Green Practices Study: Littering, Smoking, Gas Guzzling Are Now Frowned Upon

From Mother Nature Network's Starre Vartan:

Littering was seen as being more embarrassing than cheating on your taxes, according to a new poll of 1,105 Americans. What does this mean?

Being eco-friendly is no longer considered a fringe activity limited to a small group of hard-core activists or early adopters,” said Suzanne Shelton, CEO of Shelton Group. “Thanks to years of green growth, messaging and new products, the idea of sustainability has finally permeated the American conscience,” she said.

Other questions’ results might surprise you. According to the Shelton Group, which commissioned the study, littering wasn’t the only eco unfriendly activity that was looked down upon. Smoking cigarettes and driving a gas guzzler was considered “very embarrassing” to 36 and 26 percent of respondents, respectively. And almost 20% of poll respondents would show the same level of shame if they got caught not recycling their plastic bottles, using disposable paper plates, and letting the water run while they are brushing their teeth.

This 20% number is important, because previous research has found that “….once 20 percent of the population adopts a behavior, it has reached the tipping point and should grow steadily,” according to Shelton. While change takes time, it does -- and is -- happening right now. Environmental awareness can be compared to smoking -- in 1970, almost 40% of American smoked -- today the number is below 20%, which is a significant behavior change in a relatively short amount of time.

The next question is how to increase those numbers even further. According to a release by the study’s organizers, “The survey examined what would encourage Americans to adopt eco-friendly behaviors even more quickly. Here are the percentages of respondents who said the following would be a “major influence” in changing their behavior to help the environment:

-- A penalty/fee/fine – 48 percent

-- A monetary reward/incentive – 45 percent

-- Learning about the dangers/risks – 44 percent

-- Learning about the benefits/greater good – 38 percent

-- Encouragement from your children, grandchildren, etc. – 30 percent

-- Seeing others you admire making the change – 27 percent

-- Encouragement from friends – 26 percent

What do you think is the best way to get people to change their bad behaviors?

From our partners

• 10 Of The Worst Wildfires In U.S. History - Mother Nature Network
• 13 Of The Cutest Tree-Dwelling Animals In The World - Mother Nature Network
• 5 Energy Projects Being Backed By The U.S. Government - Mother Nature Network

Comments

[Kenz300]

02:50 PM on 04/19/2012

Too bad Republicans have not figured out the country is interested in environmental protection.

They want to end the EPA.

[JumpStreet1983]

05:20 PM on 04/11/2012

We also live in the ME ME ME generation. People do not care about recycling or keeping their streets clean if it doesn't directly affect them.

When it comes to recycling, the biggest offenders seem to be those who live in cities/areas where an established recycling program is already in place (black can for trash, blue can for recycling, green can for compost). Yet these people just dump it all in one can and could care less. More recycling = less dependence on using natural resources = less fish in the ocean getting caught in plastic materials = cleaner food for humans. But who cares about that when (insert national grocery chain) has a seemingly abundant supply of whatever you want? Until it's gone, that is.

When it comes to keeping streets clean, the sidewalks bordering residential property and commercial businesses is ignored. Somehow, people think the "city" is responsible for ALL the maintenance. In the old days, people swept and washed the sidewalks where they lived and did business. There wasn't this "It's somebody else's job" attitude that we see today. There was personal pride in the community. WHAT HAPPENED IN 40 YEARS???????

[JumpStreet1983]

05:11 PM on 04/11/2012

Littering is a HUGE problem if you live in a major city as I do (San Francisco, CA). Somewhere along the line, residential property owners got the notion that it's the city's responsibility to sweep the street in front of their houses. These people have no pride in their streets and seem to think that caring about their property stops curbside, leaving grass cuttings/chicken bones/liquor cans & bottles/loose newspaper clippings on the curb and sidewalk. Mechanical street sweeping is only bi-weekly, so you can imagine how much trash builds up if you live near a busy street or business/college area.

Based on my own observance, the biggest litterbugs are Asians, Mexicans, Blacks, and college students. I can understand Asians and Mexicans, because they usually lived in crowded quarters back in their respective country and the quality-of-life is very low. But when I see Blacks who were born here doing it, it's like throwing an empty Popeye's/KFC container or liquor can into the street is the most natural thing in world. If you call them out on it, you get the finger or cussed out. I don't get it.

[Mrs Robinsons]

02:31 PM on 04/08/2012

We used to just
do it
because we
were
well behaved...

see how religion can
climb back up
and bite you.

[JumpStreet1983]

04:52 PM on 04/11/2012

I wouldn't blame religion for this. I blame the influx of the Internet and modern technology making people become the "me, me, me" generation. I also blame parents who no longer teach their children good manners and how to be classy, productive citizens who look out for each other and the planet. Kids these days throw trash EVERYWHERE, even when garbage cans are almost on every few corners in major metro cities.

[Mrs Robinsons]

02:29 PM on 04/08/2012

By the end of the nineties
we had all of this taken care of...
people recycled at work and at home...
people did not throw trash on public property...
people wore their seatbelts...
people followed the news...

then it felt as though we all
had to become our weakest link..
except none of us
could understand
where the weakest link was coming from...

we had all already
covered all of this.

I have a fear that this is on a
time release
and somebody thought
that anyone who would complain
would have given up and died by now.

[JumpStreet1983]

04:53 PM on 04/11/2012

Fanned and faved.

[Conspiracy2Riot]

10:19 PM on 04/04/2012

"Sustainability has finally permeated the American conscious" ????

What a joke. It has not. It hasn't even come CLOSE.

If it had, we'd not be living the way we do. I see no stats on how we've lowered our carbon footprints. We still are 5% of the worlds populace consuming over 25% of it's resources. We have the worst mileage standards, crapola public transit, use millions of pounds of pesticides and fertilizers and truck food an average of 1,500 miles from farm to plate.

WHAT exactly did we change or reduce here?

[JumpStreet1983]

04:57 PM on 04/11/2012

Not a darn thing, unfortunately. Fanned and faved.

[smokefree]

02:25 PM on 04/04/2012

What compounds this terrible trio is that non-bio-degradable cigarette butts are the number one item found littered on our beaches. That is a result of not only the littering of cigarette butts after smoking on the beach but the end result of smokers tossing their butts on the ground and ending up in our sewer system and then in our oceans.

[Conspiracy2Riot]

10:12 PM on 04/04/2012

while i agree those cig butts are disgusting and all over the place, plastic particles are actually the number 1 item in that beach sand. they just break down into tiny particles and sit there forever, washing in and out, allowing fish to suck them in.

you wanna make a difference? get as radical as you did about banning smoking everywhere and ban plastic altogether.

[smokefree]

11:39 AM on 04/05/2012

I can't stand seeing litter of any sort on the ground or in the water myself. I double checked online and there seems to be multiple sources that indicate cigarette butts are the top item found (I also see that plastics are listed as the top source in one site as well).

Here are the links:

http://www.legacyforhealth.org/PDF/Environmental_Toolkit.pdf
http://hsbsurfrider.org/programs/hold-on-to-your-butt/
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/Info_19_-_Litter.doc
http://surferspath.mpora.com/news/environment/butts-of-mauis-beaches.html

Just curious as to your last sentence about me being radical about banning smoking everywhere. What led you to write that?

[JumpStreet1983]

04:57 PM on 04/11/2012

Truth!

[Debbie338]

10:00 AM on 04/03/2012

Every single day I pick up trash that people who live at the end of our road throw out: beer bottles, used diapers, plastic cups--I cannot understand why someone would trash the very street they live on, but they do. Very depressing.

[JumpStreet1983]

04:59 PM on 04/11/2012

I do the same, and I live in a MAJOR city. People have no pride in their streets and seem to think that caring about their property stops curbside.

[olitenup]

12:54 PM on 04/02/2012

I am stunned how this is even an issue AGAIN. What has happened to our parenting that anyone thinks they can just toss their trash out the window. Seems a whole lot of selfishness and laziness going on.

[JumpStreet1983]

04:59 PM on 04/11/2012

We live in the ME ME ME generation, so that explains it.

[Lindsgrace33]

10:53 AM on 04/02/2012

Whenever I see someone throw trash out their window while driving, it makes me livid.

[Conspiracy2Riot]

10:13 PM on 04/04/2012

it makes me wish i had some ramming device on the front of my car so i could tap them on the behind a few times.

[doodlebug2]

10:47 AM on 04/02/2012

I do not agree, I see people all day throwing stuff out of car windows and go to a park after a group has been there, trash everywhere. Some people think it is ok to litter because someone has a job that picks it up. Go anywhere in this country, it is trashed. Didn't we just have a story about truck drivers throwing pe bottles out of their windows in NDakota?
I drive (a 1998 toyota) around and see mostly big cars and trucks and SUVS. This article is totally backwards in my opinion.

Should read, Americans do not recycle, love trash on the byways and driving gas guzzlers and love dumping cigarette butts out of their windows.

[debberae]

11:18 PM on 04/02/2012

I'm with you doodlebug. People are pigs. When I walk on the beach I spend more time picking up other people's litter than I do picking up seashells. Most of the people I know don't recycle even though our community has a very good program. There are 40 drivers(for real) in my extended family and I drive the smallest car and even it is a small sedan.

My children and grandchildren are good stewards of the earth, but it makes me wonder what other parents are teaching their families. Bring back Woodsy Owl...Give a hoot. Don't pollute. Or better yet the crying Indian.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM

[doodlebug2]

09:35 AM on 04/03/2012

you probably see me doing it also, I am always on the beach "picking up" trash, thanks WITH YOU 100%, love woodsey

[lghiata]

01:22 AM on 04/02/2012

No kidding! Who favors litter? Can't AOL find a better newpaper to partner with than the Huffington Post?

[Wanderland]

10:15 AM on 04/02/2012

Partner with? Didn't AOL buy HP?

[Conspiracy2Riot]

10:14 PM on 04/04/2012

that's exactly the way it happened and it hasn't been the same here since.