Survey Results for the Student Sustainability Literacy Survey, Spring 2013
190 Responses collected
UNC Chapel Hill
Student Sustainability Literacy Survey
Welcome to the UNC Chapel Hill student sustainability survey.
This survey is being conducted by ________________________ to assess our students’ knowledge and
awareness about sustainability. This survey is entirely voluntary, and your identity will remain
anonymous. Any feedback you provide will be kept confidential and only summarized results will be
distributed.
We hope you will give all the questions your full consideration. The survey should take no more than 1015 minutes to complete. Please answer each question to the best of your ability.
Please indicate your current academic level:
Response
First Year
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate or Professional Student
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
51
52
44
42
1
Response Percent
27%
27%
23%
22%
1%
In which school(s) or college(s) are you pursuing a degree? (Please select all that apply.)
Response
College of Arts and Sciences
School of Business
School of Dentistry
School of Education
School of Government
School of Information and Library Science
School of Journalism and Mass Communications
School of Law
School of Medicine
School of Nursing
School of Pharmacy
School of Public Health
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
137
58
2
5
1
2
10
1
8
0
2
12
Response Percent
72%
31%
1%
3%
1%
1%
5%
3%
4%
0%
1%
6%
1
For which course are you participating in this assessment?
Response
ENST 201, Environment and Society, Spring 2013
ENST 208H, Reimagining the American Landscape, Spring 2013
BUSI 507 Sustainable Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship,
Spring 2013
MBA 815B Strategies in Sustainable Enterprise, Spring 2013
N/A
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
106
27
47
Response Percent
56%
14%
25%
0
10
0%
5%
Please indicate which of the following statements best describes your level of interest in sustainability
Response
I have a passion for sustainability
I have considerable interest in sustainability
I am neither interested nor disinterested in sustainability (neutral)
I have little interest in sustainability
I have no interest in sustainability
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
33
127
23
6
1
Response Percent
17%
67%
12%
3%
1%
Please rate your level of agreement with the following statements:
Response
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
I make an effort to be knowledgeable about
environmental issues
I make an effort to be knowledgeable about sustainability
issues
My daily behavior reflects a concern about sustainability
issues
I value knowing that my food is grown locally
I think about the carbon footprint of my choices
I would like to learn more about sustainability while at
UNC
Total Responses: 190
16.32%
57.37%
20.53%
5.79%
0%
14.74%
52.11%
27.37%
5.79%
1.11%
9.47%
55.26%
24.74%
10.53%
0.56%
22.11%
10.53%
45.26%
37.89%
48.95%
45.26%
24.21%
23.16%
6.84%
13.68%
15.79%
1.58%
2.11%
1.58%
1.05%
Please indicate the degree of importance you place on the following personal sustainability issues:
Response
Very
Important
Importa
nt
Neutral
Unimp
ortant
Very
Unimp
ortant
Not
Sure
Minimizing waste sent to the landfill
Recycling
Choosing food based on its environmental impact
Conserving water
33.68%
53.68%
18.95%
42.63%
51.58%
41.05%
36.32%
45.26%
12.11%
5.26%
36.68%
10%
2.11%
0%
9.47%
2.11%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0.53%
0%
1.58%
0%
2
Purchasing environmentally friendly products
Conserving energy
Minimizing carbon emissions from transportation
Spending time outdoors
Engaging in physical activity on a regular basis
Total Responses: 190
23.68%
48.42%
35.79%
49.47%
57.37%
53.16%
42.63%
41.05%
34.74%
34.21%
18.42%
6.84%
14.74%
12.63%
5.26%
4.21%
1.58%
7.89%
2.63%
2.63%
0.53%
0%
0%
0.53%
0.53%
0%
0.53%
0.53%
0%
0%
Mark the programs you know exist at UNC. (Please select all that apply.)
Response
Response
Total
Response
Percent
Goal to become climate neutral (produce zero net greenhouse gas emissions) by 2050
Goal to stop using coal at the combined heat and power (cogeneration) plant by 2020
Goal to reduce energy use in existing campus buildings by 30% by 2015 (relative to 2003)
District heating and cooling system (instead of individual boilers and air conditioning
compressors)
Green energy fee of $4 per student per semester to invest in renewable energy
infrastructure, energy efficiency, and awareness raising
Reclaimed water system that uses highly treated wastewater, instead of
drinking/potable water, in energy utility infrastructure, for irrigation, and fo rtoilet
flushing in select buildings
Fare-free buses
Indoor and outdoor, comingled recycling
Food waste composting at dining halls and conference centers
LEED performance standards for all new buildings
Sustainable food sourcing
Innovative stormwater management, including green roofs, cisterns, and permeable
pavement
Sustainability minor administered by the Curriculum for Environment and Ecology
I am not aware of any of these programs
Total Responses: 190
40
61
47
19
21%
32%
25%
10%
50
26%
74
39%
133
112
87
52
74
57
70%
59%
46%
27%
39%
30%
93
14
49%
7%
Response
Response
Total
Response
Percent
Selecting double-sided printing
Dressing for the weather to reduce the need for heating and cooling
Limiting meat consumption
Using alternative transportation
Turning off the lights when you are the last one out of a room
Powering down electrical devices when not using them for more than 15 minutes
Reporting building issues to Facilities Services for repair
Taking short showers and turning off the water when shampooing and conditioning
Opening windows only when outdoor temperatures and humidity levels are comparable
to indoor temperatures and humidity levels
Total Responses: 190
174
153
128
175
183
161
111
172
138
92%
81%
67%
92%
96%
85%
58%
91%
73%
Mark examples of sustainable practices. (Please select all that apply.)
3
Do you recycle on a weekly or more frequent basis?
Response Response Total
Yes
181
No
9
Total Responses: 190
Response Percent
95%
5%
If you do not recycle on a regular basis, please select the statement below that best describes why you
do not recycle:
Response
I choose not to because I do not care to
I choose not to because I think there are negative consequences of recycling
I choose not to because I do not think recycling makes a positive difference
I do not know how to recycle properly
Recycling is inconvenient for me
Total Responses: 9
Response Total
Response Percent
0
0
0
4
5
0%
0%
0%
44%
56%
Sustainability Literacy Section
Please select the best answer to the following questions:
Corporate social responsibility implies a commitment to the triple bottom line, which includes:
Response
Three forms of financial reporting
Environmental, social, and financial performance
Offering health, dental, and vision care to employees
Incorporating community, labor, and government representatives on the
board of directors
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
2
174
4
10
1%
92%
2%
5%
Response Total
Response Percent
1
4
1
184
1%
2%
1%
97%
What is meant by the term “carbon footprint”?
Response
The age of an item found at an archeological site
The carbon left on the ground each time you take a step
The size of the carbon chain in a given quantity of gasoline
The greenhouse gasses released by burning fossil fuels for electricity and
transportation
Total Responses: 190
What are the primary energy sources used to generate power in North Carolina?
Response
Solar and wind
Coal and nuclear
Coal and hydroelectric
Response Total
Response Percent
5
78
79
3%
41%
42%
4
Nuclear and natural gas
Total Responses: 190
28
15%
A technique to assess the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life from
cradle to grave (resource extraction through usage and disposal or reuse) is called:
Response
An energy audit
A cost-benefit analysis
A life cycle assessment
A thermal systems analysis
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
32
18
131
9
17%
9%
69%
5%
Which of the following do scientists project will worsen over the next century:
Response
Droughts
Flooding
Severe weather events
Sea level rise
All of the above
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
1
0
6
3
180
1%
0%
3%
2%
95%
Which of the following is a renewable resource?
Response Response Total
Oil
4
Coal
2
Trees
167
Iron ore
17
Total Responses: 190
Response Percent
2%
1%
88%
9%
Which of the following statements about greenhouse gasses is FALSE?
Response
Humans would be better off without greenhouse gases
There are many different greenhouse gasses, not just carbon dioxide
Increased greenhouse gasses trap solar radiation in the atmosphere
Greenhouse gasses allow solar radiation to reach Earth, but keep it
from escaping back into space
All of the above are TRUE
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
86
5
5
11
45%
3%
3%
6%
83
44%
5
The three most populous countries in the world today are:
Response
China, India, and Brazil
China, India, and Indonesia
China, India, and the United States
China, the United States, and Mexico
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
42
41
105
2
22%
22%
55%
1%
More than half the calories consumed by the world’s human population come from three foods.
These are:
Response
Corn, rice, and wheat
Fish, beans, and millet
Chicken, corn, and rice
Beef, potatoes, and wheat
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
161
2
17
10
85%
1%
9%
5%
Social justice issues include:
Response
Disparities in access to education
Disparities in access to health care
Disparities in access to the political process
Disparities in access to clean, safe, transit-friendly neighborhoods
All of the above
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
0
1
0
2
187
0%
1%
0%
1%
98%
Response Total
Response Percent
0
8
5
0%
4%
3%
177
93%
Effective ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint are to:
Response
Fly less
Live closer to work or school
Reduce meat consumption or eat only animals that are grass-fed
rather than grain-fed
All of the above
Total Responses: 190
6
The term for products nature provides free of charge such as clean water, clean air, productive soils,
habitat for diverse species, and pollination of plants is:
Response
Capital equipment
Ecosystem services
Environmental economics
Environmental conservation
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
8
134
28
20
4%
71%
15%
11%
The carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the water cycle (mark all true statements):
Response
Can incorporate long storage times
Are likely to be affected by climate change
Continue indefinitely when left undisturbed
Require man-made inputs to function effectively
Total Responses: 190
Response Total
Response Percent
106
176
131
7
56%
93%
69%
4%
Please provide your email address if you would like to be added to UNC’s Sustainability Listserv
(Your responses to the survey questions will remain anonymous)
___________________________________
Thank you for completing UNC’s Sustainability Literacy Assessment.
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