Literacy Assessment

The following sustainability literacy assessment is being deployed to guage GW's performance within the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) program. For more information, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustaingwgwu [dot] edu.

 

Thank you for participating in this sustainability survey. Please answer every question truthfully and thoughtfully, without the assistance of any research materials. This survey focuses on your understanding of sustainability issues. Please select the answer you think is correct. If you don't know the answer, select the 'Don't know' option. All responses will be held in strict confidence and used only for research, planning, and program evaluation purposes. Some results of this study may be disseminated or made publicly available but will only be presented in aggregate form in ways that ensure that no individual can be identified by their responses. This survey takes approximately 5 - 7 minutes to complete. A follow-up survey will be distributed at the end of the academic year.

 

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1. What is the most common cause of pollution of streams and rivers?

• Dumping of garbage by cities
• Surface water running off yards, city streets, paved lots, and farm fields
• Litter near streams and rivers
• Waste dumped by factories
• Don't know

    

2. Which of the following is an example of sustainable forest management?

• Setting aside forests to be off limits to the public
• Never harvesting more than what the forest produces in new growth
• Producing lumber for nearby communities to build affordable housing
• Putting the local communities in charge of forest resources
• Don’t know

    

3. Of the following, which would contribute to the greatest reduction in consumer impact?

• Recycling
• Reducing consumption
• Buying products labeled "eco" or "green"
• Buying the newest products available
• Don't know

    

4. Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of sustainable development?

• Creating a government welfare system that ensures universal access to education, health care, and social services
• Setting aside resources for preservation, never to be used
• Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• Building a neighborhood that is both socio-demographically and economically diverse
• Don't know

    

5. All United Nations Member States adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. Which is not an SDG:

• Good Health and Well-Being
• Gender Equality
• Quality Education
• Waste Management
• Don’t know

   

6. Many economists argue that electricity prices in the U.S. are too low because...

• They do not reflect the costs of pollution from generating the electricity
• Too many suppliers go out of business
• Electric companies have a monopoly in their service area
• Many consumers spend only a small part of their income on energy
• Don't know

 

7. Which of the following is a leading cause of the depletion of fish stocks in the Atlantic Ocean?

• Fishermen seeking to maximize their catch to meet consumer demand
• Reduced fish fertility due to genetic hybridization
• Ocean pollution
• Global climate change
• Don't know

    

8. Which of the following is the best example of environmental justice?

• Urban citizens win a bill to have toxic wastes taken to rural communities
• The government dams a river, flooding Native American tribal lands to create hydro-power for large cities
• All stakeholders from an indigenous community are involved in setting a quota for the amount of wood they can take from a protected forest next to their village
• Multi-national corporations build factories in developing countries where environmental laws are less strict
• Don't know

    

9. Put the following list in order of the activities generating the most greenhouse gas emissions to those generating the least:

A. Producing one pound of chicken

B. Producing one pound of beef

C. Producing one pound of potatoes

• A, C, B
• B, A, C
• C, A, B
• These activities generate the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions
• Don't know

 

10. Corporate Social Responsibility often includes the "Triple Bottom Line" when defining what makes something sustainable. What are the three components of the Triple Bottom Line?

• Land, Labor, Capital 
• People, Planet, Profit 
• Profit, Profit, Profit 
• Income, Expense, Profit 
• Don't know

 

11. What federal agency oversees environmental regulations?

• Department of Agriculture 
• Council on Environmental Quality
• Environmental Protection Agency 
• Department of Natural Resources 
• Department of Health and Human Resources
• Don't know

 

12. Less than 1% of the water on earth is drinkable and available for human consumption. Which of the following statements on water conservation is NOT true?

• Leaking faucets can waste 100 gallons of water per day 
• You use less water taking a bath compared to a 7-minute shower
• One flush of a toilet can use up to 6.5 gallons of water
• You use about 5 gallons of water if you leave the water running while brushing your teeth 
• Don't know

 

13. Livestock and their byproducts consume a large amount of the world's freshwater. According to the Water Footprint Network, how many gallons of water does it take to produce one pound of beef?

• 515 gal/lb
• 1,005 gal/lb 
• 1,845 gal/lb 
• 3,585 gal/lb 
• Don't know

 

14. The Fair Trade label ensures that products were made and grown in a way that contributes to sustainable development, protecting the environment and securing the rights of workers. The Fair Trade label on products ____________________  (Check all that apply)

• Ensures products were made, grown, and harvested in a way that protects the environment and guarantees the proper rights for workers
• Fights for economic justice and against the climate crisis 
• Guarantees the product is organic
• Don't know

 

15. Since pre-industrial times, our Earth has warmed 1.6°F. Since the year 2014, we have seen levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) higher than 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide. According to climate scientists, what is the recommended safe level of CO2 concentration for Earth’s atmosphere?

• 300 ppm
• 400ppm 
• 350ppm 
• 250 ppm 
• Don't know

 

16. What is the greenhouse effect?

• Certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat and warm the Earth
• Life on Earth 'exhales' gas that warms up the atmosphere
• The tilt of the Earth changes the amount of solar energy the Earth receives
• The Sun is putting out more radiant energy over time
• Don't know

 

17. According to the EPA, which activity is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases in the US?

• Electricity generation
• Industry
• Transportation
• Agriculture
• Don't know

 

18. What proportion of climate scientists has concluded that humans are the primary driver of today's climate warming?

• 34%
• 59%
• 76%
• 97% or more 
• Don't know

 

19. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and low-socioeconomic status communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental harm.

• True
• False
• Don't know

 

20. An externality is defined as

• An additional cost imposed by the government on producers
• A cost or benefit that arises from production and falls on someone other than the producer, or a cost or benefit that arises from consumption and falls on someone other than the consumer
• An additional gain received by consumers from decisions made by the government
• The additional amount consumers have to pay to consume an additional amount of a good or service
• A marginal social cost
• Don't know