University of California, Santa Cruz
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

The People of Color Sustainability Collective (PoCSC), a partnership between the Ethnic Resource Centers, residential Colleges Nine and Ten, and the Campus Sustainability Office, developed the survey with the assistance of UCSC’s Institutional Research, Assessment & Policy Studies. The purpose of the survey is to better understand student experiences and perceptions of the environmental sustainability movement and climate on our campus, as well as general knowledge of sustainability. The following are the different sections the survey focuses on: 1. Participation in sustainability organizations and programs 2. Perceptions of campus priorities 3. In-class learning experience 4. Personal experiences and suggestions 5. Student knowledge about key concepts related to environmental sustainability The survey used linkert scales, multiple choice questions, and a few fill in the blank question types. Demographic information about students is collected from university admissions databases and was linked through their UCSC CruzID.

Prior to attending UCSC, have you participated in environmental sustainability-related organizations and programs?  Yes, I was an active member (regularly attended meetings and had responsibilities)  Yes, I participated in events but was not an active member  No, I did not participate in such organizations or programs What were your reasons for joining those projects or programs at UCSC? Select all that apply. What have been the most valuable aspects of your experience participating in environmental sustainability-related projects and programs at UCSC? Through your participation in campus organizations, clubs, and programs on the environment and sustainability, to what extent have you learned about the following issues (Never/Seldom/Sometimes): Often Race and class-based inequalities in the USA Race and class-based inequalities globally American Indian/Indigenous people’s (original inhabitants of a place) views on environment and sustainability Biodiversity (ecology, restoration, protected areas, conservation, etc.) Impact on human life (health, food, housing, etc.) Based on what you know about student organizations and programs, including academic, research, and community services, please evaluate the importance of each issue to the campus: Environmental Health (including asthma, cancer, toxic exposures, chemical exposures in the workplace, access to clean water) Agroecology (a sustainable farming method that mimics natural systems and does not use synthetic chemicals) Conservation of Natural Resources & Protection of Biodiversity and Habitats Access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food Environmental Justice (including rights of American Indians/Indigenous People, equitable distribution of land and resources, equitable environmental policy making) What is your level of agreement or disagreement with the following: Environmental sustainability is important on this campus Environmental sustainability is important to me Students of all (racial) ethnic backgrounds participate in environmental sustainability-related activities at UCSC Students of my (racial) ethnic background participate in environmental sustainability-related activities at UCSC Students of all social (class) backgrounds participate in environmental sustainability-related activities at UCSC Students of my social (class) background participate in environmental sustainability-related activities at UCSC Have you taken any courses at UCSC that focus on the environment or sustainability? Select all that apply. You indicated that you have NOT taken any courses that focus on the environment or sustainability. Please explain why in the space below. Do you plan to take courses about the environment or sustainability before you graduate? What kind of courses about the environment or sustainability are you considering taking? To what extent have you learned about the following issues in your courses on the environment or sustainability (through readings, lectures, class discussions): Race and class-based inequalities in the USA Race and class-based inequalities globally American Indian/Indigenous people’s (original inhabitants of a place) views on environment and sustainability Non-industrialized countries’ views on environment and sustainability Biodiversity (ecology, restoration, protected areas, conservation, etc.) Impact on human life (health, food, housing, etc.) Have you done a research paper, an issue/position paper, or creative project where you focused on race and class-based inequalities related to sustainability or environment Please rate your understanding of the following issues when you started at this campus and now. Environment and sustainability-related issues when you started here Environment and sustainability-related issues now Race and class-based inequalities in the history and current debates on environment and sustainability when you started here Race and class-based inequalities in the history and current debates on environment and sustainability now To what extent have environmental health threats impacted the community you belonged to before coming to UCSC? Do you or does anyone in your immediate family suffer from environmentally caused health problems? (ex: asthma, respiratory problems, lead poisoning, etc.) How many hours per week did you work for pay (including work-study) during Winter quarter? At your workplace, do you learn about or help others learn about environmental sustainability? In the space provided, briefly explain what you do at your workplace to learn or help others learn about environmental sustainability. Have you participated in community service related to environmental sustainability? In the space provided, briefly explain your community service experience. What do you think student organizations can do to increase student participation in environmental sustainability programs on campus? What do you think the faculty, staff and administration can do to increase student participation in environmental sustainability programs on campus?

All UCSC undergraduates received emails distributed by a campus-wide server with a description of the survey and a link to access the survey. The survey was open for almost a month. To encourage participation, students who participated in the survey were entered in a raffle to win an iPad Air or $50 gift cards to our campus bookstore. Academic deans and department chairs were asked to encourage professors in their departments to remind their students to take the survey or offer extra credit for participating. Student interns conducted outreach in high traffic campus locations with laptops to encourage participation.

UCSC is a hub of environmental activity: half of UCSC students participated in environmental sustainability programs and/or were members of environmental organizations. White non-hispanic (WNH) participated at a slightly higher rate compared to Asian American and Hispanic/Latino students by 3-7%, and no significant ethnic group difference was found in the rates of membership. While one’s ethnicity was not a predictor of participation in the environmental movement on campus, one of the strongest predictors was majoring in Environmental Studies (5.2 times more likely to participate in sustainability programs or organizations, and 6.3 times more likely to be a member of a sustainability organization). It is noteworthy that WNH students constituted 33% of undergraduates and 51% of Environmental Studies majors (the largest of such disparities among Social Sciences majors). Prior engagement with sustainability efforts before college, being concerned about environmental issues, attending a residential college with an environmental theme, being a transfer student or senior, being female, and also having experienced community health concerns were also significant predictors of student involvement in sustainability efforts. When asked for their perceptions of which racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups participate in environmental sustainability related activities on campus, 92% and 90% of WNH students stated that peers of their ethnic background and class background, respectively, do. This is much higher than the response of PoC (about 74-78%). We found that 19% of WNH students and 26% of students of color disagreed that “students of all ethnic backgrounds participate in environmental sustainability related activities at UCSC,” a statistically significant difference. Given that only half of students participate across ethnic groups, these results may be indicative of students’ shared agreement that student participation campus-wide, across ethnic groups could further increase. The vast majority of students, participants and non-participants, strongly expressed the importance of environmental and environmental justice issues. There were differences between the groups in terms of specific issues: mainstream environmental concerns such as conservation of biodiversity were rated more important to WNH students (and these students report learning more about such issues), while environmental justice issues such as food access were rated more important to PoC. Overall, the results resoundingly attest to how PoC and WNH students at UCSC feel that environmental sustainability issues are important, both to them personally and to the institution. Our survey results point to the need for more curricular/co-curricular programming to further learning about Indigenous peoples’ and non-industrialized countries’ views about environmental sustainability, expanding the range of perspectives conveyed. This is a central mission of PoCSC: to expand exposure to environmental epistemologies beyond those which are traditionally privileged.