University of Missouri
ER-13: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

98-item survey was developed to address MU student environmental literacy, concerns, and behaviors for use in program planning and assessment.

Self-reported environmental behavior
Environmental literacy
Environmental impact self-efficacy
Perception of peer support for environmental behavior
Perception of institutional support for environmental behavior
Emotion component of environmental behavior/environmental activism
Programming – MU specific
New Environmental Paradigm (NEP)

The assessment was administered over the period of 1-27-10 to 2-17-10 with 1,023 surveys completed over that time.

The platforms of Facebook, listserves, in-person announcements, as well as the posting on the sustainability office website were used.

Not a random sample; Self-Selection a factor.

18% of respondents reported being a member of an organization involved with environmental sustainability.

Race
78% White
7% Asian
4% International
2% African American
2 % Hispanic
2% American Indian

Gender
25% Male
75% Female

Year in School
20.49% Freshman
20.68% Sophomore
18.45% Junior
16.41% Senior
23.30% Graduate

See attached document for questions and quantitative results.

Qualitative Literacy Results:

Question 12: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement-I have a pretty good understanding of what environmental sustainability means.

*This question provides a good framework to recognize the current understanding of sustainability among the student body. In addition it provides a base for the open ended Question 24 that follows.

Question 23: How closely does the following definition resemble your definition of sustainability? "Environmental sustainability means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

*This question again provides a good framework to recognize the current understanding of sustainability among the student body. In addition it provides a base for the open ended Question 24 that follows.

Question 24 (206 Answers): Do you have a different definition of environmental sustainability?

This question asked whether respondents have a different definition of sustainability from the standard, “environmental sustainability means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This proves to be important in understanding student literacy of sustainability as a whole.

In a few cases, students pointed out the struggle of defining sustainability, as if the definition were just out of reach:

* “Sustainability has many sides, and no one definition can yet describe it.”
* “I’m not sure, but that one just doesn’t sound right.”

“My definition isn’t as human-centered. To me we shouldn’t be compromising the ability of other currently-living things to meet their own needs while we prioritize our comfort and that of our future generations. For me, environmental sustainability is about eliminating the sense of entitlement most of us feel to use the earth and its animals and resources to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. Environmental sustainability is about finding a balance between a fulfilling (but not necessarily comfortable) life for each human while respecting and allowing for other living things to fulfill their own existence.”

* “Sustainability is the capacity to endure. It is the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources.”
* “I would add, ‘making the world better than it is today.’
* I would incorporate social justice in the definition
* Maintaining the local economy and social/cultural needs

Many of the answers approached sustainability from the standpoint of what people could do to establish it. These were behaviorally based, and typically social or collectively oriented.

Sustainability is …

* Being able to coexist
* Being conscious of the way you use resources
* Compromising your own wants
* Changing Priorities
* Making Choices
* Being Pro-Active
* People working together
* Teaching others
* Understanding
* Taking Action
* Focusing our Efforts
* Changing our way of life
* Innovating
* Giving back as much as we can
* Demonstrating our responsibility
* “My definition would have more urgency to it, a responsibility to take immediate and drastic action, even if that means sacrificing convenience.”
* The practice of converting human practices that are detrimental to the environment into practices by which humans can live happily and comfortably while providing for a future environmental support system of rehabilitation.
* Functioning at a Higher Level

Another category of answers addressed ecosystems, plants and animals. These involved respect for the inherent value of other living creatures, aesthetic values, and regard for ecosystems and natural resources. These include:

* Ensuring the continued survival of the human race without compromising the existence of other species
* Meeting the needs of all the other species
* Respecting the intrinsic value of other life forms
* Maintaining the integrity of the natural environment
* Protecting our earth so it is a beautiful place
* Having little or no impact
* Maximizing the potential of our current resources
* Trying to be carbon neutral
* Reversing some of the damage

Two focused on technology:

“Managing a healthy interaction between the industrial and natural worlds … In achieving this balance industry, which is malleable, should be modified before nature, which is delicate and aging.”

“What is useful to one generation may not necessarily be useful to another generation. Using up certain resources in lieu of others simply forces this and future generations to become more innovative. Whether the innovation starts now or later will simply depend on when people have that ‘oh shit’ moment and realize that the way they are doing things won’t work forever.”

Only one student who responded to this question had a negative definition of sustainability:

“Environmental sustainability means going out of my way to do things that do not make a difference to the environment. It means inconveniencing myself and others to spend more money on “environmentally friendly” products and initiatives. It will not help future generations, only incontinence them further.”

Question 32: In the coming year, what should be MU's highest priorities in relation to environmental sustainability?

*This question enables us to get a feel for student sustainability literacy through their opinions on what the campus emphasis should focus on. There was a very strong emphasis on recycling and many specific suggestions for change, but in many respects the answers were global, including responses such as “air pollution” or “less waste.” The main topics focused on were:
*Recycling
*Air Quality
*Litter/Pollution
*Water
*Energy
*Food
*Awareness & Education
*Waste
*MU Culture
*Research
*Involvement
*Landscaping
*Transportation

Question 33: What else would you say about environmental sustainability at MU?

From this question we are able to ascertain specific responses that deal with sustainable literacy as it is very broad and allows the student to display his/her feelings. By far, the overriding answer to this question was that MU taking important steps but there is room for improvement:

“MU is making progress in the right direction, but still needs more support from the student body and the administration.”

When respondents compared MU to other universities, they presented mixed reviews, sometimes saying Mizzou is behind and sometimes far ahead of others. Provided that the vast majority of responses were encouraging, many took the opportunity to express criticism of MU, their peers, and the campus sustainability movement.

**The questions displayed here are a sample of questions that pertain to sustainability literacy and will be included in the next student survey to serve as a benchmark to illustrate whether an improvement of sustainable literacy exists on campus.**

Reports completed from survey results are available in the Sustainability Office and are available upon request.