Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 54.38
Liaison Jennifer Martel
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of the Fraser Valley
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire campus community (students and employees) directly or by representative sample

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples of the same population

A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
The literacy assessment was developed in 2023 during the course of STARS submission. The survey was conducted between September 21st and October 21st, 2022 using SurveyMonkey. The response rate.

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:
1. Which of the following best describes you?
2. In Building a culture of sustainability, collaboration is key. As a faculty member/instructor, which of these steps would you be willing to take?
3. Which of the following topics have you encountered or brought into the classroom for discussion?
4. How aware are you of the following sustainability practices that UFV has bee undertaking in recent years?
5. What sustainability areas do you think UFV should focus on in the future? Please choose up to three.
7. Which of the following reasons prevent you from being more active regarding sustainability on campus?
9. How would you describe your behaviour regarding waste?
13. How do you get to UFV?
14. Which of the following barriers prevent you from using more sustainable transportation options?
16. How do you perceive the impacts of climate change and how they may affect you?

A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The literacy assessment was open to UFV students and employees and was shared through our social media, monthly newsletter, an email to all employees, and faculty willing to share with their courses. The response rate was solid, especially since it was the first time this survey was issued, but a representative sample was not reached in this round.

A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Most of the respondents were students (51.17%) and the remaining were UFV employees (staff, faculty, and administrators) (48.83%). The responses totalled 426 which is a positive number showing that both students and faculty are interested in sustainability-related issues at UFV with an almost equal participation rate of 50% each.

Summary of analysis: -

Positives: -
- Most of the respondents don’t have any difficulty understanding the signs on the waste bins at UFV.
- Most of the time, respondents try to reduce consumption, generate less waste and use reusable items. Always compost organics, sort waste to the right bins and consider the waste’s destination when disposing of it.
- Most of the time, respondents reduce their energy consumption and turn off appliances and electronics when not in use
- 74.65% of respondents believe that climate change impacts are significant, and they are worried that they might affect their life
- 83.89% of the respondents are driven by climate change as a motivation to reduce their energy consumption.

Negatives: -
- There is a much variation in the responses when it comes to turning off power bars when not in use. A significant 23 % never, rarely and sometimes turn off power bars.
- 60% drive their personal vehicles to get to UFV which can be a concern for the climate.
- Very few use eco-friendly methods like cycling and carpooling to get to UFV.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.