Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.54
Liaison C Jane Hagen
Submission Date Sept. 3, 2024

STARS v2.2

Virginia Commonwealth University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 1.00 C Jane Hagen
Sustainability Data Analyst
Sustainability
"---" 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::
A subset of the campus community or a sample that may not be representative of the entire community

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:

VCU Sustainability created this cultural assessment in 2023 to gauge sustainability knowledge and interest across the university. This was drafted through research of other cultural assessments and specific information we hoped to learn about the VCU community.


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:

 

  1. Please indicate your level of awareness of VCU sustainability initiatives.

 

  1. How aware are you of the VCU Sustainability Urban Gardens program?

 

  1. How aware are you of VCU Rambikes?

 

  1. How often do you conscientiously choose food based on its impacts (fairtrade, pesticide free, local etc.)?

 

  1. How often do you minimize purchases that are not environmentally friendly (Styrofoam packaging, single use disposables etc.)?

 

  1. How often do you recycle?

 

  1. Sustainability on campus is important to me.

 

  1. I have the ability to advocate for sustainable projects at VCU.

 

  1. VCU should devote more financial resources to sustainability projects.

 

  1. What are the top three most important sustainability initiatives VCU should pursue?

    • Zero waste events

    • Alternative Transportation

    • Energy efficiency upgrades

    • Composting and food waste reduction

    • On- and off-campus renewable energy

    • Environmentally friendly purchasing

    • Pesticide and herbicide reduction

    • Divestment from fossil fuel industries

    • Improving recycling infrastructure, signage and messaging

    • Water use reduction initiatives and infrastructure


 


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

The survey was administered through RedCap, VCU's survey platform. The survey was posted in the VCU TeleGram, a daily email delivered to all VCU students, faculty, and staff.


A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:

The surveys themselves have value in informing students, and the data from the surveys influences how the VCU Sustainability moves forward with new and existing initiatives. This assessment also allowed our office to focus our marketing on the programs that are least known by students and employees.


Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
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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.