University of Connecticut
ER-13: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

1) What is the most important environmental issue on campus?
Trash/litter; Recycling; Water issues; Air pollution; Energy issues; Landscaping; Global Warming; Food/Food Packaging waste; Green/New Buildings; Transportation; Resource Usage; Green Technology; Hazardous Waste; Unsure/Left Blank
2) In comparison to other UCONN students, how important is the environment to you?
Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank
3) How important is it to you that UCONN's new buildings be designed to conserve water and energy?
Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank
4) How important is it to you that UCONN purchase recycled and recyclable products?
Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank
5) How important is it to you that UCONN consider using fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative fuels to Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank
6) How important is it to you that UCONN consider renewable energy sources for its energy needs?
Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank
7) In comparison to other UCONN students, how important is it to you to recycle the products you use?
Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank
8) What types of items do you regularly recycle on UCONN's campus?
Newspapers
Bottles/Cans
Mixed Paper
Cardboard
Sneakers
E-waste
Other
Blank
9) What types of items do you regularly recycle at your home away from UCONN?
Newspapers
Bottles/Cans
Mixed Paper
Cardboard
Sneakers
Other
Blank
10) What do you think about the location of recycling containers on campus?
Very convenient; Somewhat convenient; Not very convenient; Not at all convenient; Blank
11) How confident are you that items placed in recycling bins at UCONN are actually being recycled?
Very confident; Somewhat confident; Not very confident; Not at all confident; Blank
12) What would be the single best way to encourage students to recycle more at UCONN?
More bins in academic buildings
More bins in residences
More bins in dining halls
More accessible bins around campus
More Recycling Outreach
More Janitorial training
More clearly marked binsSTARS Reporting Tool | AASHE | Sierra Magazine Snapshot | Page 54
Other (specify)
Blank
13) What would be the best way to encourage UCONN students to use bicycles more on campus?
More bike paths
More bike racks
More storage facilities
Loaner program
More bicycle signage
Other (specify)
Blank
14) What types of things do you do to conserve water/energy on UCONN's campus?
Limit shower time
Use a clothing rack to dry clothes
Turn off lights when not in use
Turn off electronics when not in use
Turn off the water while brushing my teeth or shaving
Save my laundry for when I have full loads
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) instead of incandescent bulbs
Lower thermostat when leaving the room
Use double sided copies
Use reusable plates, cups, utensils
Carry reusable coffee mug
Other
Blank
15) Would you be willing to pay $2 more in student fees per semester to reduce UCONN's impact on the environment?
Yes; No; Don't Know; More than $5; Less than $5
*2010 Survey asked students: Would you be willing to pay $5 more...
16) Have you ever heard of the EcoHusky student group at UCONN?
Yes; No; Blank
16A) If yes, what interaction with EcoHusky have you had?
Seen Articles
Visited website
Active member
Volunteered for event
Attended meeting
Seen Poster
Other

2010 Supplemental Questions and Results
During the 2010 Environmental Survey, additional questions were asked and compiled. The results are below:
How much impact do you think that people like you can have in making the world a better place to live?
A big impact; A moderate impact; A small impact; No impact at all
What types of things do you do to reduce waste on UConn’s Campus?
Use double sided photocopying when possible
Use reusable plates, cups, utensils instead of disposables (i.e. paper/Styrofoam) in your room
Carry a re-usable coffee mug for use at campus dining halls/cafes instead of using disposables
Carry a re-usable water bottle instead of purchasing bottled water
I decline plastic bags with purchases at the Co-op
What would be the single best way to decrease the number of students driving their personal vehicles on campus? (Please select one.)
Make the campus more bike friendly
Introduce a bicycle loaner program
Offer incentives for car-pooling
Make information about car-pooling options more readily available
Increase the number of bus routes or frequency of buses on existing routes
Introduce a car-share program on campus (cars available for short term reservations)
How important is it to you that UConn reduce its carbon footprint?
Very important; Somewhat important; Not very important; Not at all important; Blank Are you aware that UConn (Storrs) is committed to carbon neutrality and has written a Climate Action Plan to help achieve this?
Yes; No
Which three methods do you think would be the most effective in raising environmental literacy and awareness in order to reduce
UConn’s carbon footprint? (Please select 3)
Establish a UConn sustainable farm living-learning experience for students
Expand the number of courses related to energy and sustainable design available to students
Increase experiential learning opportunities through research or senior design projects related to campus sustainability initiatives
Develop a green job training program
Increase the number of environmentally-themed study abroad and international exchange program opportunities
Develop and expand existing alternative transportation-based education and outreach programs
Develop a student-led building energy audit program to identify building inefficiencies
Would you support a national policy that gradually increases existing fuel taxes by $1 per gallon over the next four years in order to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Yes; No
What is the largest source of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity?
Deforestation
Fertilizer Use
Fossil Fuel Use
In the last 100 years, global temperatures have increased about:
10 degrees Fahrenheit; 5 degrees Fahrenheit; 2 degrees Fahrenheit; It has changed very little
Generally speaking, how concerned are you about climate change?
Very concerned; Somewhat concerned; Not very concerned; Not at all concerned
How soon do you think the consequences of climate change will affect you in a significant way?
Soon- now, or within the next 10 years or so
In the future- within the next 50 years or so
Never, or only in the very distant future
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
“People throughout the country are taking
significant actions to address the climate change problem.”
Agree
Disagree
I am most concerned about the impact of climate change on… (Please choose one.)
Myself and my loved ones
My local community
The United States as a whole
People around the world
Non-human nature
I’m not really concerned at all

I am currently a:
Freshman; Sophomore; Junior; Senior; Grad Student
My major is:
Do you currently live:
On-campus
Off-campus
Would you describe your political views as:
Very conservative
Somewhat conservative
Somewhat liberal
Very liberal
Gender:

The assessment was developed by the director of the Office of Environmental Policy and the student intern staff, in conjunction with survey experts from the Department of Public Policy. Minor wording modifications, and additional questions, have been added throughout the years, as noted in the questions. The results are used to target outreach strategies, and to provide policy and program feedback to the President's office.

The year the survey was developed, the OEP tabled its interns in high traffic areas to randomly select student volunteers. Roughly 200 surveys were collected in this fashion.

Two years later, volunteers from sororities and fraternities were used to conduct random surveys, and an online version was offered. Results were compared, and found to be statistically equivalent (indicating limited self-selection bias), so results from the two sources were pooled. Roughly 400 surveys were collected randomly in this fashion.

In 2010, only the online feature was used. For the upcoming 2013-14 survey, a group of volunteers and interns will table to collect random results, and an online option will be included, and made available to the entire student body.

Student awareness and concern about recycling, water, and energy use has risen across the time period. The recycling program received the largest amount of comments and concern, with students expressing low confidence levels in the recycling program. Students are overall more concerned about the environment now (2010) than they were in 2004, but their support for sustainability initiatives (fees, renewable energy reliance)appears to be fluctuating to coincide with economic concerns and tuition raises, as well as waning public support for global warming/ climate change awareness and action.

The rural location of UConn's main campus (Storrs) makes public transportation to and from the University very difficult, and the majority of students live on campus. Overwhelmingly, the students believe that car traffic could be reduced by overhauling the bus campus lines (in progress) and investing in making the campus more bicycle friendly (also in progress). Most students demonstrated high levels of individual energy consciousness, but were not aware of the University's Climate Action Plan initiatives.