Appendix 1: Environmental Knowledge Surveys

(key: 1a is a pre-survey question and 1b is a post-survey question, Bold is most environmentally

literate answer)
Community Surveys

1a. There are many different kinds of animals d. At hydro-electric power plants?
and plants, and they live in many different Don't know
types of environments. What is the word used
to describe this idea? Is it… 3b. Solar power, hydro-power, wind power,
a. Multiplicity and geothermic power are all renewable
b. Biodiversity and the main way the U.S. creates
c. Socio-economics electricity.
d. Evolution? a. False, if geothermic power is excluded
Don't know b. False
c. True, if nuclear power is added
1b.Pick the word that best finishes this d. True
sentence: “If a bird runs out of worms to Don't know
eat, the bird can still live by eating another
type of food, like spiders because of… 4a. What is the most common cause of
a. Biodiversity pollution of streams, rivers, and oceans? Is
b. Evolution it…
c. Being a mammal a. Dumping of garbage by cities
d. Natural selection? b. Surface water running off yards, city
Don’t know streets, paved lots, and farm fields
c. Trash washed into the ocean from beaches, or
2a. Carbon monoxide is a major contributor d. Waste dumped by factories?
to air pollution in the U.S. Which of the Don't know
following is the biggest source of carbon
monoxide? Is it… 4b.Throwing a gum wrapper in a creek and
a. Factories and businesses factories dumping tons of waste into a river
b. People breathing are both water pollution.
c. Motor vehicles, or a. False, only the gum wrapper is pollution
d. Trees? b. True, they are both water pollution
Don't know c. True, if the gum wrapper is not made of
wax paper
2b. Driving motor vehicles is the leading d. False, only the factory waste is pollution
cause of air pollution in the world, what Don’t know
does air pollution include?
a. Smoke 5a. Which of the following is a renewable
b. Dust resource? Is it…
c. Chemicals a. Oil
d. All of the above b. Iron ore
Don't know c. Trees, or
d. Coal
3a. How is most of the electricity in the U.S. Don't know
generated? Is it…
a. By burning oil, coal, and wood 5b. Which of the following is a renewable
b. With nuclear power resource? Is it…
c. Through solar energy a. Wind energy
b. nuclear energy

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c. Fossil fuels c. National Environmental Agency (the NEA),
d. None of the above or
Don't know d. Federal Pollution Control Agency (the
FPCA)?
6a. Ozone forms a protective layer in the Don't know
earth's upper atmosphere. What does ozone
protect us from? Is it … 8b. What is the EPA’s purpose?
a. Acid rain a. To protect human health and the
b. Global warming environment
c. Sudden changes in temperature, or b. To protect the environment
d. Harmful, cancer-causing sunlight? c. To protect human health and welfare
Don't know d. To protect recreational environment only
Don't know
6b. Global Warming (GW) is caused by the
greenhouse effect which traps heat within 9a. Which of the following household wastes
the atmosphere; therefore the greenhouse is considered hazardous waste? Is it…
effect must be stopped to fight GW. a. Plastic packaging
b. Glass
a. True, stopping the greenhouse effect will c. Batteries, or
stop GW d. Spoiled food?
b. True, stopping the effect will lessen GW Don't know
c. False, the greenhouse effect is impossible
to stop 9b.Batteries need to be recycled at a special
d. False, the greenhouse effect doesn’t affect place because they have a chemical that is
GW dangerous for the environment. What else
Don't know has to be recycled in a special place?
a. Socks, shoes, and underwear
7a. Where does most of the garbage in the b. Computers and cell phones
U.S. end up? Is it in… c. Food
a. Oceans d. Newspapers
b. Incinerators Don’t know
c. Recycling centers, or
d. Landfills? 10a. What is the most common reason that an
Don't know animal species becomes extinct? Is it
because…
7b. What is the leading environmental a. Pesticides are killing them
problem with landfills? b. Their habitats are being destroyed by
a. Vermin humans
b. Emissions to air and water c. There is too much hunting, or
c. Taking up too much space d. There are climate changes that affect them?
d. Lowering property values Don't know
Don't know
10b. What is worst, animals becoming…
8a. What is the name of the primary federal a. Threatened
agency that works to protect the b. Endangered
environment? c. Extinct
Is it the… d. Domesticated
a. Environmental Protection Agency (the Don’t Know
EPA)
b. Department of Health, Environment, and 11a. Scientists have not determined the best
Safety (the DHES) solution for disposing of nuclear waste. In the
U.S., what do we do with it now? Do we…

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a. Use it as nuclear fuel
b. Sell it to other countries
c. Dump it in landfills, or 12a. What is the primary benefit of
d. Store and monitor the waste? wetlands? Do they…
Don't know a. Promote flooding
11b. Scientists have not determined the best b. Help clean the water before it enters
solution for disposing of nuclear waste. In lakes, streams,
the U.S., what do we do with it now? Do rivers, or oceans
we… c. Help keep the number of undesirable plants
a. Use it as nuclear fuel and animals low, or
b. Sell it to other countries d. Provide good sites for landfills?
c. Dump it in landfills, or Don't know
d. Store and monitor the waste? 12b. What is the primary benefit of wetlands?
Don't know Do they…
a. Promote flooding
b. Help clean the water before it enters lakes,
streams,
rivers, or oceans
c. Help keep the number of undesirable plants
and animals low, or
d. Provide good sites for landfills?
Don't know

Children Surveys

1a. There are many different kinds of animals 2b. Driving a car is what causes most air
and plants, and they live in many different pollution, what is air pollution?
types of environments. What is the word used a. Smoke
to describe this idea? Is it… b. Dust
a. Evolution c. Chemicals
b. Biodiversity d. All of the above
c. Multi-celled Organism Don't know
Don't know
3a. Electricity in the USA comes from
1b.Pick the word that best finishes this
a. Nuclear power
sentence: “If a bird runs out of worms to b. Solar power and Hydro-electric power
eat, the bird can still live by eating another c. Burning oil, coal, and wood
type of food, like spiders because of… Don't know
a. Biodiversity
b. Evolution 3b. Power that comes from the wind, sun,
c. Being a mammal and water are how the US makes most of its
Don’t know energy.
a. Ture
2a. Air pollution is mostly caused by b. False
a. Factories Don't know
b. Smoking
c. Motor vehicles, or
Don't know

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 6a. These are things you find in your house,
4a. If the faucet is left running when
which one hurts the environment and humans
brushing your teeth does it save water? if not thrown away correctly?
a. No, it does not save water a. Glass
b. Yes, it does save water
Don’t know b. Plastic bubble wrap
c. Batteries
4b. Can you save a lot of water by taking Don't know
short showers instead of baths? 6b. Batteries need to be recycled at a special
a. Yes, you can save lots of water place because they have a chemical that is
b. No, you do not save any water dangerous for the environment. What else
Don’t know has to be recycled in a special place?
5a. Water pollution (in rivers and oceans) a. Socks, shoes, and underwear
mostly comes from b. Computers and cell phones
a. Waste dumped by factories c. Food
b. Water running off yards, city streets, Don’t know
paved lots, and farm fields
c. Trash washed into the ocean from beaches 7a. What is the biggest reason that an animal
Don't know species go extinct?
a. Too much hunting
5b.Throwing a gum wrapper in a creek and
b. Climate changes
factories dumping tons of waste into a river
c. Humans destroy their habitat
are both water pollution. Don't know
a. True, they are both water pollution
b. False, only the gum wrapper is pollution 7b. What is worst, animals becoming…
c. False, only the factory waste is pollution a. Threatened
Don’t know b. Extinct
c. Endangered
Don’t Know

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