East Carolina University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Question 1/20
An example of an environmental justice issue is:
A - Dumping toxins into a river
B - Siting polluting factories and dumps near poor neighborhoods
C - Boarding whaling ships to stop the killing of whales
D - None of the above

Question 2/20
In the U.S., which of the following is the most commonly cited definition of sustainable development?
A - Creating a government welfare system that ensures universal access to education, healthcare, and social services
B - Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
C - Setting aside resources for preservation, never to be used
D - Building a neighborhood that is both socio-demographically and economically diverse

Question 3/20
The transportation sector accounts for 28% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. What set of strategies has been shown to be the most successful in reducing car usage and thus improving the sustainability of the transportation sector?
A - "Smart Growth" land use decisions
B - Bike Share Programs
C - Carpool Lanes
D - Street car lines

Question 4/20
What is a “food desert”?
A - Urban or rural areas without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food
B - Area where food is not grown due to climate, therefore all food must be shipped in
C - Food that has been deemed unacceptable for human consumption
D - A large compost bin

Question 5/20
Anthropocene is a recently coined term referring to a new geologic time which began in 1950s. According to scientists, Anthropocene is characterized as the time in which…
A - The technology and knowledge progress of human beings reached a point of no return and spread globally
B - The western liberal democratic regime and its related institutions turned into a mainstream kind of government
C - The collective activities of human beings began to substantially alter Earth’s surface, atmosphere, oceans, and systems of nutrient cycling
D - The progress of medicine and information technology allowed human beings to overcome their physiological limits and opened the path to transhumanism

Question 6/20
If everyone on Earth were to consume as much as the average American, we would require the resources of approximately how many planet Earths?
A - 1
B - 2-3
C - 4-5
D - 6-7

Question 7/20
What is the federal agency of the United States that is responsible for protecting human health and the environment?
A - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
B - Department of Health, Environment, and Safety (DHES)
C - National Environmental Agency (NEA)
D - Federal Pollution Control Agency (FPCA)

Question 8/20
According to the Stanford Energy Institute, the National Renewable Energy Lab and other sources, what percentage of the United States’ energy needs can be met by energy efficiency and renewable energies (e.g. solar, wind, biomass) in the next few decades?
A - 10 - 20%
B - 20-30%
C - 30-50%
D - Up to 80%

Question 9/20
In the United States which of the following directly uses the most freshwater?
A - Agricultural irrigation
B – Thermoelectric power plants
C - Household uses (drinking, cleaning, etc.)
D - Golf courses and sports fields

Question 10/20
What proportion of U.S. citizens were served by water systems reporting violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2015?
A - One in four
B - About half
C - One in ten
D - One in twenty

Question 11/20
What is meant by the term “carbon footprint”?
A - The age of an item found at an archaeological site
B - The carbon left on the ground each time you take a step
C - The size of the carbon chain in a given quantity of gasoline
D - The greenhouse gases released by burning fossil fuels for electricity and transportation

Question 12/20
The most effective way to reduce your personal carbon footprint is to:
A - Fly less
B - Live closer to work or school
C - Keep the thermostat set to 68 (or lower) in the winter and 74 (or higher) in the summer
D - Reduce meat consumption or eat only animals that are grass-fed rather than grain-fed

Question 13/20
Carbon dioxide is a major contributor to air pollution in the United States. Which of the following is the biggest source of carbon dioxide?
A - Factories and Businesses
B - People Breathing
C - Motor Vehicles
D - Trees

Question 14/20
What is the most common cause of pollution in streams, rivers, and oceans?
A - Dumping of garbage by cities
B - Surface water running off yards, streets, parking lots, and farmlands
C - Trash washed into the ocean from beaches
D - Waste dumped by factories

Question 15/20
Approximately what percentage of edible food in the United States is wasted and sent to landfills each year?
A - 5%
B - 15%
C - 40%
D - 65%

Question 16/20
Corporate social responsibility implies a commitment to triple bottom line reporting, which includes:
A - Three forms of financial reporting
B - Environmental, social, and financial performance
C - Offering health, dental, and vision care to employees
D - Incorporating community, labor, and government representatives on the Board of Directors

Question 17/20
The term for products nature provides such as clean water, clean air, productive soils, habitat for diverse species, and pollination of plants is:
A - Natural Capital
B - Ecosystem Services
C - Environmental Economics
D - Environmental Conservation

Question 18/20
What factor most influences human population's impact on Earth's resources?
A - Size of the population
B - Type and quantity of products used per person
C - Use of technology that lessens our impact
D - Type and quantity of food consumed by each person

Question 19/20
If you could change one thing about ECU tomorrow, what would you recommend to make the campus more sustainable?
Short Answer: Fill in the blank

Question 20/20
If ECU were to consider implementing a Sustainability Fee that would fund projects proposed by students, staff, and faculty to improve campus sustainability, how much would you be willing to pay per year:
A - $5
B - $10
C - $20
D - I would not support a Sustainability Fee

Demographic Information to Collect:
• Age
• Gender
• Ethnic/racial background
• Academic level
• International student status
• College enrolled

We utilized questions from the Sulitest, including a selection from the "Core International" module as well as a selection from the "USA RNEC" module. We also included an open-ended question about recommendations for making the ECU campus more sustainable and a multiple choice question to gauge support for a Sustainability Fee. Lastly, we also collected the following demographic information: Age, Gender, Ethnic/racial background, Academic level, International student status, College enrolled. This Sustainability Literacy Assessment was first distributed in April 2019 and we have been given approval to distribute it every three years.

The Sustainability Literacy Assessment was distributed to a random sample of 1,250 freshman and 1,250 seniors, which represents 10% of the undergraduate student population. It was approved by our Survey Review and Oversight Committee and distributed online via Qualtrics email.

The response rate was less than 5% of the total students who received the survey in our random sample. It was clear that the students were not familiar with most of the sustainability concepts covered in the assessment. The University Environment Committee, which includes faculty from various departments, plans to review the questions and results in order to improve the assessment and help increase the response rate.

Chad Carwein, University Sustainability Manager