How do Brits like to be green, and what green behaviors do they still avoid?

That’s what a new survey by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is showing us by examining the environmental actions and preferences of 100,000 British people from 40,000 households.

The findings presented below are the first from a new annual household survey in Britain named Understanding Society. The environmental topics are one subset of the whole survey, which also examines the “working lives, relationships, health, finances, neighbourhoods, education, transport and more” of Brits.

What are the main findings thus far?

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But I don’t want to support the landfill economy. I want to support the restoration economy and, when I need to purchase things, support companies that care about the planet the way I do. Some of these companies break from this planned obsolescence mentality and profit obsession, companies like REI, or Recreation Equipment, Inc., where your love of the outdoors actually pays dividends to you, as a customer-member of the cooperative enterprise.

REI, the nation’s largest consumer cooperative, got its start in 1938 when a bunch of climbing buddies got together to buy some gear to explore the great outdoors. They support people, their community and the environment on which their enterprise is based. And they guarantee that their products last and perform as expected.

A couple years ago, for example, I purchased a pair of sandals from REI.  After limited use, my sandals had an ankle strap that broke. The brand is well known and adventure proven: Teva. Since I live in a four-season climate, they should have lasted longer than they did. Walking into the REI retail store in a much older pair of Tevas I wore when traveling to South America, I talked briefly with a salesperson in REI shoe department who found a replacement pair of a different model for me in minutes. No hassle. No runaround. Try that at a big box retailer or chain.

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Not all clean tech companies need to produce more environmentally friendly products in order to make a difference; some are leaders in the industry because quite simply, they change their procedures in order to ensure that their practices reduce their carbon footprint. In this week’s Newsweek “Green Rankings” were released, and many of those higher up on the list include leaders in technology that are trying to make sure that their environmental impact is just that much cleaner.

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A few years ago while back home in the US, I hopped in the car with the family to quickly run some errands.  Now, you need to understand that I have been in Europe for over 10 years and was not ready for what would happen next—a shopping experience without ever actually touching the ground.

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I’ve come up with a top ten list of lifestyle factors that I believe have the biggest impact on whether or not we are living sustainable lives. Is your lifestyle sustainable?

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Economic problems today are in many ways a result of environmental missteps in the past. If we want a healthy economy in the future, we have to take the environment into account more than we have. The Swedish Minister of the Environment agrees and says that there should be no hesitation to combat climate change due to the current economic situation.

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Staying away from the topics of food and transportation, which are probably the biggest daily products you could green, here is a list of products you use everyday.

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As such, I ALWAYS pick up the Sunday paper… two or three if there are a lot of valuable coupons inside. (I always recycle the paper after using it for art projects, wrapping, cleaning windows, etc…).

This week I was surprised at the number of coupons for “natural” or “green” products.  While I would dispute the green-ness of several of this products, I am pleased to see the mainstream corporations finally making steps in the right direction.  (But listen up Huggies, there is a LONG way to go yet).

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Given that overall US consumer spending in the fourth quarter of 2008 fell by its largest margin in almost 30 years, one has to wonder how the market for ‘green products’ will be impacted by this recession. Leading up to the economic downturn the momentum of the green economy was chugging along splendidly. The consumer demand for environmentally-friendly products was at an all-time high, even if the products were priced at a premium over standard options.

A recent survey by the consumer research firm Mintel explored the green buying preferences of Americans during this recession. The results should serve as a wake-up call to producers and retailers of green products.

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More than one-third of consumers are likely to buy environmentally responsible products today despite tough economic times.

At the outset of the year, the word on the street was that although ‘sustainability’ is a trend that an increasing number of American consumers are looking to follow, the demand for green goods would be lower in a recessed economy given their higher price tag. Today as we approach the end of the first quarter, it appears that American consumers continue to buy green despite the dire state of the economy.

According to the results of the 2009 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey (an online survey conducted January 29-30, 2009 by Opinion Research Corporation), fewer than 8 percent of American consumers say they are less likely to change their environmental shopping habits. Here are some other interesting facts highlighted by the survey:

• 35 percent of Americans have higher interest in the environment today than they did one year ago
• 35 percent of Americans have higher expectations for companies to make and sell environmentally responsible products and services during the economic downturn
• 70 percent of Americans indicate that they are paying attention to what companies are doing with regard to the environment today, even if they cannot buy until the future

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  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/23/consumers-still-buying-green-despite-the-economy/feed/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/02/19/green-product-and-service-directory-launched/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/02/19/green-product-and-service-directory-launched/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:39:10 +0000 Dawn Killough http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/02/19/green-product-and-service-directory-launched/

  FairGreenTrade.com recently launched its green product and service directory.  The site covers many green topics, from organic foods, green living, and, of course, green building.

  Consumers can now get all their green information in one stop.  Even with the newness of the site, there are many resources already listed.  A quick browse of the green construction area led to links for various materials, including flooring, wall coverings, windows, etc.  The book selection, tied in with Amazon, is also quite extensive (as I found many books that I’m sure I can’t live without).

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  ]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/02/19/green-product-and-service-directory-launched/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/02/12/give-customers-a-choice-to-buy-green-or-just-force-the-issue/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/02/12/give-customers-a-choice-to-buy-green-or-just-force-the-issue/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:10:01 +0000 Scott Cooney http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/02/12/give-customers-a-choice-to-buy-green-or-just-force-the-issue/ When I interview a green business owner, one of my standard questions is “when marketing, do you target green customers specifically, or do you go for a much broader audience?”  Perhaps a better question would be:  “Do you give your customers a choice to go green, or do you just force the issue?”

  The Sustainability Symposium, sponsored by Ace Hardware, which has a line of green products known as Helpful Earth Choices, featured a panel of four experts, including Eric Corey Freed, author of Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies, and Principal of Organic Architect.  One of the most interesting comments Eric made during the event was that many clients come to his architecture firm wanting ‘green’, but don’t necessarily know what it means.   To address the ‘options paralysis’ that many consumers feel when confronted with too many choices, his firm makes it easy and only specs out green options.  Could your business survive with this model?

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  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/02/12/give-customers-a-choice-to-buy-green-or-just-force-the-issue/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/28/hosting-a-party-to-promote-green-products-did-it-work/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/28/hosting-a-party-to-promote-green-products-did-it-work/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:36:21 +0000 Scott Cooney http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/28/hosting-a-party-to-promote-green-products-did-it-work/ In a previous posting, I wrote about an increasing trend to host parties to generate interest for your green product.  I was hosting a book release party for my book, Build a Green Small Business:  Profitable Ways to Become an Ecopreneur, and was curious to see whether the event would be a worthwhile marketing event, as opposed to just a good time. 

   I decided to go big with the event.  Host it at a nightclub.  Provide hors d’ouvres.  Co-host with a non-profit group and raise money for them during the evening as well.  Solicit over $2,000 worth of gift certificates to raffle away.  Send out invitations to over 2,000 people. 

   

  In other words, we were ready for success. 

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  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/28/hosting-a-party-to-promote-green-products-did-it-work/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/22/go-green-expo-comes-to-la/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/22/go-green-expo-comes-to-la/#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:50:45 +0000 Cassie Walker http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/22/go-green-expo-comes-to-la/ What started out as a single event in NYC last year, the Go Green Expo has bloomed into a 4-city extravaganza, kicking off at the LA Convention Center this weekend, January 23-25. In addition to over 200 booths of eco-friendly goods and services, the Expo features:
  • Interactive seminars and speeches
  • Film screenings
  • Eco-fashion show
  • Demonstrations & hands-on activities

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  ]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/22/go-green-expo-comes-to-la/feed/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:22:42 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/

  

  Panasonic is fast becoming a brand name not just for electronics but also for green building products.

  Eco-Products 2008 recently held in Tokyo, showcased a series of award-winning green products and services. The E Floor, developed by Panasonic Electric Works, was given the Chairperson’s Award. The Eco Product Awards is presented by four organizations including the Global Environmental Forum, a non-profit organization under the jurisdiction of Japan’s Ministry of Environment.

  The E-floor is an extremely durable product made from a 100% recycled hard chip board. According to Panasonic, using this material can be equated to saving forest areas that are 135 times the size of the Tokyo Dome, on an annual basis. Panasonic began selling the E Floor product line over a  year ago with a monthly sales target of 170 million yen.

  I believe more companies will bring a wide range of their green technologies into their products and services across group companies in coming years.

  Related Posts:

  • Eco Timber Offers Comprehensive Online Green Flooring Guide
  • Natural Building 101: How To Make an Earthen or Adobe Floor
  • Eco-Products 2008, One of Japan’s Biggest Environmental Fairs to Open This Week

  Related Link:

  • Panasonic E Floor (in Japanese)

  Panasonic E Floor with Award at Eco-Products 2008

  Panasonic E Floor at Eco-Products 2008

  Image Credits: Panasonic/Tetsuya Yokoyama

  ]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/01/14/companies-unite-to-foster-green-chemistry/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/01/14/companies-unite-to-foster-green-chemistry/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:00:20 +0000 Lisa Wojnovich http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/01/14/companies-unite-to-foster-green-chemistry/ In the January 5, 2009 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, the official trade journal of the American Chemical Society, the ACS announced the formation of the Formulated Products Roundtable. This organization, which will begin operating later this month, is an industry-financed partnership between the ACS’s Green Chemistry Institute (GCI), a not-for-profit group devoted to promoting green chemistry, and sixteen prominent companies that manufacture cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, detergents, and other household and industrial cleaning products. Its aim is to share knowledge of green chemistry among its members in order to create products that are more sustainable, more environmentally friendly, and safer – and hopefully, more profitable too.

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  ]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/01/14/companies-unite-to-foster-green-chemistry/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/13/shopping-for-the-green-and-local-online/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/13/shopping-for-the-green-and-local-online/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:59:32 +0000 Timothy B. Hurst http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/13/shopping-for-the-green-and-local-online/

  GenGreenLife, National Geographic Green Guide and EVO.com partner to form new online portal to green products and services

  Looking for a carpet cleaner that doesn’t use all kinds of dangerous high-VOC cleaning products? Have a hunkering for some tofurkey slices but are out of town and away from your favorite natural foods grocer? If you are searching for either of these or any other green and environmentally-conscious products and services, I have a tip for you.

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  ]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/13/shopping-for-the-green-and-local-online/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/11/favorite-eco-product-discoveries-in-2008-portable-solar-panel-solio/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/11/favorite-eco-product-discoveries-in-2008-portable-solar-panel-solio/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:05:25 +0000 Dave Sattler http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/11/favorite-eco-product-discoveries-in-2008-portable-solar-panel-solio/ The year 2008 has been a great year for innovative, eco-friendly products. Technology has really been tapped to provide solutions to many key environmental issues. One of the coolest technologies to emerge, the Solio, has been featured on CNBC, NBC’s the Today Show, MacDirectory, and was awarded National Geographic’s ‘Best of Gear’ award. The Solio website even has a picture of President-elect Barack Obama with his Solio.

  Solio is a hybrid charger that can accept power from either the wall socket or the Sun and is powerful enough to charge all your handheld electronics. One hour of sun will give you enough charge to listen to your iPod for about an hour or provide up to 25 minutes of additional talk time on your phone. Solio comes in Silver, White, Black, and Pink. Some interesting facts;

  - One hour of sunlight will provide about one hour of play time on your iPod

  - Solio can store energy for up to one year

  - A fully charged Solio will completely charge an average cell phone at least twice

  - 60 minutes of sunlight will provide approx. 25 minutes of talk time and 10 hours of standby time.

  ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/11/favorite-eco-product-discoveries-in-2008-portable-solar-panel-solio/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/09/find-a-brand-for-this-paper-water-bottle/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/09/find-a-brand-for-this-paper-water-bottle/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:25:23 +0000 Dave Sattler http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/09/find-a-brand-for-this-paper-water-bottle/
  

  Are you a consumer products company looking for a new product that redefines and reinvigorates its product category, and is eco-friendly? Today could be your lucky day. Brandimage, one of the largest international design agencies in the world, has just the product for you. Jim Warner, Managing Director of Industrial Design, and his team recently launched the 360 Paper Water Bottle, an innovative, eco-friendly solution that needs a brand home.

  Each day, Americans throw out 60 million plastic bottles. Only 14% actually get recycled-meaning 86% (or over 51 million) become garbage or litter. This fact drove Brandimage to develop the first totally recyclable paper container made from 100% renewable resources. According to Brandimage the new Paper water Bottle is “Versatile in its range of consumer applications and made from food-safe and fully recyclable materials, and decreases energy consumed through the product life cycle without sacrificing functionality. It is paper packaging that stands up to all liquid categories.”

  According to Brandimage the “360 Paper Water Bottle utilizes pressed sustainable material with encapsulated micro-thin PLA film barrier to challenge ‘the norm’ of the category around the world.”

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