Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.42
Liaison Austin Sutherland
Submission Date Feb. 18, 2025

STARS v2.2

University of Pennsylvania
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Yes

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

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Longitudinally to measure change over time

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

Penn’s Climate Change Survey is designed to collect information about the Penn community’s understanding of climate change and sustainability, as well as their attitudes, beliefs, and opinions about the University’s operations and academic offerings related to the environment.  Building on the momentum of establishing Academic Climate Commitments for Penn’s 12 Schools, each of Penn’s schools issued the climate literacy survey to its students. The survey can be conducted every two years and will inform educational interventions while allowing the schools to track progress. The survey was developed by the Penn Sustainability Office and the Environmental Innovations Initiative and was reviewed by leadership at each of Penn’s schools.


A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
Penn_Climate_Change_Survey_10.9.2023.pdf

A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
What is your level of familiarity with Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0?
How important is it for you that Penn prioritizes sustainability and climate action in its day-to-day operations?
Do you feel you know where to go to learn about on-campus climate and sustainability efforts?
Do you feel you know where to go to learn about academic and experiential offerings related to the environment?
Which of these motivates you to engage in sustainable behaviors? Select all that apply.
Family; Friends; Protecting human health and well-being; Protecting animals and ecosystems; Saving money; Supporting social justice; Concerns about my future; Concerns about the future of others; It’s the right thing to do or to make the world a better place; Education in the classroom; Informal education such as community service or learning on my own; None of these; I’m not interested in sustainability; Other – something not listed
Please rank the following sustainability topics according to what is most important to you, personally 
Academic offerings; Building design and efficiency; Community service-type offerings; Food and dining; Gardening and urban agriculture; Internships or other paid experiences; Purchasing practices; Renewable energy; Stormwater management; Sustainable transportation systems; Waste, recycling, composting

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

The survey was distributed to all students directly from each of the schools' deans. 


A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:

53% of survey respondents were somewhat familiar with Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, and only 8% of respondents felt that it was not important or slightly important for Penn to prioritize sustainability and climate action in its day-to-day operation.


Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
https://upenn.app.box.com/s/t999kebyfrwxos6iw5bphxpfog5kwyhp

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.