Take the Climate Action Survey

The survey is being conducted in partnership with the University of Michigan

The Rutgers University Office of Climate Action is conducting a survey of all current faculty, students and staff about their practices, preferences and awareness of climate action at the university.

"This short survey is part of Rutgers' overall efforts to deepen teaching, research and campus operations related to sustainability and climate action," said Angela Oberg, principal investigator on the research survey project. "Your perspective is important to us as we work toward our ambitious universitywide climate goals established in 2021 with adoption of Rutgers' first Climate Action Plan."

The survey will gauge Rutgers community members' views on sustainability efforts and climate action as work continues toward goals, including making the university carbon-negative - removing more greenhouse gases than are put into the atmosphere - by 2041.

"This survey is one of the ways we are trying to measure the culture of sustainability across the university," Oberg said.

The survey is being conducted in partnership with the University of Michigan - an added benefit of being a part of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, Oberg said. The surveys are running concurrently and researchers at each institution will be able to compare findings. Applying Michigan's survey tool to the Rutgers survey also saved valuable time and effort and opened a door to continued collaboration on climate goals, she said.

Another aim of the "Rutgers Campus Sustainability Survey: Assessing Sustainability Culture and Literacy of the Rutgers Community" is to assess students' climate literacy. Working with the Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support, the research team will track changes that evolve in students' knowledge and consideration of climate issues as they arrive at Rutgers following their K-12 education.

Survey questions also include queries about personal practices, such as most-used modes of transportation to, from and around Rutgers campuses. Answers to these questions will help measure, for example, the impact that hybrid work patterns at Rutgers are having on reaching the university's emission goals.

Oberg urges community members to take the survey as soon as possible. A Rutgers Net ID will be required to log in to take the survey. Participants are eligible to win one of four $500 Visa gift cards. Drawings for the Visa gift cards will be held within two weeks of the survey closing. Winners will be notified by email.

"Spending a few minutes to take this survey will help us understand how well we're communicating the university's big climate goals and the steps taken to achieve them while beginning to measure if we are successfully creating a culture of sustainability across the Rutgers community," Oberg said.