Exploring Inclusive Sustainability

Sustainability Problem and Proposed Solution:

This research will support more effective and inclusive programming and initiatives around sustainability on campus, increasing UCSC’s visibility as a leader in sustainability and resonating with our changing student demographics. The larger goal of PoCSC is to provide a space where diverse student voices and experiences can be heard and implemented, promoting transformative action towards inclusive sustainability at UCSC and beyond.

Jump to: Contact | Project Description | Metrics for Success | Results

Project Categories:

Awareness, Education & Engagement

Social Justice

Project Status:

In Progress

Campus Organization:

Colleges Nine and Ten

People of Color Sustainability Collective

Sustainability Office

Affiliated Department, Unit or College:

ENVS, Colleges Nine and Ten

Project Location:

On campus

Stakeholder Contacts:

Contact Name	Email Address	Contact Number	Department
Tashina Vavuris	tvavuris@ucsc.edu		PhD Student, ENVS Department
Flora Lu	floralu@ucsc.edu	831-459-3214	ENVS, Provost Colleges Nine and Ten
Rebecca Hernandez	rhernandez@ucsc.edu	(831) 459-2881	Director, AIRC
Elida Erickson	ekericks@ucsc.edu	(831) 459-2703	Director, Sustainability Office

Project Description:

The research closely aligns with the mandate of the Campus Sustainability Plan (CSP) Learning and Culture Section’s Goal 1, Strategy 1.1, Action 1.1A. We propose four phases of this project; (1) revision of the survey instrument, (2) implementation of the survey instrument to undergraduates at UCSC, (3) preliminary analysis of the survey instrument, and (4) further analysis and write up of results. With the results from the 2016 survey coded and analyzed, we unearthed conceptions of what students are seeking in their academic journeys in regard to environmental sustainability. Much of the 2016 survey can be retained and implemented again in 2019, but the instrument needs to be revised to encompass interesting and promising findings emerging from the previous research effort. For example, investigator Tashina Vavuris, a doctoral student in Environmental Studies focusing on inclusive sustainability for her dissertation research, undertook extensive qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions from the 2016 survey, revealing a trove of insights about what respondents seek from student organizations and faculty/staff/administration in regards to supporting campus sustainability efforts. Questions in 2019 can further explore these leads, translating into more informed practices at UCSC. We will solicit input from key units across campus to design a survey instrument with the greatest resonance, topical coverage, and utility. Similar to last time, IRAPS will work closely with PoCSC, Lu, and Vavuris to develop the instrument.

Metrics for Success:

Our metrics encompass quantitative and qualitative measures, processual factors and deliverables corresponding to each of the phases of the project.

For phase (1), revision of the survey instrument, a successful result entails an iterative process that meaningfully incorporates feedback from all partners of PoCSC and IRAPS (including undergraduates familiar with our efforts) and insights gleaned from the open-ended survey questions from 2016. We will also seek to pretest the instrument with at least 7 students. (Completed)

For phase (2), implementation of the survey instrument to undergraduates at UCSC, our success metrics include an outreach period of at least three weeks incorporating emails, flyers and announcements; meeting or surpassing the number of responses from the 2016 survey; and awarding the incentive prize without delay. (Completed)

For (3) preliminary analysis of the survey instrument, we will run descriptive statistics on all survey questions and cross-tabulations of variables that are logically related. We will ask the same overarching questions from the 2016 analysis and test to see if the 2019 results are statistically significantly different. (In-Progress)

For (4) further analysis and write up of results, our metrics will include a campus report and drafts of two publications by September 2019. (Taking place Summer 2019)

Next Steps:

In the hopes that CSP funding will once again be available in AY 2019-2020, we will apply for support to undertake focus groups based on the 2019 survey results to ascertain students’ interpretations and explanations of the findings. We will use compare results from 2019 with those from the 2016 survey to understand whether or not behaviors and perceptions around sustainability have changed.

Result Categories:

Education/Outreach

Data Collection & Analysis

Results:

Over the Winter Quarter the research team, comprised of Rebecca Hernandez (AIRC), Elida Erickson and Shauna Casey (Sustainability Office), Flora Lu (Colleges Nine and Ten), Lisa O’Connor and Anna Sher (IRAPS), PoCSC student interns, and graduate student researcher, Tashina Vavuris, revised the 2016 survey to strengthen questions around environmental health, environmental justice education, and notions of sustainability. The revision process took many weeks. Once a draft was finalized, the survey was pretested with students to insure question and content validity.

The survey was launched at the end of the Winter Quarter, remaining open through Spring Quarter, closing on May 8. During the open period, the Sustainability Office and the PoCSC interns advertised with posters and flyers, online outreach, tabling in the Quarry, and course announcements. In addition, Lu and Vavuris advertised the survey amongst faculty, undergraduate students, and graduate students who held Teaching Associate positions in the ENVS department. The prizes, one five-hundred dollar Visa gift card and ten fifty dollar Bay Tree Bookstore gift cards, will be awarded in the coming weeks, and the winners will be showcased on the PoCSC website.

This summer, under the guidance of Provost Lu and assistance from IRAPS, Vavuris and student interns will undertake analysis of survey data. Results will be compared to the 2016 PoCSC undergraduate survey and discussed in research papers. Next academic year the results will be finalized in a dissemination report and Spring Symposium. Overall, this research is part of a larger effort by PoCSC to bridge environmental sustainability and justice, centering student voices and informing campus initiatives and programming at UCSC.

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