| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.84 |
| Liaison | Morgan Hartman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 12, 2022 |
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Morgan
Hartman Recycling Coordinator FMO |
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 Office of Sustainability did a brief survey of how other AASHE members had developed their cultural assessments. The Office of Sustainability then tailored it to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for our first ever sustainability cultural assessment survey in 2019.
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:
Culture, Attitude and Behavior Questions
6. List two words that come to your mind when you hear the word sustainability (open ended)
7. How often do you engage in each of the following sustainability practices on-campus. [combine 7.1-7.5 into one grid question]
7.1. Recycle:
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
7.2. Turn lights off when leaving your office or room
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
7.3. Limit food waste
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
7.4. Use re-useable bags
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
7.5. Attend sustainability-related events on campus
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
8. How often do you buy products that are sustainably sourced or produced locally?
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Often
e. Always
f. Don’t know
9. Do you learn about sustainability ideas and practices from the following sources? [yes/no grid]
a. My academic program/major
b. My department
c. My college
d. My faculty advisor
e. Student club activities
f. Local community organizations
g. Other, please specify:
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? [combine 10-15 into one grid]
10. It is important to me that the campus leadership makes sustainability a top priority.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
11. Practicing sustainability behavior like recycling, car-pooling, turning lights off, buying local is important to me.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
12. I believe I have the ability to advocate for sustainability practices, ideas and projects at UNL.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
13. If I had a sustainability project in mind, I know whom to contact to see it implemented.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
14. I know about the Office of Sustainability at UNL.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
15. I know about the ASUN Green Fund.
a. Strongly disagree
b. Somewhat disagree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Somewhat agree
e. Strongly agree
16. Should UNL pursue each of the following sustainability initiatives? [yes/no grid]
a. Additional recycling opportunities
b. Additional recycling education
c. On-campus composting
d. Zero waste events
e. More courses related to sustainably
f. Alternative modes of transportation
g. Accessibility to alternative modes of transportation
h. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
i. Adopt a climate action plan and/or sustainability master plan to guide UNL’s sustainability efforts
17. Which of the following barriers apply to you when it comes to participating in sustainability-related efforts at UNL? [yes/no grid]
a. I do not have enough time to participate
b. I do not know what I can do to help
c. I do not feel as though my participation is encouraged by my academic program
d. I do not feel as though my participation will make a difference
e. Sustainability is not a high priority at UNL
f. Sustainability is not a high priority for me
g. The cost to participate is too high
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
A random sample of 9,000 UNL faculty, staff, and students was used for this survey. Human resources provided the sample of 1,000 faculty members and 1,000 staff members. The University Registrar provided the sample of 2,677 on-campus students and 4,323 off-campus students. The faculty sample utilized a proportionate stratified sampling approach.
The data collection process involved three email contacts. The survey invitation emails were sent out to all of the randomly selected faculty, staff, and students on February 12, 2019. On February 21, 2019, the first reminder email was sent to all non-respondents. The final reminder email was sent on February 27, 2019 to all remaining non-responders.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
• Most faculty, staff and students commute to campus via “alone in car”
• While most believe they have the ability to advocate for sustainability projects, they don’t know who to approach to actually implement them
• Faculty, staff and students are still unaware of the Office of Sustainability (81%, 64% respectively)
• Around 80 percent of faculty, staff and students want campus leadership to make sustainability a top priority
• The top five sustainability initiatives faculty, staff and students want the university to pursue are: recycling, reducing CO2 emissions, providing alternate modes of transportation, creating a climate action master plan and composting.
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.