviroSoc Social Media Channels

Green Space & Wellbeing
The survey was issued to all students via the student surveys email list server. The survey was shared on the School of Applied Psychology & UCC Green Campus Social Media Accounts.


A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:

The outcome of the Build Back Better Survey contributed to the production of the final report for the Build Back Better Climate Assembly, including a suite of recommendations for University Management. The report is available here:

https://www.ucc.ie/en/greencampus/news/build-back-better---ucc-climate-assembly-.html

The rsults of the Green Space & Wellbeing Survey are not yet available.


Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
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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.