University of Nevada Las Vegas
ER-13: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

UNLV Student Sustainability Literacy Survey Thank you for participating in the UNLV Student Sustainability Literacy Survey. The purpose of the survey is to understand the ideas and opinions of UNLV students about sustainability topics on and off campus. Your participation is completely voluntary. Your responses will be strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. The survey is sponsored by the UNLV Urban Sustainability Initiative. The first few questions ask for your thoughts on sustainability. How familiar are you with the term “sustainability?” ____ Very familiar ____ Somewhat familiar ____ Not very familiar ____ Not at all familiar Thinking about the term sustainability, please check 3 items from the list below that best express what sustainability means to you. ____ Conservation/Recycling/Preserving ____ How long something lasts ____ Maintaining something ____ Having enough of something adequate ____ Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their needs ____ Balance: people matter, economy matter, environment matter ____ Humans living within limits of the natural environment ____ Being stewards of our own health means being stewards of the environment ____ Environmental/natural resources ____ Other, please describe: ____________________________________________________________ For the next set of questions, refer to the following list, and for each topic, mark if you are very familiar, somewhat familiar, not very familiar, or not all familiar. ____ Very Familiar ____ Somewhat familiar ____ Not very Familiar ____ Not at all familiar ____ Economic growth and diversification ____ Renewable Energy ____ Water supply ____ Close-knit community ____ Labor training ____ Air pollution ____ Public gathering places ____ Affordable housing ____ Land use ____ Access to health care ____ Racial & gender equity ____ Fair trade ____ Traffic and congestion ____ Alternative transportation ____ Poverty ____ Safety and Security ____ Energy Conservation Please read the following list of statements and mark it you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree? Sustainability includes social, environmental, and economic factors. My knowledge of sustainability has increased since enrolling at UNLV ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree My knowledge of sustainability affects how I live my life. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree My knowledge of sustainability issues affects my purchasing choices. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree My knowledge of sustainability issues affects how much energy I use. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree My knowledge of sustainability issues affects my choice of academic major. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree My knowledge of sustainability affects my career and professional goals. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree I am aware of UNLV's commitment to green buildings, turf reduction, retrofitting, and recycling. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree I want to learn more about sustainability at UNLV. ____ Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly disagree The next set of questions asks about your activities. Thinking of your ON CAMPUS activities, which have you done in the last 30-days to reduce energy? (Check as many as apply to you.) ____ Turn off unused lights in a classroom ____ Recycled on campus ____ Printed your paper double sided ____ Decline a bag ____ Reusable bottles or mugs ____ Take the stairs instead of elevator ____ Taken alternative transportation to class such as carpool, bus, bicycle Thinking of your OFF CAMPUS activities, which have you done in the last 30-days to reduce energy? (Check as many as apply to you.) ____ Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs ____ Turned off the water while brushing teeth/shave ____ Recycled ____ Washed clothes in cold water ____ Unplugged application to eliminate 'ghost' power use ____ Used alternative transportation such as bus or bike ____ Purchase energy star unit Which best explains any personal motivation on your part for becoming involved in sustainability type behavior? ____ I don't participate in sustainability type behavior ____ It's the right thing to do to make the world a better place ____ Save money ____ Protecting human health ____ Friend influence How do you typically hear about UNLV events and activities? (Check as many as apply to you.) ____ By Rebelmail ____ Campus flyers ____ UNLV website ____ Social Networkings such as. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc ____ UNLV Instructors/Professors ____ Other UNLV students This final set of questions asks about your background. What is your academic major(s): ___________________________ What is your present class standing: ____Freshman ____Sophomore ____Junior ____Senior What is your gender: ____Female ____Male Do you consider yourself primarily: ____White or Caucasian ____Hispanic or Latino/a ____Black or African America ____American Indian ____Asian ____Pacific Islander ____Other (please specify): _______________________ How would you describe your political orientation: ____Conservative ____Moderate ____Liberal ____None of these

Students were asked to rate their familiarity with sustainability topics. The topics were chosen from the Urban Sustainability Initiative website (http://urban21.unlv.edu).

The survey was conducted in mid-February of 2011. It was a web-based survey created on Surveymonkey. Professors and instructors asked their students to take the survey from the following general education courses: ENG 101, HIST 101, MATH 124, SOC 101, and GEO 101. Students from the Solar & Renewable Energy Minor and ENV 101 were also asked to participate in the survey. An invitation to the survey was also sent through Rebel Announcements Via Email (RAVE). A total of 103 students completed the survey.

Students were asked about their familiarity with the term “sustainability.” The majority (49%) of students from our sample were “somewhat familiar” with sustainability and 35% of the students were “very familiar” with sustainability. Students were given a set of sustainability definitions and asked to rate the best, second best, and third best descriptions in their opinion. The highest rated definition was: “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their needs” (31.7%). Students were most familiar with the following topics: renewable energy (78.78%), traffic and congestion (78%), racial and gender equity (77.77%), and recreation (74%). Students were not familiar with the following topics: labor training (50%), health care (33%), the best land-use (35.35%), and affordable housing (32.32%). Overall, students have are familiar with the topics.