2008 turns promises ‘green’

By Phoebe Sweet (contact)

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 | midnight

Breaking with tradition, Americans are vowing this year to reduce waste instead of their waistlines, according to a poll that shows nearly half of Americans have made a “green” New Year's resolution this year.

About 49 percent of Americans plan to make some sort of change to help the environment, according to a survey by Tiller, a New York-based advocacy marketing firm.

Most of the 1,004 people polled said they would either reduce their energy use or recycle more.

And though environmental consultant Josh Dorfman, author of “The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish Green Living,” questions whether half of Americans are really making eco-resolutions this year, he says he believes an increasing number at least would like to live a more environmentally responsible life.

“It's absolutely not a fad. It's definitely a trend,” Dorfman said.

That view is supported by another poll commissioned by water filtration company Brita, in which 84 percent of Americans said they planned to be more conscious of the environment while making decisions in 2008.

The Tiller survey showed that Americans are less likely to go green if it is demanding or involved.

“I think it does matter how easy it is to go green. Nobody wants a hassle,” said Heather Jakusz, brand manager for the Las Vegas Design Center at the World Market Center, who recently moved here from Chicago. Although Jakusz was willing to move into a log cabin near Mount Charleston, switch to wood heat and solar power, and compost her garbage, she says most Americans aren't. “I think to get the masses to do it will be more difficult.”

But green living consultant Steve Rypka of Las Vegas said it is crucial to get as many people as possible to change their habits.

“There are just so many of us. Anything we chose to do as a society, if it's done on a large enough scale, can cause a problem. It all adds up,” he said. But it's also important for consumers to ensure that they're not just falling for savvy “greenwashing” campaigns. “We have to be responsible with the choices we make and not just believe everything a company claims.”

Dorfman said environmental neophytes can make lots of little changes that add up.

Switch from bottled water to a reusable container

Americans consume 30 million plastic bottles annually, using 1.5 billion barrels of oil, according to environmental gift site greensender.com.

Dorfman, who contributes eco-friendly tips to the Brita Web site, said encouraging consumers to make small changes works better than resorting to doom and gloom messages about the environment.

“I get to feel good about myself,” he said. “The more you start to do green things, the better it feels and the more you do green things.”

Buy locally grown food

Consumers won't have to give up anything, because sites such as sustainabletable.org and localharvest.org can point shoppers to stores with local produce and meats.

Change one regular light bulb in the house to a compact fluorescent light bulb

If every American household replaced just one incandescent bulb with one that is energy-efficient it would reduce the same amount of carbon dioxide as removing more than 1 million cars from the roads, according to fightglobalwarming.com.

The bulbs last years longer than traditional ones and save consumers money on their electric bills.

Use nontoxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products, which studies say are safer

Many mainstream companies that produce America's most popular cleaning products are coming out with eco-friendly products, joining companies that have made nontoxic products for decades.

S.C. Johnson, for example, is touting new versions of Shout and Scrubbing Bubbles.

“If consumers aren't compelled to make drastic lifestyle changes they can support companies that respect the environment,” says the company's environmental Web site.

And Dorfman said consumers are successfully sending the signal to big corporations that they want more and cheaper green products.

“When we make these kinds of purchases, when we buy green, it really is sending a market signal that they (companies) have to get into this because they're going to make money,” Dorfman said.

“Often people will say consumer choices don't matter. But this is actually working.”