University of Oregon
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 4.00 |
Taylor
McHolm Prog. Dir Student Sustainbility CTR Student Life |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
STARS - Baseline - SWaSI link
Start of Block: Start of Survey
Consent The University of Oregon Student Sustainability Center and Office of Sustainability thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. It should take 5 minutes or less to complete. Your responses will help contribute to sustainability efforts at the UO!
Your responses to this survey and any personal information collected will be kept in strict confidentiality. Any reports of results will be in aggregate and will not disclose personal information.
Click → to begin the survey
End of Block: Start of Survey
Start of Block: Sustainability Literacy
Knowledge Questions Sustainability Questions - How much do you know about sustainability?
Q1 Which of the following components are typically included in a comprehensive definition of sustainability?
o Social equity (1)
o Environmental vitality (2)
o Economic wellbeing (3)
o All of the above (4)
Q2 What do most scientists think is primarily responsible for the current trend of global warming/climate change?
o Ozone depletion (1)
o Rising greenhouse gases (2)
o Plastic waste (3)
o Biodiversity loss (4)
Q3 What is the meaning of environmental justice?
o Addressing the environmental harms that vulnerable communities disproportionately face, like pollution, contamination, and the impacts of climate change. (1)
o The judicial system should enforce water quality inspections to check for lead contamination in cities. (2)
o Wealthier communities should have cleaner air and water because they pay more in property taxes. (3)
o The environment deserves fair and just treatment from all people and animals. (4)
Q4 Which of the following is a renewable resource? (Choose all that apply)
▢ Oil (1)
▢ Solar (2)
▢ Wind (3)
▢ Coal (4)
Q5 Many economists argue that electricity prices in the U.S. are too low because...
o Too many suppliers go out of business (1)
o Electric companies have a monopoly in their service area (2)
o Consumers spend only a small part of their income on energy (3)
o They do not reflect the costs of pollution or emissions from generating the electricity (4)
Q6 Which of the following is the best example of environmental justice?
o Urban citizens win a bill to have more farmers markets in their city (1)
o The government dams a river, flooding Native American tribal lands to create hydro-power for large cities (2)
o All stakeholders from an indigenous community are involved in setting a quota for the amount of wood they can take form a protected forest next to their village (3)
o Multi-national corporations build factories in developing countries where environmental laws are less strict (4)
Q7 Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of "sustainable development?"
o Creating a government welfare system that ensures universal access to education, health care, and social services (1)
o Setting aside resources for preservation, never to be used (2)
o Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (3)
o Building a neighborhood that is both socio-demographically and economically diverse (4)
Q8 Of the following, which would be considered the most environmentally sustainable form of consumption?
o Buying products with recyclable packaging (1)
o Buying fewer products overall (2)
o Buying products labeled “eco” or “green” (3)
o Buying the newest products available (4)
Q9 Over the past 3 decades, what has happened to the difference between the wealth of the richest and poorest Americans?
o The difference has increased (1)
o The difference has stayed about the same (2)
o The difference has decreased (3)
Q10 Put the following list in order of the activities with the largest environmental impact to those with the smallest environmental impact by entering numbers 1-4 in the boxes (1 = largest; 4 = smallest):
______ Keeping a cell phone charger plugged into an electrical outlet for 12 hours (1)
______ Producing one McDonald’s quarter-pound hamburger (2)
______ Producing one McDonald’s chicken sandwich (3)
______ Flying in a commercial airplane from Washington D.C. to China (4)
End of Block: Sustainability Literacy
Start of Block: Sustainability & You
Sustainability & You Sustainability & You
Q11 Are you concerned about any of the topics listed below? If so, select all that apply:
▢ Climate change/global warming (1)
▢ Environmental injustice (2)
▢ Species/biodiversity loss (3)
▢ Waste and recycling (4)
▢ Industrial agriculture (5)
▢ Habitat loss (6)
▢ The economy and jobs (7)
▢ Water and food scarcity (8)
▢ Global migration and climate refugees (9)
▢ Loss of pollinators (10)
▢ Ocean health (11)
▢ Fast fashion (12)
▢ ⊗I am not concerned about any of these things (13)
▢ Other (14) __________________________________________________
Q12 What campus sustainability topics are you interested in? Select all that apply:
▢ Equity, justice, and access (1)
▢ Waste, reuse, and recycling (2)
▢ Buildings and energy (3)
▢ Greenhouse gases and UO's carbon footprint (4)
▢ Stormwater and water management (5)
▢ Food and dining (6)
▢ Gardening, landscaping, and pollinators (7)
▢ Transportation (commuting, travel) (8)
▢ Purchasing (products and services) (9)
▢ Campus policies (10)
▢ Investments (11)
▢ Academics and curriculum (12)
▢ Accessibility (13)
▢ ⊗I am not interested in any of these things (14)
Q13 How often do you experience anxiety about climate change and sustainability issues?
o Never (1)
o Rarely (2)
o Sometimes (3)
o Often (4)
Q14 In what ways are you interested in personally engaging with sustainability? Select all that apply.
▢ Politics and civic engagement (ex: voting, supporting policies) (1)
▢ Volunteering (2)
▢ Getting involved with community groups off campus (3)
▢ Studying sustainability (4)
▢ Pursuing sustainability in my career (5)
▢ Helping to make campus more sustainable (6)
▢ Educating others about sustainability topics (7)
▢ ⊗I am not interested in engaging with sustainability (8)
▢ ⊗I don’t know (9)
▢ Other (10) __________________________________________________
Q15 To what extent did UO values about sustainability influence your decision to come here?
o Not at all (1)
o A little bit (2)
o A moderate amount (4)
o A lot (5)
End of Block: Sustainability & You
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The Student Sustainability Center developed and deployed a survey in partnership with the Division of Student Life's Student Well-being and Success Initiative. In our first version of the survey, the SSC offered the survey to all first-year students.
In subsequent years, we will deliver a pre/post assessment to additional students.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The assessment was delivered through Qualtrics, an interactive online survey tool.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
Overall, incoming students demonstrated a high level of understanding based on the questions asking their sustainability knowledge. Students answered question correctly by a large margin, with the possible exception of recognizing that beef production is a stronger driver of climate change than charging a cellphone for 12 hours.
Students' top interest were (in order): Climate Change; Environmental Justice; Biodiversity Loss.
Most students (78%) report experiencing anxiety about climate change and sustainability issues "Sometimes" (48%) or "Often" (30%).
Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment 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.