A team of five GCSU marketing research students investigated issues of awareness of energy saving opportunities, attitude toward energy saving opportunities, energy saving behaviors, energy saving intentions. They also researched aware of alternative transportation opportunities, attitudes toward alternative transportation opportunities, alternative transportation behaviors, and alternative transportation intentions. The study included 183 usable surveys from students, 96 from faculty and staff and 45 that did not identify their status on campus.
Conclusions
Overall, the study concluded that though current students, staff and faculty at GCSU have a positive attitude towards energy efficiency and alternative transportation, they lack awareness as well as current behaviors and intentions in order to make sustainability a reality on the GCSU campus. The results also conclude that currently enrolled students, staff and faculty at GCSU are unwilling to contribute to the sustainability fund at this time.
Despite the lack of awareness, behaviors and intentions, the respondents to the survey did show that there is an interest in making GCSU a more eco-friendly campus. Research concluded that students, faculty, and staff show an interest in recycling, abolishing energy hogs, provide bike lanes and more bike racks, and conserving energy by turning off lights and idle equipment while rooms remain unoccupied. These behaviors and interests are important to being energy efficient; however, students, faculty, and staff are not willing to change the temperatures in the rooms during the warmer and colder months to accommodate cheaper energy bills and are unwilling to leave their cars at home in favor of carpooling.
Recommendations of the Study
To increase awareness of alternative transportation and energy conservation, special classes and workshops can help promote safety for cyclists and the importance on reducing the amount of energy used by individuals around campus. By spreading awareness of alternative energy and energy conservation, behaviors should change and some intentions can be matched.
Allowing options for conserving energy, such as providing power strips that can easily be turned on and off, will encourage students in the dorms and classrooms to decrease their power usage. Cutting down usage will ultimately decrease the monthly energy bill on the GCSU campus. By offering bike lanes and more bike racks, students will be willing to use their bikes to ride to campus instead of drive their cars. Bike lanes will offer a safe route to class without interfering with traffic, where cyclists can get hit. Abolishing the fear of danger, attitudes toward alternative transportation will improve.
Georgia College Green Initiative 