| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.67 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 13, 2024 |
University of Pittsburgh
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Chiamaka
Okpara Sustainability Intern Office of Sustainability |
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:
The University of Pittsburgh’s first campus-wide sustainability survey was deployed in Spring 2017 by the (then) University Sustainability Committee (USC) as part of the Pitt Sustainability Plan development. The 2017 Pitt Sustainability Culture Survey was made available through the My.Pitt.edu campus portal and intercept interviews were conducted over several months. The goal of the survey was to assess the knowledge of and support for Pitt sustainability efforts by students, faculty, and staff. The 2017 Pitt Sustainability Culture Survey also helped the USC create the 2018 Pitt Sustainability Plan, which guides Pitt Sustainability strategy through 2030.
The triennial Pitt Sustainability Culture Assessment is administered by the Office of Sustainability and incorporated into the triennial Pitt Sustainability Literacy & Culture Survey. The 2023 Pitt Sustainability Culture Survey was deployed in Spring 2023 to students, faculty, and staff on all 5 campuses via a wide variety of electronic means, including via email, via newsletters, and on social media.
The 2017 Pitt Sustainability Culture Survey results are the baseline to which all current and future survey culture responses are compared; subsequent survey results are also included, so the 2023 Culture Survey results were compared to both 2017 and 2020 respondents. The Literacy portion of the survey was added in 2020 and addressed in AASHE STARS credit AC-6.
Culture survey questions for the 2023 Pitt Sustainability Literacy & Culture Survey were adapted from the 2017 and the 2020 surveys. In 2023, language for Culture questions were tweaked slightly for language and category clarification; however, most Culture Survey questions very closely mirror those asked in 2017 and 2020.
The 1,078 responses were used by the Pitt Sustainability team to assess the practices, perspectives, and preferences of Pitt students, faculty, and staff. Each year of Culture Survey responses provide both new and longitudinal reference points that serves as a foundation for delivering, evolving, and developing Pitt Sustainability initiatives that address community-identified opportunities and challenges.
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:
SEE ATTACHED
1) How important is Pitt's overall commitment to sustainability to you?
2) Relative to other universities, Pitt is a leader in sustainability practices. (rank level of agreement)
3) Do you think Pitt incorporates sustainability into the daily lives of students?
4) Do you think Pitt incorporates sustainability into the daily lives of faculty, and staff?
5) How are YOU individually advancing sustainability at Pitt? Choose as many as apply
6) Which of the following organizations are you familiar with at Pitt?
7) Which of the following sustainability initiatives are you aware of on campus?
8) Which of the following ACADEMIC sustainability initiatives are you aware of on campus?
9) Rank the TOP 3 pressing sustainability issues at Pitt.
10) Rank the TOP 3 sustainability-related ENGAGEMENT initiatives that Pitt should pursue.
11) Rank the TOP 3 sustainability-related ACADEMIC initiatives that Pitt should pursue.
12) Rank the TOP 3 ways you are willing to contribute to sustainability initiatives on campus.
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
2023 - The 2023 Pitt Sustainability Literacy & Culture Survey was advertised to faculty, students and staff at all five campuses through the My.Pitt.edu portal, email lists, newsletter, and social media channels by the Office of Sustainability in partnership with the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Sustainability, our cross-departmental sustainability staff team, the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation’s Faculty Sustainability Task Force, the Student Office of Sustainability, University Communications, and many, many more partners. Survey incentives included a chance to win one of five gift cards to the University Stores. The 2023 survey garnered responses from a substantial cohort of 1,078 participants, with 58% of responses from staff, 13.8% undergraduate students, 12.3% faculty, and 10.4% graduate students. Responses from the Pittsburgh campus were 90% of all responses and were collected from 18 academic schools or University-wide centers, 31 operational offices, and 93 different majors.
2020 - The online survey was advertised to faculty, students and staff at all five campuses through the My.Pitt.edu portal, email lists, and social media channels by the Office of Sustainability in partnership with the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Sustainability, our cross-departmental sustainability staff team, the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation’s Faculty Sustainability Task Force, the Student Office of Sustainability, University Communications, and many more partners. Participants were offered the chance to win gift cards to the University Store on Fifth. Despite the survey being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,033 responses were received for the 2020 Pitt Sustainability Literacy and Culture Survey including 40% undergraduate students, 8% graduate students, 40% staff, and 11% faculty. A representative sample of all five campuses was met, while a close to representative sample of Pitt students, faculty, and staff was achieved. Responses were collected from 20 academic schools/centers, 22 operations offices, and 80 majors.
2017 - The online survey was advertised to faculty, students and staff through the My.Pitt.edu portal, email listservs, and social media channels by department and division representatives on the University Sustainability Committee. Participants were offered the chance to win gift cards to the University Store on Fifth. The online survey was supplemented with in-person intercept surveys administered by students and an external consulting team. Over 1,000 responses were received, including 54% undergraduate students, 13% graduate students, 25% staff, and 6% faculty members.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
2023 PITT SUSTAINABILITY CULTURE QUALITATIVE TAKEAWAYS
1) Over 93% of respondents reported that Pitt’s commitment to sustainability was important to them.
2) While there's a diverse array of sustainability activities, organizations, and initiatives accessible at Pitt, there's a pressing need for enhanced awareness and education within the Pitt community regarding the wide spectrum of sustainability opportunities available.
3) Incorporating sustainability further into the daily lives of faculty and staff is an opportunity.
4) As “learning more about sustainability” is the top way individuals report they do and can contribute to sustainability at Pitt, implementing more educational opportunities about sustainability practices and initiatives could help advance sustainability awareness generally and on-campus.
2023 PITT SUSTAINABILITY CULTURE MEASURABLE CHANGES (2020 - 2023)
1)Respondents agreeing that Pitt is a leader in sustainability compared to other universities decreased 4%.
2) While still very high, the importance of Pitt’s commitment to sustainability dropped 3%.
3) In both 2020 and 2023, the top three choices for sustainability initiatives that Pitt is willing to contribute on campus remained remarkably consistent. These are:
» Change my personal behaviors / rethink how I do things (i.e. ride public transportation, recycle, etc.);
» Change my decision-making behaviors / rethink how I do things (i.e. sustainable purchasing, green events, etc.); and
» Learn more about Sustainability.
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.