| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 47.23 |
| Liaison | Keaton Schrank |
| Submission Date | Aug. 15, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Westminster University - Utah
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.25 / 1.00 |
Kerry
Case Environmental Director Environmental Center |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture (i.e. the assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives)?:
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:
The cultural assessment was developed and rolled out in the Spring of 2019. Westminster decided to use an already-established assessment tool developed by Zwickle and Jones at Ohio State University. The tool is called the Sustainability Attitudes Scale (SAS) by its creators.Citation: Zwickle A., Jones K. (2018) Sustainability Knowledge and Attitudes—Assessing Latent Constructs. In: Leal Filho W., Marans R., Callewaert J. (eds) Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham
The SAS is a series of statements related to sustainability, and participants are asked to rate each statement on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.
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:
1. Equal rights for all people strengthens a community
2. Community cooperation is necessary to solve social problems
3. Generally speaking consumerism is not sustainable
4. Access to clean water is a universal human right
5. I am willing to put forth a little more effort in my daily life to reduce my environmental impact
6. An unsustainable economy values personal wealth at the costs of others
7. I believe that many people can work together to solve global problems
8. Clean air is part of a good life
9. Our present consumption of natural resources will result in serious environmental challenges for future generations
10. The well-being of others affects me
11. Biological diversity in itself is good
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
A link to the assessment was sent out to faculty and staff several weeks in a row through Westminster's communication department in their "What's Happening at Westminster" email update.
The assessment was released to students via email on Earth Day, and was promoted further at Westminster's 2019 Earth Day Celebration. The link was also shared on facebook and shared via word-of-mouth.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:
Faculty/Staff: With the exception of one statement about whether consumerism is sustainable, all respondents agreed to strongly agreed with the statements. Statements on clean air, clean water, and equal rights all received over 92% as strongly agree.
Students: students showed less agreement over all, with at least some percentage strongly disagreeing with each statement. However strongly agree received the highest percentage of responses on all statements except the one relating to consumerism and sustainability. Clean air and clean water statements received the highest percentages of strongly agree.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.