Investigators

Robert Marans - U-M Institute for Social Research

Project Summary

This project supported initial collaboration between the University of Michigan (U-M) and the University of Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos (USP-SC) around the measurement of sustainability culture on university campuses and the incorportation of sustainability measures in quality of urban life studies.

Project funds supported the transfer of information about U-M's Sustainability Cultural Indicators (SCIP), a series of lectures about sustainability culture, a training session covering survey research methods and techniques, and plans for a pilot study at USP-SC on sustainability culture later conducted by co-investigator Malherios. Although the findings of the pilot stufy were inconclusive, it introduced USP-SC faculty and students to the concept of sustainability culture, its importance, its measurement, and the value of rigorous research techniques involving surveys in conjunction with physical environment measurement in campus buildings. It also lay the foundation for a baseline assessment of sustainability culture at USP-SC.

This project received a $9,980 UM-Brazil Sustainability Cooperation Grant in 2013.