University of Illinois Chicago
ER-13: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

For each of the following, please choose the response that you believe is most accurate. 23. At present, where does most of the energy used in the United States come from? ( ) Nuclear reactors ( ) Hydroelectric dams ( ) Solar power and wind turbines ( ) Burning of fossil fuels ( ) Unsure 24. Which of the following is not considered a major cause of global warming? ( ) The hole in the ozone layer ( ) Loss of rainforests ( ) Power plants that burn coal or oil ( ) Automobile emissions ( ) Unsure 25. The greenhouse effect is caused by a hole in the earth's atmosphere. ( ) Definitely true ( ) Probably true ( ) Not true ( ) Probably not true ( ) Definitely not true ( ) Unsure 26. What fuel source emits the most greenhouse gases? ( ) Nuclear energy ( ) Natural gas ( ) Coal ( ) Biofuels ( ) Unsure 27. Every time we use coal or oil or gas, we contribute to the greenhouse effect. ( ) Definitely true ( ) Probably true ( ) Not true ( ) Probably not true ( ) Definitely not true ( ) Unsure 28. Which one of the following is true of the world human population? ( ) Countries with the highest rates of population growth also tend to be those that consume the most resources per capita ( ) Developed countries such as Germany or the United States are among those countries with the highest rates of population growth ( ) Immigration is a key factor behind the growth in world population ( ) Growth in world population has been linked to declines in many animal and plant species ( ) Unsure 29. Increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are... ( ) ...a major cause of ozone pollution or “smog” ( ) ...a major factor in the thinning of the atmospheric ozone layer ( ) ...a major factor in climate change ( ) ...due to natural causes ( ) Unsure 30. Freshwater supplies... ( ) ...are as plentiful today as they were 100 years ago ( ) ...are diminishing throughout the world ( ) ...are threatened primarily by the presence of animal feces ( ) ...are not considered a problem in the United States ( ) Unsure 31. Biodiversity : ( ) …refers to the number and variety of species present in an ecosystem ( ) …has increased in recent years for many parts of the world ( ) …is threatened by the presence of large, nonhuman, predators (such as wolves or tigers) ( ) …has been an important goal of modern agriculture ( ) Unsure 32. The overall recycling rate (for paper, cardboard, bottles and cans) at UIC is about:. ( ) ...10% ( ) ...20% ( ) ...30% ( ) ...40% ( ) ...50% ( ) ...75% ( ) Unsure 33. How many trees does recycling one ton of paper save? ( ) 7 ( ) 17 ( ) 107 ( ) 1017 ( ) Unsure 34. UIC has recycling programs for electronics generated on campus (batteries, cell phones, computers). ( ) True ( ) False ( ) Unsure 36. Where do you get your knowledge about the environment? Please select the top five sources of knowledge. ( ) Newspapers, magazines, or books ( ) Television programs ( ) Movies or documentaries ( ) Class(es) I took at UIC ( ) Class(es) I took elsewhere ( ) Non-curricular programs or activities you attended at UIC ( ) The internet (except UIC sites) ( ) The Office of Sustainability website or resources ( ) Books ( ) Other

The questions were developed by the Associate Chancellor for Sustainability and Prof. David McKirnan, Associate Professor of Psychology using behavior psychological survey methodology and environmental behavior surveys. The survey included questions about behavior, knowledge, information sources, campus sustainability, etc.

An on-line survey was conducted of all faculty and a sampling of undergraduate freshman and seniors, as well as a sample of alumni. The link to the survey was emailed directly to them.

The results are still being compiled.