| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.81 |
| Liaison | Jennifer McLaughlin |
| Submission Date | May 26, 2023 |
South Dakota State University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Jennifer
McLaughlin Sustainability Intern Facilities and Services |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
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:
Sustainability assessments from various other universities were analyzed and common questions were added to the SDSU assessment. The goal was to use questions that were previously used and shown to be statistically successful. Sustainability value questions that pertained directly to SDSU were also included. Special thanks goes to the following universities for allowing us to utilize their questions: University of Maryland, Western Michigan University, University of North Carolina, Appalachian State University, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Missouri, University of New Hampshire, Stanford University, Arizona State University, Colorado State University, and Ohio State University and their Environmental & Social Sustainability Lab. The first assessment was conducted in FY15.
A follow-up survey is scheduled in 3 years.
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:
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The survey was sent via email to the following randomized populations:
1) Student data: a representative sample of the degree-seeking student population based on department and year (fresh, soph, jr. sr. graduate, doctoral, etc.). Final data covered 1/3 of the entire degree-seeking student population.
2) Faculty/Staff data: a representative sample of all full-time and part-time permanent employees. The final data covered 1/3 of the entire permanent staff population and 1/3 of the entire permanent faculty population.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Less than 40% of respondents did sustainable actions most of the time or almost always. Actions where over 50% of the respondents did sustainable actions most of the time or almost always were for keep heat below 68 degrees in the winter, turning off lights as they left the room, printing double sided, washing clothes in cold water, recycling, and using a reusable water bottle or mug.
On average, less than 17% of the respondents were aware of various sustainability efforts and initiatives at SDSU and less than 6% utilized the resources.
48% of respondents found each aspect of sustainability (environment, equity, and economy) more important than many or all other issues.
39% of respondents rated SDSU’s sustainability efforts as fair and 47% rated SDSU’s efforts as good. 20% of respondents said it was neither important nor unimportant, 40% said it was somewhat important, and 27% said it was important for SDSU to be a leader in sustainability.
39% of respondents had a slight interest in sustainability and 25% had a strong interest.
55% of respondents believe climate change is happening and it is caused mostly by human activities. 24% of respondents believe climate change is happening and it is caused more or less equally by natural changes in the environment and human activities.
12% of respondents don’t know enough about climate change to have an opinion.
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:
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.