Over at
GreenBiz, a summary of two recent studies on consumer attitudes toward environmental sustainability—’coz we just can’t get enough of ’em. The survey results are summarized in the lede as “as Americans get smarter on energy and environmental issues, they’re less willing to take action.” However, I think that the money quote, and the issue that puts all of these contemporary “green” surveys into context is, “Clearly, given our economic doldrums, with tightened budgets, high unemployment, and no clear path to salvation, environmental concerns are ranking low on the list.”
I’ve commented in this space before about how environmental concerns ebb and flow with the general macroeconomic environment. After the first recession began in 2008, we saw environmental issues decline, and in 2010, when there was some sign that perhaps we were recovering, they crept back up to the fore. And now, when things are looking less and less rosy again, environmental issues are likewise dropping.
And it’s really quite understandable.
One other finding in one of the surveys: “celebrities hav[e] the least reported impact on green behavior.” I admit I’ve fallen out of step with pop culture (I accidentally saw a bit of
Keeping Up with the Kardashians and my retinas physically fled from my eyes and refused to return)—who are today’s celebrity environmental endorsers? Is Ed Begley Jr. still tooling around in his electric car?