Is it Too Much Work to adopt a Greener Lifestyle?
By Karina | August 22, 2007
Treehugger directed me to an article published in the Guardian discussing a British study that seems to indicate that it is just too much effort to adopt a greener lifestyle.
Oh Noes! Someone send these people a link to Tiny Choices!
Now, I read the article in the Guardian, and I read the release of the survey results from The Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and I don’t really reach the same conclusions. Maybe it’s because I am All! For! Greener! Lifestyles! and have already committed to one myself. But I’d start with this quote from the Guardian:
Millions of people across Britain think their behaviour does not contribute to climate change and find it too much effort to make green changes to their lifestyle, a government survey suggests.
I understand that surveys can be extrapolated across an entire population. But. But! Keep in mind that there were about 3,600 respondents in this survey. The population of Britain is approximately 60 million people. And, yes. if a quarter of the respondents agree with statements such as “It takes too much effort to do things that are environmentally friendly” and “I don’t believe my behaviour and everyday lifestyle contribute to climate change,” then yes! this can be extrapolated up to millions of people. but MANY MORE MILLIONS of people disagree with these statements!
One of the interesting items in the survey is that 81% of people feel it is your DUTY to recycle. At the same time, 71% of people report they are recycling more than they throw away. Which is super! And even more super: the number has almost DOUBLED since 2001. Way to go, UK!
To emphasize the role of individual environmental action, Section 3.2 (behaviors) indicates that people are eager to undertake energy efficient improvements such as installation of energy saving lightbulbs that are considered “low hanging fruit,” and approximately 75% of the respondents have done so in the last 5 years. the other energy efficient improvements include things like insulation and double glazing of windows, which are more expensive and rarely done by renters, and also, are already present in many new homes.
I don’t know why the Guardian is so glass-half-empty here, but I see a very positive picture of individual activism and personal responsibility towards the environment. I see a large number of people who are making their own tiny choices every day. These people appear to be well educated on environmental issues and, even better, have opinions about how environmental problems can be solved. They appear to have thought about the issues on their own, or at least they’ve been paying attention to what the media reports. What I would really love to see is a side-by-side comparison of the 2001 survey with the 2007 survey so we can clearly see how opinions and actions have changed over time.
There’s a saying out there that recycling is the opiate of the masses. People will cite the economic infeasibility of recycling, how frequently wastes end up in landfills instead of recycled, and how the act of recycling can act as a placebo on people and afford them a moral “OK” to consume more. But is it really?
I look at the DEFRA survey and I wonder if the huge increase in recycling from 2001 to 2007 has carried through into other aspects of the respondants lives. I wonder how much the intangible effect of asking yourself every time you discard something: “can this be recycled?” keeps environmentalism fresh in the minds of the individual and creates a fertile opportunity to learn of and adopt more tiny choices?
Here at Tiny Choices, we have a different opinion of recycling: it’s the Gateway Drug of the Masses.
What do you think? Opiate or Gateway Drug? What is your reaction to the survey?
Topics: Media | 7 Comments »
Definitely – once you start doing it, it seems absurd to throw a recyclable away! Another great gateway choice is CFL’s – once people see their electric bill, they won’t go back!
-B
B – did you see a huge change in your electric bill? my bill is primarily funding my hungry ancient refrigerator, so I never really noticed a big drop. that’s so cool.
I am afraid that it is a sad reflection on the current attitude of the UK press rather than the survey per se, which as you say can be interpreted positively.
It may also just be an element of frustration from the Guardian as the UK Govt made some bold committments on the environment and as we reach those dates they are changing tack and saying they were only targets, not committments.
So when a Govt dept comes out with some stats surprise surprise they get negative press.
Generally i think the UK population is getting greener, some by default (like the way waste is now managed promoting recycling and composting) as well as by choice
that’s an interesting idea – I just didn’t expect a trusted and professional publication to be so, well, SULKY.
Gateway Drug! Gateway Drug!
i think it’s a gateway drug! i’m really sad that we don’t have some of the “simple” recycling closeby (like cardboard etc) and i’m making paul drive me so i can recycle my reused moving boxes. the poor guy is trying to adjust to my 5 trash cans (each one has to be sorted out here and then driven to the bin–and placed in one by one!!- glass bottles, plastic bottles, white paper, newspaper/mags, etc). and then he looks at me in fear if he throws something recyclable away. i think it’s easy if you want to do it, but if you see it as too much trouble, then yeah, it is too much trouble.
hopefully paul succumbs to the dangerous gateway drug soon!