Our green enthusiasm is wilting

Editor's note: This article appeared in the February 28, 2011, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

Amidst the talk of a going green, Americans seem to be growing weary of green. American adults overall are now less likely than they were in the summer of 2009 to espouse certain green attitudes and engage in various environmentally-friendly activities, according to a poll from Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive.

A comparison between the 2010 and 2009 surveys reveals that fewer Americans are now going green. Specifically, compared to 2009, adults in America are now less likely to engage in various green behaviors in their daily life, including making an effort to use less water (60 percent 2009 versus 57 percent 2010); purchasing locally-grown produce (39 percent 2009 versus 33 percent 2010); purchasing locally-manufactured products (26 percent 2009 versus 23 percent 2010); purchasing organic products (17 percent 2009 versus 15 percent 2010); and composting food and organic waste (17 percent 2009 versus 15 percent 2010).

U.S. adults are also less likely to have adopted certain environmental activities in the past year, including purchasing Energy Star appliances (36 percent 2009 versus 30 percent 2010); donating or recycling electronics (41 percent 2009 versus 32 percent 2010); switching from bottled to tap water (29 percent 2009 versus 23 percent 2010); installing a low-flow showerhead or toilet (25 percent 2009 versus 20 percent 2010); and purchasing a hybrid or more fuel-efficient car (13 percent 2009 versus 8 percent 2010).

Not only are fewer Americans behaving in environmentally-friendly ways, but many are now also less likely to embrace or be influenced by green attitudes. Just over one in three U.S. adults say they are concerned about the planet they are leaving behind for future generations, compared to 43 percent who said so in 2009. Only 28 percent of adults say environmental issues are very or extremely important to them when deciding how to vote for political candidates, compared to 36 percent who said this was important to them in 2009.

Despite the aforementioned declines in Americans' attitudes and actions concerning environmental issues, U.S. adults are now more likely to describe themselves as conservationist (20 percent 2010 versus 17 percent 2009), green (18 percent 2010 versus 13 percent 2009) and environmentalist (16 percent 2010 versus 13 percent 2009) than they were previously.