You won’t be surprised, but people in the US walk, bike and use mass transit less than those living in other countries. And those behaviors correlate with our sustainable behaviors as a whole. The latest National Geographic Greendexstudy concluded that “U.S. consumers’ behavior still ranks as the least sustainable of all countries surveyed since the inception of the Greendex study in 2008.”
The Greendex study measures our global progress toward environmentally sustainable consumption. It includes data from 18,000 consumers across 18 countries and a variety of topic areas such as:
- transportation choices
- energy use/conservation
- attitudes toward sustainability & the environment
- knowledge of environmental issues
- use of green versus conventional products
- food sources
The US ranks dead last. And our ranking dropped since the last study in 2012.
We have some good behaviors, as we see that American consumers buy energy efficient appliances, green products and insulate our houses and such. But we also still prefer disposable products instead of reusable ones and use our reusable shopping bags less than any other nation.
But the kicker is how we choose to live and get around. The US is the least likely nation to walk or biketo our usual daily destinations, scoring last in the transportation sub-index. We are the least likely to live close to our destinations in order minimize transportation. And we drive alone more than any other drivers in the world.
I know what you are going to say — “It’s unfair to judge the US against other nations that were built before there were cars.” And “It’s unfair to judge us against nations where car ownership is low.”
Yes, it is true that we are a nation that flourished with the help of the car. And by in large, our current cities are built for cars instead of people. But we are one of the most affluent countries on that list. And we are a nation of super smart innovative people that should be striving to make the world a better place.
Our daily habits impact our health, the health of our communities and the health of the planet. Americans have the highest rates of obesity in the world. The way we have built our cities often leaves no safe or realistic option for getting about on foot or bike. And the latest Greendex study shows that, although there is increased awareness about our damage to the environment, we as consumers are doing little to change our behaviors.
We know how to create better, more sustainable cities. We should all be in this together, no matter how much we love our cars.
Written by: Renee
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