| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.17 |
| Liaison | Emily Vollmer |
| Submission Date | May 16, 2024 |
Virginia Tech
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Nathan
King Sustainability Manager Facilities |
"---"
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::
Longitudinally to measure change over time
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
The cultural assessment was developed by office of sustainability staff in tandem with the sustainability literacy assessment. It was deployed December 2023 for use during the spring semester via Google Forms. A follow up survey will be sent out at the end of the semester in late April 2024 in order to measure change over time.
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:
See attached document.
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The assessments were administered through Google Forms and was made available to Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff by being posted on the office of sustainability website. Furthermore, it was distributed via email through our Climate Action Sustainability and Energy Committee (CASEC) to representatives from several different departments across campus including business, engineering, natural resources, agriculture, student affairs, liberal arts, etc.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
The goal of this assessment was to determine the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the campus community in regards to climate and various sustainability initiatives. Virginia Tech has made tremendous advances in sustainability over the past decade, and we wanted to determine how effective we were in making sure the community was aware of this. We also encourage and seek their participation at the grass roots level. The intent is to use this approach in the future to assess changes over time.
Results of the survey show that 90% of respondents felt they were at least moderately familiar with Virginia Tech's Climate Action Commitment, sustainability policies, programs, and procedures. A majority of respondents believe climate change is real and that their personal choices/actions do matter. However, a majority of respondents were skeptical or not sure that VT actually recycles materials properly. There was also an increase in the amount of respondents saying they were part of a sustainability club or organization compared to the 2020 assessment.
Results of the survey show that 90% of respondents felt they were at least moderately familiar with Virginia Tech's Climate Action Commitment, sustainability policies, programs, and procedures. A majority of respondents believe climate change is real and that their personal choices/actions do matter. However, a majority of respondents were skeptical or not sure that VT actually recycles materials properly. There was also an increase in the amount of respondents saying they were part of a sustainability club or organization compared to the 2020 assessment.
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:
While not part of this particular submission, the Office of Sustainability partnered with an Honors College class in fall 2022 to develop a survey and report: "Investigating Environmental Values and Barriers to Sustainable Behavior at Virginia Tech". This assessment has also been used by the office to further enhance our programming, outreach, and decision-making.
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.