Many Believe in Going Green; Fewer Actually Do It

(Feb. 18) -- Feel as if you should take the bus but just can't stand making small talk with strangers? Want to reach for the organic, free-range chicken but don't want to pay the extra money? You're not alone. A study done by Yale University and George Mason University showed that many Americans feel it's important to conserve energy and help the environment. They just aren't doing it.

The researchers presented 1,001 adults with a number of actions, such as "conserve water" or "recycle at home," and then asked them if they believed it was important and whether they currently engaged in those actions. The study revealed a massive disconnect between those two figures. For example, 76 percent of participants thought it was important to buy locally grown food, but only 26 percent did it. Seventy-two percent of participants thought it was important to use public transportation or carpool, but only 10 percent did so.

The survey found that for simpler actions, like washing clothes in cold water or reusing things, people were more likely to believe the action was important and also did it. Eighty-four percent of those surveyed thought that turning off unneeded lights was important and did so.

The study was part of the Yale Forestry and Environmental Studies Project on Climate Change, designed to "bridge the gap between science and action" with regard to climate change and the environment.

The number of Americans who believe climate change is occurring has dropped from 71 percent in October 2008 to 57 percent at the end of 2009, according to the same researchers.

The study, however, indicates that a much larger percentage of Americans believe in energy conservation than in climate change. Ed Maibach, one of the study's researchers, said that conservation and energy efficiency are deeply held American values on both the right and left, regardless of opinions on climate change.

Maibach noted that the most convenient actions, and those most ingrained in our national culture -- like turning off lights -- had the largest percentage of people who both believed the action was important and actually did it. He believes a "virtuous cycle" in our economy will lead to making energy conservation more convenient with respect to other products.

Over the past few years, the word "green" has become a ubiquitous advertising term, and environmental responsibility has been shown to be a reliable marketing strategy. Washington, however, has not responded so quickly.

Other research done by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies project indicates that people are much more likely to encourage environmental responsibility with dollars than with votes or phone calls to legislators.

"It's a little bit disconcerting to me that Americans are more comfortable expressing their preferences as consumers than as a citizens," said Maibach.