Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 71.75
Liaison Cindy Shea
Submission Date July 24, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Cindy Shea
Director, Sustainability Office
Campus Enterprises
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire campus community (students, staff and faculty), directly or by representative sample

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples of the same population

A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:

The assessment was developed by a team of staff and consultants in 2015. More than 400 people responded.


A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
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A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:

Sample questions included: "How do you define sustainability? (in a few words or a sentence)"; "Which of the following sustainability goals at UNC Chapel Hill are you aware of? (check all that apply) 1. Become climate neutral (produce zero net greenhouse gas emissions) by 2050 2. Stop using coal at the combined heat and power (cogeneration) plant by 2020 3. Reduce energy use in existing campus building by 30% in 2015 (relative to 2003) 4. Board of Trustees resolution on clean technology investment 5. Leadership in diversity and value in public higher education"
https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d1kbMuswfhhi0lv


A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:

An informational email with a link to the survey was sent to the entire campus and to the sustainability listserv.


A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:

More than 400 respondents evaluated the perception and performance of UNC's sustainability initiatives. The priority sustainability issues for respondents followed the patterns of awareness and participation–tangible, resource related topics at the top and less tangible, engagement or education related topics among the lower priorities or perceived barriers to sustainability. The survey also found that the priority and definition of sustainability is ambiguous, that audience engagement varies between students, faculty, and staff, and that resources were perceived as a the primary barrier by staff.


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:
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