City Residents Are Greener: China Study

Discovery News:

People who live in the biggest cities are most likely to recycle, volunteer for environmental organizations and participate in other "green" behaviors, found a new study, which surveyed urban dwellers in a variety of Chinese cities.

Read the whole story: Discovery News

Comments

[KarlaElisa]

03:26 PM on 01/19/2011

“No matter what we call it, poison is still poison, death is still death, and industrial civilization is still causing the greatest mass extinction in the history of the planet.” - Derrick Jensen

[KOCT]

01:34 PM on 01/19/2011

We need to figure this out - but it won't be simple.

I've seen 'studies' that tout the energy efficiencies gained by stacking people close to their place of work and having good public transportation. And there is no doubt that the people of NYC live much more efficiently that the folks in Houston.

But, there is a lot more at work here - e.g. every ounce of food consumed in NYC is grown elsewhere and transported to NY, as is just about everything else consumed there. Out here in the country we grow a lot of our own food, and buy most of the rest from local farmers. We also burn local wood for our heat - that is carbon neutral.

Any sciences students out there who would like to start figuring out ALL of the variables involved and how we can measure them?

[Deep77]

02:27 PM on 01/19/2011

Do they grow their own food in suburban Houston? Here in Philadelphia, there are farmers' markets, urban gardens, and there is just more options for buying food. The big advantage cities have over the suburbs, is that we have options and can create new ways growing food.

[invient]

02:27 PM on 01/19/2011

Some people have proposed some unique ideas... like having buildings that are meant just to grow food, multiple stories, lightweight super fast to build buildings that house hydroponic plants...

I hope we start bicycling more, it is by far the most efficient form of local transportation, neighborhoods could have a giant composting area where a large closed water reservoir could gain heat for showers / dishes... and the other major issue is that people really do not want to farm their own food... I have a few ideas on intensive grow methods (high output per area) and using solar powered robotics to do all the work.... of course all this is initially very costly and calls for citizens to participate, but over time it will all pay itself back in fuel costs and other energy savings... the biggest thing you can do to be greener is to be a vegetarian, I missed meat for a while but it was gross after a month of going veggi...

[Tom95134]

12:50 PM on 01/19/2011

All things considered, they are probably doing more to destroy the environment that someone in the suburbs.

[KarlaElisa]

03:21 PM on 01/19/2011

People who live in cities require the importation of nearly EVERYTHING they need. People in cities are 'greener'...what a crock.

[flyingaspidistra]

06:08 PM on 01/19/2011

Rural folks who grow their own food and don't drive long distances to work and shop may be the "greenest" (I know a few) but the masses living in suburban sprawl with their detached (and often large) houses who drive 30 miles to work etc every day and tend large lawns etc have nothing on apartment dwellers who can walk or rode a bike to a grocery and ride mass transit to work and play.
That's not to say there isn't room for improvement everywhere but... Why the vitriol?
Meanwhile...
Kr0ck on!