| Overall Rating | Platinum - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.01 |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Connecticut
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Richard
Miller Director Ofice of Environmental Policy |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture (i.e. the assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives)?:
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 questions in the survey were written to test for a variety of different topics under the umbrella of environmental/sustainability culture at UConn, ranging from what students believe to be the most important sustainability issue on campus to types of items that they recycle. The process of creating the survey included drafting many questions, and then choosing a select group of these to include in the survey, in order to have a sample representative of many different categories of sustainability culture.
We also included the four questions that align us with the survey administered around the world by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. This way we can compare our campus to other groups around the world, and possibly contribute to the body of research the Yale program is creating.
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 brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The Office of Sustainability began surveying the UConn student body in 2004 in order to gauge the level of environmental awareness and knowledge in the student population. The survey has taken place every other year since 2004. The 2019 round of the survey was released in the UConn Student Daily Digest, so participation was open to 100 percent of the student body on a volunteer basis. The most recent survey results saw the most responses from freshman students, followed by senior students.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:
Every other year the OS sends out an environmental awareness survey to see how well our office is handling UConn’s important environmental issues. We design questions to determine which areas of sustainability are most important to UConn students and faculty. We received 657 responses from the 2019 survey. Key findings from the 2019 Environmental Awareness Survey include:
• 54% of undergraduate respondents believe the most important environmental initiative on campus is investing in renewable energy or waste minimization through recycling
• 83% of undergraduate respondents were confident that they know how to properly recycle plastic, glass, aluminum cans, and paper products at UConn
• 76% of undergraduate respondents feel that UConn has made them care more about environmental issues
• 88% of undergraduate respondents believe climate change will do a great deal of harm to future generations of people
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.