Understanding College Students' Perception of Green Building Products

Sustainability continues to gain traction in all industry sectors as people become aware of the advantages of green products. The voluntary use of green products in buildings in the United States continues to grow due to long-term cost saving and the ecological benefit to nature. The voluntary installation of green products is associated with end-users' expectations and perceptions including cost saving, sustainable behavior, and social responsibility. Although involuntary use of green products has similar expectations and perceptions, the installation decision is not based on the goodwill from end-users. This paper surveys college students to capture current experience levels, expectations, and perceptions in regard to green products and/or sustainability and to understand their attitudes about involuntary use of a green product. The installation of low water pressure showerheads in a dormitory provides data to support perception, expectation, and future direction of adoption of green products in public buildings. This information may be used to facilitate sustainable behaviors among involuntary groups regarding to the adoption of green products. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the college students' perception of a green product, particularly when the students are involuntarily exposed to the green products. As a secondary objective, the paper also attempts to address the college students' general understanding on sustainability and green products. The findings of this study could support the growing importance of sustainable behavior among higher education beyond social responsibility and provide a benchmark against which to improve future change while fostering sustainable behaviors over time among the public.