University of Oregon
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.25 / 1.00 |
Taylor
McHolm Prog. Dir Student Sustainbility CTR Student Life |
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:
Assessment was written by reviewing peer-institutions' assessments and adding specific questions regarding campus culture that were particularly important to the University of Oregon.
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:
Are you concerned about any of the topics listed below? If so, select all that apply:
Climate change/global warming
Environmental injustice
Species/biodiversity loss
Waste and recycling
Industrial agriculture
Habitat loss
The economy and jobs
Water and food scarcity
Global migration and climate refugees
Loss of pollinators
Ocean health
Fast fashion
I am not concerned about any of these things
Other
To what extent did UO values about sustainability influence your decision to come here?
Not at all
A little bit
A moderate amount
A lot
Which of the following is the best example of environmental justice?
Urban citizens win a bill to have more farmers markets in their city
The government dams a river, flooding Native American tribal lands to create
hydro-power for large cities
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
Multi-national corporations build factories in developing countries where
environmental laws are less strict
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The survey was implemented to all incoming first-year students as part of the UO's Student Well-being and Support Initiative. Students were able to select into a set of optional questions around sustainability and environmental justice. It is not a representative sample. We launched this as a pilot to identify opportunities for improvement and growth in subsequent years.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
While our pilot was not designed to garner a representative sample just yet, we nonetheless saw some compelling data from the participants who elected to take the survey:
The vast majority (84%) identify climate change as something they care about, and 67% report "often" or "sometimes" experiencing feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, fear or overwhelm surrounding climate change.
Students chose "volunteering," "politics and civic engagement," and "helping to make campus sustainable" as their preferred methods of personally engaging with sustainability.
60% or respondents identified UO's sustainability values and academics as a determining factor in choosing to attend school here.
Waste reduction and equity/justice issues are the most important campus sustainability topics.
Generally 75-85% or participants answered sustainability literacy questions correctly.
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.