Augustana University’s sustainability committee has completed their first sustainability literacy survey for students.
The committee’s goal was to establish a baseline in order to measure where Augustana students currently are in terms of sustainability.
Out of the 1,160 on-campus students sent the Spring 2018 survey, 500 responded, a 43% response rate.
When asked whether they turn off the lights when they are the last to leave a room, students responded differently based on the type of room. Students said they turn off their dorm room lights the most often, followed by study rooms, day rooms, classrooms and, finally, bathrooms. While the sustainability team is encouraged by the frequency of students turning off lights in dorm rooms and study rooms, they find the other rooms to be areas that should be improved upon. They have discussed the possibility of motion detector lighting in bathrooms, day rooms and classrooms.
When responding to the question how they would rate their knowledge of sustainable landscaping practices on campus, students were not very confident. Only 7.6% of students considered their knowledge to be excellent, while 35.4%, 32%, and 25% of students believed their knowledge to be good, fair, and poor, respectively. As the sustainability team continues their work, which they consider to be only beginning, they feel confident that these numbers will rise in their upcoming surveys.
View the rest of the results of this survey from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.