Americans slow to go green

Looking through the Sunday, April 20 edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the weekend before Earth Day (April 22), I was surprised and pleased to see the amount of print dedicated by retailers to promote this event and their participation in Earth Day-related activities.

{sidebar id=40}

One of the most interesting ads was for Macy’s department stores. I wouldn’t expect most department stores to associate themselves with Earth Day activities, but Macy’s was inviting consumers to celebrate Earth Week with the store. Both in print and online, Macy’s was promoting its efforts to operate in ways more sensitive to the environment.

In regards to product offerings, Macy’s operates an eco shop online that includes organic and sustainable products for the home, cosmetics and clothes. As an Earth Day promotion, Macy’s gave away a tree sapling to the first 100 customers in each store. Each tree was placed inside a craft bag with an ID tag and growing instructions. The giveaway, said the retailer, was part of its campaign to raise environmental awareness.

Wary of company claims

Environmental activists told USA Today in April that Americans are showing more concern for the environment. More Americans are participating in activities related to collecting garbage, recycling old cell phones and computer equipment and reducing exhaust emissions through alternative transportation. But it looks like recycling might be the only area where Americans are making any real effort.

Results of Gallup’s annual environment poll, released four days before Earth Day, showed that just 28 percent of Americans indicated that they made “major changes” in their lifestyles to protect the environment. Fifty-five percent made “minor changes.”

When asked what specific changes they had made in their lifestyles, the most common response was recycling, mentioned by 39 percent. About 25 percent initiated steps to conserve fuel either by cutting back on their driving (17 percent) or driving a more fuel-efficient car (9 percent). Nearly the same percentage of Americans made an effort to conserve energy in the home, through consuming less electricity (10 percent), installing energy-saving light bulbs (7 percent), switching to energy-saving appliances (4 percent) and improving the overall energy efficiency of their homes (2 percent).

Skepticism may be one of the reasons that consumers have been slow to adopt green practices and products. Results of the 2008 Green Gap Survey (www.coneinc.com/content1136), conducted by Cone LLC and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, show that 39 percent of Americans prefer to buy products they believe to be “environmentally friendly.” At the same time, nearly half (48 percent) of the public erroneously believes a product marketed as “green” or “environmentally friendly” has a positive impact on the environment. The survey found that 47 percent of Americans trust companies to tell them the truth in environmental messaging. Only 45 percent believe companies accurately communicate information about their impact on the environment.

{sidebar id=1}

- David Kuack

June 2008