Colorado State University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

The 2019 Student Sustainability Culture Assessment was a longitudinal survey distributed by ASCSU (CSU student government) Director of Environmental Affairs to a representative student population on campus. All but one question (land acknowledgement) were on the survey previously, allowing measurement of change over time and allowing measurement of progress for students from first year to fourth year at CSU.

The 2019 Faculty & Staff Sustainability Cultural Assessment was a longitudinal survey developed by the President's Sustainability Commission Engagement Sub-committee using the best practices provided by STARS. It was distributed to a representative sample of Faculty & Staff across CSU with all but one question (land acknowledgement) the same as previous iterations to allow the Commission to measure change over time.

The Sustainability Cultural Assessment goes out every other year with guidance from Institutional Research to a representative sample of students, and a representative sample of faculty and staff. The distribution of the survey takes place during the fall semester and ASCSU and the President's Sustainability Commission reviews results to help set priorities and goals for campus sustainability.

Below are some of the questions that are asked to both students and employees:

Please respond to the statements below:
• Sustainability is important to CSU.
• Sustainability at CSU is important to me.
• I believe I have the ability to advocate for sustainable projects at CSU.
• If I have an idea or suggestion for a sustainability project at CSU, I know who to approach to see it is feasible or can help work toward implementation.
• I participate in the following sustainable practices at CSU:
a) Turning off lights in unoccupied rooms
b) Recycling
c) Composting
d) Using a reusable water bottle
e) Printing less
f) Turning up the ac and turning down the heater to minimize energy use
g) Utilizing alternative transportation
h) Participate in department or campus committee, organization, or campus event related to sustainability
i) Other: (fill in the blank)

• I would like to see CSU devote more financial resources to sustainability projects and initiatives on campus.
• What are the top three most important sustainability initiatives, in your opinion, that CSU should continue to invest in, with 1 being the most important.
a) Sustainable Events
b) Sustainability Education and Research
c) Alternative Transportation
d) Resources (Energy, Water, etc.) Efficiency (Infrastructure)
e) Resource (Energy, Water, etc.) Conservation (Behaviors)
f) Waste Management
g) Other ideas: __________________________

Please answer the following questions:
• Are you aware of operational / environmental sustainability initiatives on campus like Climate Action Plan, LEED buildings, and renewable electricity projects, etc.?
• Do you attend sustainability events on campus including lectures, Earth Week activities, or student presentations?
• Are you aware of available alternative transportation options to/from campus including Transfort, MAX, biking, etc.?
• Sustainability strives for a balance between the environment, the economy, and social equity. Do you feel that CSU places equal value on each aspect?
• Is it made clear that CSU operates on traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Nations and Peoples?

For the student survey, ASCSU reached out to Institutional Research to receive a representative population of 1,500 students (including graduate students and undergraduate students). This list was representative of the student community here at CSU. This survey was then administered through Campus Labs to all 1,500 students during the 2019 fall semester.

For the Faculty & Staff survey, the Assistant Director of Intuitional Research provided a list of 1,058 faculty and staff at CSU, including all faculty classes, tenure track, non-tenure track, special, and part-time as well as Administrative Professional, State Classified, part-time and temporary staff. This provided us with a representative sample of this unique population on campus. The survey was then administered through Campus Labs to all 1,058 faculty and staff members during the 2019 fall semester.

Please see the attached document for complete survey results. In summary, both surveys demonstrate that our students and faculty strongly agree that sustainability is important at CSU and to themselves. Among faculty and staff, 93% indicate that sustainability is important or very important to CSU. Likewise, 94% of faculty and staff indicated that sustainability is important or very important to them. Among students, 96% indicated that sustainability is important or very important to CSU and 95% indicated that it is important or very important to them.

Based on previous results of the Sustainability Culture Survey, we know that the importance of sustainability to our students and faculty and staff has increased significantly over time. Students also believe CSU places equal value on environmental, economic and social sustainability which has increased dramatically from our last survey (72%-85% agree). Awareness of sustainability initiatives, particularly awareness around alternative transportation, recycling and composting has also significantly increased over time.