| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 62.26 |
| Liaison | Sean MacInnes |
| Submission Date | Feb. 14, 2022 |
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Sean
MacInnes Sustainability Specialist Office of Sustainability |
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:
UNCG's Sustainability Literacy Assessment described in AC-6 includes a number of questions regarding sustainability culture and belief. UNCG's Office of Sustainability and Sustainability Council conducted a gap analysis of our FY18 STARS submission and determined that we should create a new internal Sustainability Literacy Assessment Survey. A subcommittee on the Council was created and all members of the Council provided questions they thought should be included. The survey was developed and tested amongst the Council and Qualtrics was chosen as the distribution platform.
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:
Please rate your level of involvement in sustainability activities at UNCG.
Overall, how important is sustainability to you personally?
Overall, how important is sustainability to your likely career path?
How many sustainability-based classes have you taken at UNCG? (note: there are over 130 courses across campus that deal with sustainability in some ways.)
We use a Likert scale for the following questions from strongly agree to strongly disagree:
We are approaching the limit of the number of people the Earth can support.
Humans have the right to modify the natural environment to suit their needs.
When humans interfere with nature it often produces disastrous consequences.
Human ingenuity will ensure that we do not make the Earth unlivable.
Humans are seriously abusing the environment.
The Earth has plenty of natural resources if we just learn how to develop them.
Plants and animals have as much right as humans to exist.
The balance of nature is strong enough to cope with the impacts of modern industrial nations.
Humans were meant to rule over the rest of nature.
Humans will eventually learn enough about how nature works to be able to control it.
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
A representative sample was reached by sending the survey to all students via the Division of Student Affairs. Additionally, the survey was sent to all faculty in the Sustainability Faculty e-mail list and the faculty members of the Sustainability Council, who distributed the survey to their students. The assessments were administered via Qualtrics.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
A total of 727 students participated in the surveys that were administered over three semesters (fall 2020, spring 2021, and fall 2021). The participants included both undergraduate and graduate students from over 40 different majors across campus, and the demographics roughly mirrored those of the student population, although some demographics were slightly more represented than others (e.g., female, Caucasian). The survey questions remained consistent to obtain pre- and post-assessments.
Students demonstrated a strong understanding in several areas, and the responses were generally consistent from fall 2020 to fall 2021. For example, when comparing fall 2020 and fall 2021, the participants correctly identified:
The cause of climate change (86% in fall 2020, 88% in fall 2021)
The most significant driver of biodiversity loss (81%, 76%)
The true cost of the goods we use every day (78%, 76%)
The definition of “environmental injustice” (76%, 77%)
The ways to support workers in the global south (83%, 72%)
The most sustainable dining options on campus (66%, 63%).
Students’ understanding of some areas of sustainability was consistently low. When comparing fall 2020 and fall 2021, the lack of knowledge existed in, for example, the following areas, indicating room for intervention:
The significant contributors to the degradation of the local coastal ecosystem (29% in fall 2020, 32% in fall 2021)
What constitute “triple bottom line” (51%, 34%)
What “fair trade” means (45%, 37%)
The surveys also showed that over 65% of students felt that sustainability is extremely or very important, but many were unaware of sustainability opportunities on campus. For example, about 30% were aware of sustainability-related student clubs, 17-18% were aware of the existence of the Environmental and Sustainability academic program, and only 8-9% were aware of the Green Fund (the internal sustainability grant opportunities). Identifying these gaps serves as the first step for future interventions.
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.