Western Michigan University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

1. Please indicate your level of awareness of the Office for Sustainability. 2. Have you ever been to the Office for Sustainability? 3. Did you take the Student Sustainability Survey last year? 4. Are you interested in working on campus sustainability projects? 5. Are you aware that you paid an $8.00 Sustainability Fee this semester along with your tuition? 6. Have you received a free EcoMug? 7. How would you rank the following campus initiatives? 8. How would you rank the following food-related initiatives on campus? 9. How would you rank the following pollution-prevention initiatives on campus? 10. How would you rank the following initiatives for sustainability across the curriculum? 11. If we did not touch on an area or project that interests you, please name and briefly describe it/them in the box below. 12. Which of the following is a resource that is renewable on the scale of your lifetime? (oil, iron ore, trees, coal, don’t know) 13. Ozone forms a protective layer in the earth’s upper atmosphere. What does ozone protect us from? 14. On July 25, 2010, the Kalamazoo river experienced one of the largest pollution events in its history. What was the source of the pollution? 15. Michigan contains a number of wetlands. What is the primary benefit of wetlands? 16. PCBs, a toxic chemical, can be found in very low levels in the Great Lakes. The PCBs are absorbed by small shellfish that live in the water. Which will have the highest concentration of PCBs? 17. For a person to get the most food energy out of 100 pounds of vegetables or grain, the person should… 18. Fragmentation and destruction of habitats threatens the survival of thousands of plant and animal species worldwide. Which of the following answers contributes most to habitat loss? 19. Which of the following sectors is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States? 20. How many people in the world were forced into slavery to produce the goods owned by a typical American today? 21. If a single lily pad, starting at the first of the month, began doubling on a pond each day until the pond was covered completely at the end of the 30 days, on what day would the pond be ¼ covered? 22. When did the global population of humans reach 1 billion? 23. The environment provides a variety of free services to humans which are called ecosystem services. These services provide the cleaning of air and water, food and fiber production, climate regulation, and spiritual benefits. What is the current state of the world’s ecosystem services? 24. The City of Kalamazoo has the __________ highest per capita poverty rate in the United States? 25. Which is being lost at a faster rate? 26. 40% of the world’s wealth is controlled by what percentage of the world’s population? 27. I expect my quality of life (overall wellbeing—happiness, emotional wellbeing, amount of free time, access to healthcare, access to nature, etc.) to be _____________my parents when I am their age. 28. To what extent do you believe that the topics addressed above impact your and future generations quality of life? 29. Which of the following best characterizes your vision of the core focus of sustainability? 30. While studying at Western Michigan University, how many courses have you taken that address the topics presented in this survey? 31. "I am happy with how Sustainability Fee monies are being allocated and managed." 32. "My concerns regarding how to spend the Sustainability Fee are being adequately heard and addressed." 33. What is your gender? 34. What is your student classification? 35. How many years have you attended WMU? 36. Please select your college(s) from the following list. 37. How did you hear about this survey?

Graduate and undergraduate students worked with Office for Sustainability staff. The team reviewed existing surveys from other higher education institutions. A research-based custom survey was pilot-tested with Office employees.

The online assessment was paired with the annual Student Sustainability Survey. The entire student body was invited to take the survey using advertisements across all standard university communication platforms. Minor prizes were offered and awarded to randomly selected participants. There were 1346 participants (84% undergraduate and 16% graduate students).

See uploaded questions with results above.

The Office for Sustainability researched, developed, and pilot tested our first WMU sustainability literacy assessment during the Fall of 2013.