Sustainable Office Research Articles

Mapping social structures for sustainability transformation at McGill University, Canada

PurposeFor a university to be a prime mover for sustainability transformation, all units of the university should contribute. However, organizational change in educational institutions is often studied by examining specific domains such as research or operation in isolation. This results in a less-than-complete picture of the potential for university-wide change. In contrast, this paper aims to examine the network of social relations that determine the diffusion and sustainability of change efforts across a university. The authors use McGill University (Canada) as a model system to study the network of actors concerned with sustainability to learn how this network influences the penetration of sustainability throughout the university.Design/methodology/approachTo explore the existing social structure, the authors use an innovative approach to illuminate the influence of social structure on organizational change efforts. Using a mixed methods approach combining social network analysis with qualitative interview data, the authors examine the influence of the social structure on sustainability transformation at McGill University. The authors conducted 52 interviews between January and April 2019 with representatives of different sustainability groups at the university across six domains (research, education, administration, operations, connectivity and students).FindingsThe authors find that McGill University has a centralized system with a low density. The network is centralized around the Office of Sustainability. The limited cross-domain interaction appears to be a result of differences in motivation and priorities. This leads to a network that has many actors but only a limited number of connections between them. The quality of the relationships is often utilitarian, with only a few relationships aiming for support and mutual growth.Originality/valueThis study brings together social network analysis, sustainability transformation and higher education in a new way. It also illustrates the complexity of guiding a large organization, such as a university, toward a sustainability transformation. Furthermore, it reveals the importance of considering each part of the university as part of an interconnected network rather than as isolated components.

Staff support and administrative capacity in strategic planning for local sustainability

ABSTRACT Strategic plans are widely used by municipalities as a means of directing their own activities, but relatively few studies have examined factors associated with cities’ decisions to embed sustainability principles within them. Drawing from literature on planning processes and organizational capacity, this paper tests whether perceived staff support for sustainability initiatives influences the integration of sustainability into strategic plans, and whether administrative capacity has a moderating effect on this relationship. This study presents new findings about how cities are advancing sustainability objectives and about the role that designated sustainability offices can play in the strategic planning process.

Success of Serial Office Resection in Severe Asherman's Syndrome

<h3>Study Objective</h3> Demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of serial office hysteroscopic lysis of adhesions for a severe case of Asherman's Syndrome. <h3>Design</h3> Video. <h3>Setting</h3> Outpatient gynecologic clinic. <h3>Patients or Participants</h3> 38-year-old G1P1001 diagnosed with Asherman's Syndrome after a vaginal delivery followed by a postpartum hemorrhage requiring a D&C and Bakri balloon placement. She is amenorrheic and desires future fertility. <h3>Interventions</h3> The patient had three office visits for lysis of adhesions with a rigid hysteroscope and semi-rigid scissors. The first office hysteroscopy had a duration of 21 minutes, the second office hysteroscopy had a duration of 4 minutes, and on the third visit, no recurrent intrauterine adhesions were seen and no further resection was necessary. She was pre-treated with ibuprofen prior to the procedure and tolerated the intervention well. The patient took 1mg estradiol PO BID during the treatment course. <h3>Measurements and Main Results</h3> The patient's intrauterine adhesions were completely resolved by the end of the hysteroscopy series. She tolerated all the office procedures well with minimal medication for pain control. We believe our vaginoscopy technique for office hysteroscopy procedures leads to minimal pain. Additionally, we demonstrate the necessary components and benefits of a sustainable office hysteroscopy practice. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Serial hysteroscopic resection in the office for severe Asherman's Syndrome is safe, effective, and well-tolerated by patients.

An Economic Impact Analysis of the US Biobased Products Industry

Industrial BiotechnologyVol. 17, No. 5 Industry ReportAn Economic Impact Analysis of the US Biobased Products IndustryJesse Daystar, Robert Handfield, Jay S. Golden, Eric McConnell, and Janire Pascual-GonzalezJesse DaystarJesse Daystar, Ph.D. is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and at the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University. He also serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of Sustainability at Cotton Incorporated. Daystar has Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Forest Biomaterials, and he has B.S. degrees in Chemical and Pulp & Paper Engineering from North Carolina State University. E-mail Address: Jesse.Daystar@duke.eduNicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USADepartment of Forest Biomaterials and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USASearch for more papers by this author, Robert HandfieldDepartment of Business Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USASearch for more papers by this author, Jay S. GoldenMaxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NC, USASearch for more papers by this author, Eric McConnellSchool of Agricultural Sciences & Forestry at Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, USASearch for more papers by this author, and Janire Pascual-GonzalezDivision of Research, Economic Development, and Engagement, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USASearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:15 Oct 2021https://doi.org/10.1089/ind.2021.29263.jdaAboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byApproaches in Sustainable, Biobased Multilayer Packaging Solutions26 February 2023 | Polymers, Vol. 15, No. 5Life-Cycle Assessment of Biochemicals with Clear Near-Term Market Potential6 February 2023 | ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 11, No. 7 Volume 17Issue 5Oct 2021 InformationCopyright 2021, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Jesse Daystar, Robert Handfield, Jay S. Golden, Eric McConnell, and Janire Pascual-Gonzalez.An Economic Impact Analysis of the US Biobased Products Industry.Industrial Biotechnology.Oct 2021.259-270.http://doi.org/10.1089/ind.2021.29263.jdaPublished in Volume: 17 Issue 5: October 15, 2021Online Ahead of Print:October 8, 2021PDF download

Campus sustainability in the Australian higher education sector: divergence and convergence in planning, reporting and tactics

PurposeThis study provides a country-specific and sector-wide study of campus sustainability. Campus sustainability is a key consideration for the higher education (HEI) sector, and campus sustainability officers and managers manage its reporting and planning. Global and country-specific studies to date have focussed on individual organisation narratives, interviews with faculty and management and content analysis of reports and plans. Findings show wide divergence on scope and scale of formalised planning and reporting, few references to sustainability officers and managers’ perspectives and limited reference to organisational theory to explain tactics and strategies adopted. As a result, there are a few country-specific and sector-wide studies. The purpose of this paper is to address the scarcity of country-specific and sector-wide studies into campus sustainability practices in HEI by combining qualitative and quantitative analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe authors provide the first sector-wide overview of formal campus sustainability commitments for the Australian public sector HEI (n = 41) in terms of several key indicators – plans, reports and other indicators. Second, the authors use reflexive thematic analysis of interviews (n = 21) with current and former sustainability officers and managers to examine sector organisational reasons for such variation. Third, the authors analyse HEI sector isomorphism and divergence on planning and reporting of campus sustainability from the perspective of institutional theory of organisations.FindingsThis study finds some convergence on the need for plans, reporting and other engagement elements, albeit without any sector-wide standards being followed. The authors observe a trend towards carbon-neutral (CN) declarations before 2030 although with nuances on emissions scope and increasing inclusion of renewable energy. Interviews identify a range of strategies and tactics adopted for campus sustainability relative to internal and external organisational pressures. Overall, the sector still exhibits weak institutionalisation of sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThis study interviews a specific and limited cohort (n = 21) and presents an overview of sector reporting, planning and target setting although not a detailed content analysis. Other interview cohorts may have different views on the strategic and tactical purposes of reporting practices, and more in-depth analysis of formal plans and reports should be conducted in the future.Practical implicationsThis study concludes that the Australian HEI sector should consider greater public transparency of its data and reporting actions. Common standards and a benchmarking platform for the sector would improve overall engagement with all internal and external stakeholders. At present, the HEI sector’s message to its key internal and external stakeholders is mixed and needs to change towards a more in-depth institutionalisation of sustainability on campus.Originality/valueParticular insights are the value of organisational strategies and tactics as an interpretive framework for HEI campus sustainability and how interviewees attribute sector competitors and self-different motives and tactics. Albeit limited, this is the first mapping of sector approaches to sustainability reporting and planning.

THE CROSSFIRE OF CORPORATE REAL ESTATE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT WITH CORPORATE SUSTAINABLE OBJECTIVES IN MALAYSIA

The emergence of corporations dabbling in sustainable development has caused a shift from the conventional way of managing office building to a more systematic approach involving high technology. Various discussions espouse the positive impact of sustainable office buildings on business. However, previous studies only discussed the elements involved, but most of these discussions did not specify which element that significantly contributed to business objectives. Thus, this research attempts to discover the relationship between corporate real estate sustainable management (CRESM) and corporate sustainability (CS) objectives to determine the most significant element of CRESM influencing overall CS objectives. A questionnaire survey was carried out involving 117 combinations of corporate real estate managers who are directly involved in managing sustainable offices in Malaysia. Data was then analyzed using IBM SPSS Smart PLS. Results indicate six elements of CRESM significantly affect CS objectives that hope to assist corporate real estate managers to well manage their sustainable office buildings as well as contributing to achieve their business objectives.

Water Conservation and Management Practices at the University of Sharjah to Achieve Sustainability Excellence

The University of Sharjah is a leading educational and research institution in the Gulf region. To stimulate the different aspects of sustainability in education and research as well as to ensure the implementation of sustainability concepts throughout the University campus operations, the concept of sustainability circles is implemented. The University being in hot-arid-zone and mostly surrounded by desert terrain relies on unconventional water conservation programs and initiatives such as the use of innovation &amp; technology, reuse and recycling of water, and awareness campaigns. In line with such programs, the use of potable water is limited for hygiene purposes and wastewater generated within the University is reused after treatment to irrigate the vast green spaces through the most efficient irrigation water application systems. Examples of water conservation practices include use of efficient water devices, reuse of treated greywater for toilet flushing at a selected location, water quality monitoring, preservation to conserve water for its intended use, promoting waterless car wash on the campus grounds etc. On-campus water is also conserved through disseminating knowledge and awareness to the University community and beyond through various sustainability related programs and initiatives organized by Sustainability Office for water conservation and environmental protection.

Added value of sites suitable for sustainable office development

Abstract Valuations of real estate are widely used for various purposes and it relied always upon the financial and other markets. Valuation methodology is based on the operation of the free market economy and the real estate properties. The issue of certified properties is relatively new in the field of real estate valuation and is not sufficiently explored. Certified buildings are preferred by major corporate tenants with international field of activity who often have ethical rules for sustainable development. Therefore, certified properties are attractive to international commercial real estate investors who have higher purchasing power and are willing to pay a higher purchase price. Sustainable property certification is an element affecting the market value of the property. The purpose of this presented research is to quantify the impact of property certification on the value of office properties in Prague and subsequently to determine the impact of sustainability certificates on the market value of the land by using basic valuation techniques. The outcome of the project could be used by real estate valuation experts as a guideline to consider the future project certification and its impact on the land market value.

Knowledge, attitude and practice toward sustainability among university students in UAE

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices adopted among University of Sharjah (UOS) students toward sustainability efforts done by their university.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was emailed to students with the assistance of the UOS Sustainability Office. The survey consisted of four sections assessing knowledge, attitudes, practices and preferred media to obtain sustainability information. A total of 200 responses from male and female students, representing 4 levels of study in sciences and humanities colleges, were received. Research data is analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics (version 26). For assessing knowledge, eight items were developed to measure if the student knew about the university’s projects and activities in the field of sustainability. For assessing attitudes, six items were developed to indicate the level of agreement or disagreement toward main sustainability issues. For assessing practices, ten items were developed to measure the frequency of acting in a sustainable manner.FindingsSurvey results showed an advanced level of basic knowledge among university students regarding the programs and activities conducted by UOS, and a positive attitude toward these efforts and toward the importance of supporting sustainable practices. Most of the participating students disagreed with limiting the use of cars on campus – this may be because of a cultural aspect among young people in the Emirati society, who consider driving cars as an essential part of their daily life. Most students also indicated that they care about the behavior that supports sustainability in the university environment, such as rationalizing water consumption and using environment friendly products.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s limitations are that it was applied to one university – UOS. The sample of the online survey was only 200 students from undergraduate students. Different universities may have their own sets of different environmental approaches, and because of this reason, university students may exhibit different levels of knowledge, attitude and practice toward sustainability in contrast to the findings from this study.Practical implicationsFindings from this research can give decision-makers a good picture of the university’s performance in accomplishing sustainability. The authors recommend that UOS sustainability communication programs should be more comprehensive, and not only limited to protecting the environment that some students perceive as the primary aspect of sustainability. These efforts must address all economic and social aspects emphasized by the United Arab Emirates 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is considered one of the first studies addressing sustainability efforts in Emirati universities and seeking to assess the level of student knowledge, attitudes and practices toward sustainability issues in the country. The study is crucial in providing better insights such as the level of knowledge, attitude and practices toward UOS sustainability performance. As found in this study, even with sufficient knowledge, students still lack the drive to convert them into actions. So, future research could investigate deeper into the barriers of converting sustainable knowledge and attitudes into practices. The results represent an added value to the research literature concerned with sustainability issues in the Arab world and the Middle East region. This paper will also contribute to the sustainability literature that will be benefited by other various organizations.

A Review on Effective Use of Daylight Harvesting Using Intelligent Lighting Control Systems for Sustainable Office Buildings in India

Lighting is a fundamental requirement of our daily life. A lot of research and development is carried out in the field of daylight harvesting, which is the need of the hour. One of the most desirable attributes of daylight harvesting is that daylight is available universally and it is a very clean and cost-efficient form of energy. By using the various methods of daylight harvesting, it is possible to attain the global Sustainable Development Goals. Daylight harvesting in the most fundamental sense is the lighting strategy control of the artificial light in an interior space where daylight is also present so that the required illumination level is achieved. This way, a lot of energy can be saved. Recently, in addition to energy efficiency, other factors such as cost-efficiency, user requirements such as uniform illuminance, and different levels of illuminance at different points are being considered. To simulate the actual daylight contribution for an office building in urban Chennai, India before construction, ECO TECH software is used by providing the inputs such as building orientation, and reflectance’s values of the ceiling, wall, and floor to analyze the overall percentage of daylight penetration available versus the percentage prescribed in the Indian Green Building Council to obtain the credit points. Thus, the impact of architectural design on daylight harvesting and daylight predictive technology has experimented with office building in Chennai, India. This article will give an insight into the current trends in daylight harvesting technology and intends to provide a deeper understanding and spark a research interest in this widely potential field.

Making sustainability plans more equitable: an analysis of 50 U.S. Cities

ABSTRACT Government plans and initiatives for the 50 largest U.S. cities were examined for connections between social equity and sustainability. Six sectors that are associated with sustainability (defined as the sector’s potential to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions) were included: buildings, electricity, food, greenspace, pollution and air quality, and transportation. The study identified 261 plans and initiatives in the 50 cities during the 2010–2020 period that had connections between social equity and sustainability. Results indicate that cities still have many opportunities to improve plans and initiatives when undertaking revisions. To that end, 21 types of goals and initiatives are identified from the data set to show a composite picture of how cities can integrate social equity with sustainability in this area. Of the 21 types, only 7 appeared in more than 50% of the cities. The study also provides an analysis of opportunities for robust engagement, implementation, equity tracking, and connections of goals across sectors. An additional analysis shows that cities with greater attention to the sustainability-equity nexus tend to lean toward the center-left Democratic Party, to have higher education and income, and to have sustainability offices.

Improving ESE policy through research-practice partnerships: Reflections and analysis from New York City

Although interest in ESE policy studies is on the rise, we argue there is a gap in scholarship about the nature and extent of interactions between policymakers and researchers in the ESE field. This paper addresses this gap by discussing one example of such interaction – an ongoing research-practice partnership (RPP) between the New York City Department of Education Office of Sustainability and Teachers College, Columbia University. Using qualitative document analysis, we – a researcher and two policymakers – make two contributions to the literature. First, we analyze the emergence of the partnership and point to the importance of trust, social relationships, and production of local and relevant knowledge. Second, we demonstrate how policymakers use knowledge produced in the RPP to inform specific programmatic decisions (instrumental use) and to clarify assumptions about the system (conceptual use). We also show how engagement with research informs participants’ views towards improving school engagement with ESE. Implications for furthering research-policy relationships in ESE include: supporting comparative and longitudinal research designs, giving more attention to the socio-political context shaping partnerships, investigating other forms of knowledge use in RPPs, and reflecting on the politics and priorities given to conducting research with policymakers that demonstrate contributions to the collective good.

The design and development of sustainable office building base on the upgraded target in Shanghai

Shanghai, which is the heart of economical centre in china, is developing even faster. The office building is perhaps the most important kind of building type along with the economic development trend. This paper study the design and development of the representative sustainable office building cases in different developing stage in Shanghai from the perspective of architectural design. And conclude the effective sustainable design and management ways by the cases to summarize some references and suggestion of sustainable office. And then the reflecting on the pre-preparation, the controlling of process and the technology selection in the whole design of the sustainable office building in Shanghai.

Sustainable Urban Development and Office Location

Sustainable Urban Development and Office Location

Do chief sustainability officers and CSR committees influence CSR-related outcomes? A structured literature review based on empirical-quantitative research findings

Although an increasing amount of empirical research has been linked to the impact of management control and governance on corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues since the financial crisis of 2008/09, heterogeneous results have characterised this research field. Regarding the group level of corporate governance, the efficacy of board committees (e.g., audit, compensation or CSR committees) has been included in recent research designs. However, analyses of corporate governance at the individual level are related to the effects of top management members [e.g., chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO) or chief sustainability officer (CSO)] on CSR outcomes. This paper aims to convey a detailed understanding of sustainable management control’s impact as CSR-related board expertise. In more detail, we focus on the influence of both CSR committees and CSOs on three CSR measures mainly analysed in empirical-quantitative research: (1) CSR reporting; (2) CSR assurance (CSRA); and (3) CSR performance. We motivate our analysis with increased relevance from practical, regulatory and research perspectives, and we employ a systematic literature review of the symbolic vs. substantive effects of sustainability-related board composition. Based on our theoretical model (legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and upper-echelons theory), we selected 48 quantitative peer-reviewed empirical studies on this research topic. Our analysis shows that CSR committees positively influence CSR reporting and performance. Thus, there are indications that the implementation of a CSR committee is not a symbolic act, but instead substantively contributes to CSR activities. However, in light of inconclusive empirical research results and a lack of studies that have analysed CSO-related effects, a notable research gap has been identified. Moreover, we note the main limitations of prior research in this review and develop an agenda with useful recommendations for future studies.

Improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) for occupant health and well-being: A case study of Swedish office building

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is a major domain of building conditions relating to occupant comfort, health and well-being. Especially in the office environment, IEQ can influence work productivity positively. Within the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal 3 good health and well-being, and goal 8 decent work and economic growth are the two areas where IEQ can significantly contribute. To better design sustainable office buildings in line with the agenda 2030, the study aims to examine occupant satisfaction, health and work in a newly renovated office building which is labelled by the BREEAM certification scheme Silver. Occupant preferences of IEQ comparing to the current conditions were also explored to provide advice for future design. The results show that occupant satisfaction with IEQ has not well achieved and in the office environment occupants prefer warmer temperature, more fresh air, less noise, and more daylight. We also find that perceived IEQ is extensively related to occupant health and work productivity. It concludes that in such a newly renovated office building as a high-performance building, there are still many problems from the indoor environments. Therefore, improvements are needed to gain occupant satisfaction and positively influence occupant health, well-being and work productivity.

Occupancy Prediction Using Low-Cost and Low-Resolution Heat Sensors for Smart Offices.

Solving the challenge of occupancy prediction is crucial in order to design efficient and sustainable office spaces and automate lighting, heating, and air circulation in these facilities. In office spaces where large areas need to be observed, multiple sensors must be used for full coverage. In these cases, it is normally important to keep the costs low, but also to make sure that the privacy of the people who use such environments are preserved. Low-cost and low-resolution heat (thermal) sensors can be very useful to build solutions that address these concerns. However, they are extremely sensitive to noise artifacts which might be caused by heat prints of the people who left the space or by other objects, which are either using electricity or exposed to sunlight. There are some earlier solutions for occupancy prediction that employ low-resolution heat sensors; however, they have not addressed nor compensated for such heat artifacts. Therefore, in this paper, we presented a low-cost and low-energy consuming smart space implementation to predict the number of people in the environment based on whether their activity is static or dynamic in time. We used a low-resolution and non-intrusive heat sensor to collect data from an actual meeting room. We proposed two novel workflows to predict the occupancy; one that is based on computer vision and one based on machine learning. Besides comparing the advantages and disadvantages of these different workflows, we used several state-of-the-art explainability methods in order to provide a detailed analysis of the algorithm parameters and how the image properties influence the resulting performance. Furthermore, we analyzed noise resources that affect the heat sensor data. The experiments show that the feature classification based method gives high accuracy when the data are clean from noise artifacts. However, when there are noise artifacts, the computer vision based method can compensate for those artifacts providing robust results. Because the computer vision based method requires an empty room recording, the feature classification based method should be chosen either when there is no expectancy of seeing noise artifacts in the data or when there is no empty recording available. We hope that our analysis brings light into understanding how to handle very low-resolution heat images in these environments. The presented workflows could be used in various domains and applications other than smart offices, where occupancy prediction is essential, e.g., for elderly care.

New York City as ‘fortress of solitude’ after Hurricane Sandy: a relational sociology of extreme weather’s relationship to climate politics

ABSTRACT How did New York City’s climate politics change after Hurricane Sandy, and why? Prevailing accounts of extreme weather’s impact on climate politics draw on survey data and characterize climate policy in vague terms. However, weather does not do the work of politics; the specifics of climate policy matter. I develop a relational sociological approach focused on mobilized actors, political economy, and event theory. Drawing on interviews and document analysis, I show how senior disaster officials, New York’s Mayor Bloomberg and his Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, community groups and Occupy Sandy activists responded to Hurricane Sandy. Actors maintained outlooks and practices consistent with their position in the city’s power relations. This selective continuity shifted New York’s climate policy from decarbonization-focused tentative cosmopolitanism to adaptation-focused defensive parochialism. I term this convergent prioritization of adaptation a ‘fortress of solitude’ social logic. Only subsequent events explain New York’s 2019 low-carbon legislation.

A Methodological Framework for Sustainable Office Building Renovation Using Green Building Rating Systems and Cost-Benefit Analysis

Sustainable development is a priority for the future of our society. Sustainable development is of particular importance to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, both for new buildings and for the renovation of existing buildings. Great potential for sustainable development lies in the renovation of existing office buildings. This paper introduces a new framework for identifying the best set of renovation strategies for existing office buildings. The framework applies selected green building rating system criteria and cost-effective sustainable renovation solutions based on cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and thus provides a novelty in decision-making support for the sustainable renovation of office buildings at an early-stage. The framework covers all necessary steps and activities including data collection, determination of the required level of renovation, selection of the green building rating system, identification of impact categories and criteria, and final evaluation and decision-making using CBA. The framework can be used in conjunction with different systems and according to different regional characteristics. The applicability of the addressing procedure is shown through a case study of a comprehensive renovation of an office building in the city of Maribor.

Sustainability survey to assess student perspectives

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess environmental concern at a Midwest university, analyze trends in concern over time and determine the effect of the development of a campus sustainability office. Design/methodology/approach A multi-question survey was administered through peer-to-peer recruitment from an undergraduate environmental science class each fall from 2010–2017. This exercise was originally developed as a pedagogical exercise on the scientific method. Findings Over eight years, incoming freshmen have expressed more concern that humans are harming the environment and students also express greater concern as they progress through college. Research limitations/implications The first year of the survey (2010) and the year that the lead PI was on sabbatical (2014) saw reduced response rates (∼1%–3% of the student population) compared to 6%–9% of the student population in other years. Practical implications Responses to all of the questions in the survey provide guidance for university administrations and sustainability offices about the concerns of the campus community, awareness about campus efforts and support for sustainability activities on campus. Originality/value Few studies have been published on students’ perspectives on environmental concern and sustainability activities on university campuses. These data provide an overview of environmental concern, perceived government action and empowerment to action over an eight-year period. This approach is recommended as a technique to teach the scientific method in introductory classes and as a means to collect data about student perspectives on sustainability.