Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Jenny Isler
Submission Date March 1, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Clark University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Jenny Isler
Director of Sustainability
Physical Plant / Facilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students (i.e. an assessment focused on student knowledge of sustainability topics and challenges)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire (or predominate) student body, directly or by representative sample

Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
Standalone evaluation without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples

A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
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A sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:

INTRODUCTORY TEXT

Welcome Thank you for taking Sustainable Clark’s Green Mentality Survey! Please read the information below and click "Next" to continue to the survey.

About the survey
This survey is administered by Sustainable Clark. The information collected will be used to help Sustainable Clark better serve its mission of being a resource and collaborator for sustainability at Clark.

You will be asked a few demographic questions as well as questions related to your thoughts and feelings about sustainability in general and at Clark. Following the main portion of the survey, you will have the option to provide additional feedback to Sustainable Clark. The survey should take you less than 10 minutes to complete.

If you have questions about the survey and/or want to learn more about sustainability initiatives and events at Clark, please contact Jenny Isler, the Director of Sustainable Clark at sustainableclarkga@clarku.edu or visit Sustainable Clark’s webpage.

Your responses will remain anonymous and cannot be traced to individual participants. To ensure your privacy, please do not put any identifying information in the open-ended questions. We feel there are no inherent risks with taking this survey. This survey is voluntary and no compensation will be provided. You may choose not to participate, and if you wish to drop out of the study at any time or leave any questions unanswered, you are free to do so.

This study has been approved by the Clark Committee for the Rights of Human Participants in Research and Training Programs (IRB). Any questions about human rights issues should be directed to the IRB Chair, Dr. James P. Elliott 508-793-7152.


Q1 Please indicate your current standing at Clark University:
 Undergraduate student
 Graduate student (full-time, part-time, ADP/5th year, Masters and PhD)
 Staff
 Faculty
 Administration

Q2a Please indicate your year: (select one)
 First year
 Second year
 Third year
 Fourth year

Q2b Please indicate your course(s) of study:

Q2c Please tell us what program you are in:

Q2d Please tell us what department you work in:

Q2e Please tell us what department you work in:

Q2f Please tell us what department you work in:


Q3 Please indicate how familiar you are with the following: Select as many as apply

I have never heard of it. I have heard of it. It is one of my top interests. I have studied/taught it.
Climate change    
Renewable/alternative energy    
Resilience    
Alternative transportation    
Local/organic food; food systems    
Zero waste    
Compost and recycling    
Sustainable consumption    
Environmental justice    
Biodiversity    
Water resources/issues    

Q4 While these issues are all important and interconnected, for the purpose of this survey, please indicate which sustainability issues are MOST and LEAST important to you.
Click, hold, drag & drop up to 4 issues into each box. You can reorder as you go by dragging and dropping again.
MOST Important LEAST Important
______ Climate change ______ Climate change
______ Renewable/alternative energy ______ Renewable/alternative energy
______ Resilience ______ Resilience
______ Alternative transportation ______ Alternative transportation
______ Local/organic food; food systems ______ Local/organic food; food systems
______ Zero waste ______ Zero waste
______ Compost and recycling ______ Compost and recycling
______ Sustainable consumption ______ Sustainable consumption
______ Environmental justice ______ Environmental justice
______ Biodiversity ______ Biodiversity
______ Water resources/issues ______ Water resources/issues

Q5 Please answer the following five statements:
Select one response for each statement
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
I am familiar with sustainability at Clark.     
Clark does a good job of making landscape/grounds sustainable.     
Clark does a good job of making buildings sustainable.     
Clark does a good job of supporting sustainability initiatives and projects.     
It is easier for me to be sustainable at Clark than at home.     


Q23 Which of these initiatives are you familiar with?
Select all that apply and click "Next" to continue
 Clark’s Climate Action Plan (CAP)
 Clark's recycling and compost program
 The Local Root farmstand
 The Community Thrift Store
 Net Impact Clark Chapters
 The community garden
 Bike share program
 Green student clubs (EcoReps, Clark Sustainability Collaborative, EcoLiaisons, etc)
 Clark Earth Week
 Climate Change Teach-In/New Earth Conversation
 Real Food Challenge
 Student Sustainability Fund (SSF)
 NuRide
 Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations
 Cogeneration plant
 Rain garden, edible landscaping
 SolarFlair partnership
 Zipcar rental at Clark
 Zero waste events
 Hadwen Arboretum
 Green Office Audit
 Choose to Reuse containers in Bistro
 Biofuel from Dining Services fry oil
 Take Back the Tap
 Something not listed (please write in) ____________________

Q6 Please respond to the following two statements:
Select one response for each statement
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
I support Clark becoming a “Zero Waste” campus.     
I support adopting “Zero Waste” policies for all Clark events.     

Q7 Where do you live during the school year? (most recently or currently)
 Residential Hall/Dormitory (ex. Dodd Hall, Wright Hall, Blackstone Hall)
 On-campus apartment (ex. Maywood Apts, 70 Florence, 906 Main Street)
 Off-campus rental housing
 I commute from home

Q8 What is your age? (select one)
 Under 17
 18-24
 25-34
 35-44
 45-54
 55-64
 65-74
 Over 75

Q9 Do you wish to provide additional input for Sustainable Clark? If you select yes, you will be brought to a new series of questions.
 Yes
 No


A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:

A graduate student working with Sustainable Clark developed the survey as her capstone project. First we determined what we wanted to know. Then multiple similar surveys from other institutions were assessed for applicability to Clark culture and operating reality. Finally the questions were developed, tested, adjusted, tested and finalized.


A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :

The survey was administered to all undergraduates, graduates, business school students, part time students, faculty, staff, administration and contract workers through the campus email system and at open tabling events. The survey remained open for two weeks.


A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s), including a description of any measurable changes over time:

Data analysis is still on-going for the Dec. 2015 survey, and the report is not yet completed. Note that this is the second survey administered. the previous survey, from 2012, received responses from 15% of the combined student body and 15% of the non-student Clark community, while a third triennial survey is in the works for 2018. Over 52 different majors and departments were represented. Of the 10 sustainability issues in the survey, the top concerns of all respondents were climate change, waste and pollution.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.