| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 77.43 |
| Liaison | Elida Erickson |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2022 |
University of California, Santa Cruz
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Elida
Erickson Sustainability Director Sustainability Office |
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 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 focused on:
1. Participation in 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 Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, and a few fill-in-the-blank question types. Demographic information about students is collected from university admissions databases and is linked through their UCSC CruzID.
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:
Sample questions from 2016 survey:
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 the 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?
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
2016 survey: 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 from March 8th until April 10th, 2016.
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 were tabling in various campus locations with laptops to encourage students to take the survey.
The 2019 survey adopted a similar approach, methodology and timeline to the 2016 survey.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
2016 survey: There was a 21% response rate to the 2016 survey, or 3,266 students.
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.
2019 survey:
In the Spring of 2019, the second iteration of the PoCSC survey was administered with 2,546 undergraduate participants. The noteworthy findings from the 2016 and 2019 PoCSC survey were turned into five infographics with the following themes: (1) Environmental Health Threats; (2) Race and Environmental Justice at UCSC; (3) Growing Environmental Concerns at UCSC; (4) “Environmental Belief Paradox”; and (5) Diversity and Sustainability Definitions. Each infographic highlighted crucial findings (see link in AASHE hub with infographic attachments).
With the “Environmental Health Threats” infographics, it was found that overall, 49% of respondents said that someone in their immediate family (including themselves) suffers from environmentally-caused health problems. Within the 49%, students of color have environmentally-caused health problems compared to white non-Hispanic students.
Within the “Race and Environmental Justice at UCSC” infographic, it was found that housing insecurity, food insecurity, lack of greenspace, and toxic waste were the most prevalent among students of color over white non-Hispanic students.
Within the “Growing Environmental Concerns at UCSC” infographic, it was found that when comparing survey findings from 2016 to 2019, students shared more concern around environmental issues. The topics fit into categories such as: environmental equity, sustainable infrastructure, and land and resource use. In 2016, water conservation, renewable energy/waste reduction, and transportation were the top three concerns. In 2019, environmental health, renewable energy/waste reduction, and conservation/water conservations were the top environmental concerns.
Within the “Environmental Belief Paradox” infographic, it was found that environmental issues are important to UCSC students as a whole, across race, not just among white non-Hispanic students. Pearson et al. (2018) introduces the idea of the “Environmental Belief Paradox” as people of color report higher levels of environmental concerns than whites in a national survey, which pushes back to the mainstream idea that “environmentalists” are white and wealthy.
Within the “Diversity and Sustainability Definitions” infographic, it was found that students of color and white non-Hispanic students rank ordered definitions of sustainability the same. There is a plurality, not a majority, of preferences among sustainability definitions.
Our survey results point to the need for more curricular/co-curricular programming to further learn about Indigenous peoples' and non-industrialized countries' views about environmental sustainability, expanding the range of perspectives conveyed. A central mission of PoCSC is to expand exposure to environmental epistemologies beyond those which are traditionally privileged.
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.