Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Andy Mitchell
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

University of Illinois Chicago
ER-13: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Cynthia Klein-Banai
Associate Chancellor for Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution conducted a sustainability literacy assessment?:
Yes

Did the assessment include a baseline evaluation of students and then a follow-up evaluation of the same cohort?:
No

A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment:
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment :

For each of the following, please choose the response that you believe is most accurate.

23. At present, where does most of the energy used in the United States come from?
( ) Nuclear reactors
( ) Hydroelectric dams
( ) Solar power and wind turbines
( ) Burning of fossil fuels
( ) Unsure

24. Which of the following is not considered a major cause of global warming?
( ) The hole in the ozone layer
( ) Loss of rainforests
( ) Power plants that burn coal or oil
( ) Automobile emissions
( ) Unsure

25. The greenhouse effect is caused by a hole in the earth's atmosphere.
( ) Definitely true
( ) Probably true
( ) Not true
( ) Probably not true
( ) Definitely not true
( ) Unsure

26. What fuel source emits the most greenhouse gases?
( ) Nuclear energy
( ) Natural gas
( ) Coal
( ) Biofuels
( ) Unsure

27. Every time we use coal or oil or gas, we contribute to the greenhouse effect.
( ) Definitely true
( ) Probably true
( ) Not true
( ) Probably not true
( ) Definitely not true
( ) Unsure

28. Which one of the following is true of the world human population?
( ) Countries with the highest rates of population growth also tend to be those that consume the most resources per capita
( ) Developed countries such as Germany or the United States are among those countries with the highest rates of population growth
( ) Immigration is a key factor behind the growth in world population
( ) Growth in world population has been linked to declines in many animal and plant species
( ) Unsure

29. Increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are...
( ) ...a major cause of ozone pollution or “smog”
( ) ...a major factor in the thinning of the atmospheric ozone layer
( ) ...a major factor in climate change
( ) ...due to natural causes
( ) Unsure

30. Freshwater supplies...
( ) ...are as plentiful today as they were 100 years ago
( ) ...are diminishing throughout the world
( ) ...are threatened primarily by the presence of animal feces
( ) ...are not considered a problem in the United States
( ) Unsure

31. Biodiversity :
( ) …refers to the number and variety of species present in an ecosystem
( ) …has increased in recent years for many parts of the world
( ) …is threatened by the presence of large, nonhuman, predators (such as wolves or tigers)
( ) …has been an important goal of modern agriculture
( ) Unsure

32. The overall recycling rate (for paper, cardboard, bottles and cans) at UIC is about:.
( ) ...10%
( ) ...20%
( ) ...30%
( ) ...40%
( ) ...50%
( ) ...75%
( ) Unsure

33. How many trees does recycling one ton of paper save?
( ) 7
( ) 17
( ) 107
( ) 1017
( ) Unsure

34. UIC has recycling programs for electronics generated on campus (batteries, cell phones, computers).
( ) True
( ) False
( ) Unsure

36. Where do you get your knowledge about the environment?

Please select the top five sources of knowledge.
( ) Newspapers, magazines, or books
( ) Television programs
( ) Movies or documentaries
( ) Class(es) I took at UIC
( ) Class(es) I took elsewhere
( ) Non-curricular programs or activities you attended at UIC
( ) The internet (except UIC sites)
( ) The Office of Sustainability website or resources
( ) Books
( ) Other


A brief description of how the assessment was developed:

The questions were developed by the Associate Chancellor for Sustainability and Prof. David McKirnan, Associate Professor of Psychology using behavior psychological survey methodology and environmental behavior surveys. The survey included questions about behavior, knowledge, information sources, campus sustainability, etc.


A brief description of how the assessment was administered:

An on-line survey was conducted of all faculty and a sampling of undergraduate freshman and seniors, as well as a sample of alumni. The link to the survey was emailed directly to them.


A brief summary of results from the assessment:

The results are still being compiled.


The website URL where information about the literacy assessment is available:
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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.