Aurali Dade, PhD

Division of Research,University of Nevada,

Las Vegas

Barriers and Opportunitiesfor Communicating

Sustainability on Campus

US IHEs & Sustainability

• US Colleges & Universities–Over 4,000–$350+ billion/year industry–Educate future workforce–Environmental impacts–Community impacts

IHE Structure & SustainabilityComplex organizational structures & diverse

physical environments – Low funding– Highly conservative & immutable – Diffuse hierarchical structures, power is

dispersed (Eckel & Kezar, 2006) – Many stakeholders (Duderstadt & Womack, 2003) – Hundreds of buildings with multiple functions

including housing, dining, teaching & research (Uhl, 2004)

– Various uses of hazardous materials

Groups Evaluated in Research

• Operational Decision Makers– Facilities Maintenance and/or Planning &

Construction– Purchasing– Health & Safety

• Academic faculty with responsibility for a laboratory

Method

Sampling– Random stratified sampling of all accredited

IHEs in US

Content Analysis

Over 700 websites analyzed – groups of interest plus central sustainability site

Survey

Approximately 500 respondents

Analysis using nonparametric statistical techniques

Key Findings about Communication

• Majority were able to define sustainability & had positive feelings about it. Majority of websites did not mention sustainability.

• Attitudes differed significantly between different groups of respondents. – Facilities/research faculty differed the most,

– Followed by facilities/safety and facilities/purchasing.

Campus sustainability is prioritized by me personally

Key Findings about Communication

• Primary source of sustainability information:– 49% Off-campus sources – 23% On-campus sources.

When making decisions about campus sustainability where do you obtain your information?

Key Findings about Communication

• Only 4% of websites indicated that they have an important role in campus sustainability.

• Central sustainability sites indicated:

– 31% safety & purchasing

– 76% facilities & research faculty

Key Findings about Communication

• 18% indicated that they do not receive information about sustainability at their campus.

• Facilities, academic faculty, and safety were each more likely to rely on their own department when compared with other respondents.

What is your primary on-campus source for sustainability information?

Conclusions about Communication

• Faculty were more likely to rely on faculty than on any other group.

• Purchasing, facilities, and safety respondents were unlikely to rely on faculty for information about sustainability.

• Possible lack of trust or information about academic part of campus by operational part of campus and vice versa.

Conclusions about Communication

• The respondents to this study rated student involvement and influence as significantly lower than involvement and influence of “administration”

• Not clear from survey who the respondents considered to be “administration”

In your opinion, which on-campus group has the most influence on campus sustainability?

Conclusions about Communication

• Large institutions (>15,000 students) were significantly more likely to communicate about sustainability on all of their websites.

Conclusions about Communication

• Websites were most likely to reference non-profit organizations for the information they posted about sustainability.

• AASHE, ACUPCC, Second Nature, WWF, and local non-profits were frequently referenced and linked.

Recommendations

• Emphasize and promote communicating about sustainability on websites by various stakeholders – even if it is just a sentence and link to the central sustainability site.

Communication between academic and operational units

• Communication gap between the academic and operational units on many campuses:– Top response from faculty about where they received

information about campus sustainability was “I do not receive information about campus sustainability on my campus”

– Top response from faculty about which department they would rely upon for sustainability information was “None of these departments” with second place answer of “an academic department”

Recommendations

• Possible solutions:– Council that includes all types of members– Activities involving both areas– Joint “ownership” of campus sustainability– Class projects – learning by action– Lectures for broad audience and interest

Challenges

• Sustainability only being mentioned on central website

• Academic faculty and operational decision makers may speak a very different “language”

• Each group may be hesitant to trust information from other group and/or give up control

• Individuals may be hesitant to become involved in activities that do not support P&T or merit raises

Opportunities for better communication

• Carefully define what you mean by campus sustainability• Involve all stakeholders with expertise and provide incentives• Communicate clearly about how sustainability impact daily

work operations• Don’t make arbitrary divisions• Publicize your successes to all parts of the campus

community• Encourage collaborations across campus• Take a proactive approach to reporting• Communicate support for sustainability from the highest

levels of the IHE

UNLV

• University of Nevada Las Vegas– 28,000 students, 3,100 faculty & staff– Main Campus, Biomedical/Dental Campus &

Campus in Singapore– Site of Brookings Institute Mountain West– Recycling program since 1995, sustainability

focus approx 5 years

Communication Successes at UNLV

• The Road to Stars– Interdisciplinary Researchers, Staff, and

students on Sustainability Council– Core Group

• Director of Urban Sustainability (Faculty)• Recycling/Sustainability Coordinator (Facilities)• Sustainability Intern (UG Student)• Doctoral Student/Professional Staff in

Research Division

PM Concept for STARS completion

• Initiation – decision to pursue and purchase STARS

• Planning & Design – meetings with Council and Core Group Strategy Sessions

• Conduct of Project – Requests for Information, Access to Key Individuals

• Monitoring – Review-o-Rama and final review by Core Group

• Completion!

Communication Successes at UNLV

• Sustainability List serve – anyone can join

• Annual Conferences on various topics – open to entire campus community

• National Clean Energy Summit

Future areas of opportunity

• Increased engagement with broad student population

• Increased engagement with diverse faculty

• Subcommittee/working groups for action

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion

that it has taken place-George Bernard Shaw