Consumers are starting to think more about the environment

By David Walker
Executive Officer

National Geographic conducted its inaugural Greendex survey in January 2008. That first Greendex survey of 14 countries around the world ranked average consumers in those countries according to the environmental sustainability of their consumption patterns.

The Greendex is a comprehensive measure of consumer behaviour in 65 areas relating to housing, transportation, food and consumer goods.

The results of the second year-on-year survey have now been published, and make for interesting reading. From a year where world economies were strong and growing, since then we have seen the impact of the GFC (Global Financial Crisis!) take hold, but notwithstanding the researchers have found an increase in environmentally friendly consumer behaviour in 13 of the 14 countries that were surveyed in both 2008 and 2009 (the 2009 survey surveyed 3 additional countries).

As we could expect the most environmentally sustainable consumption of the 17 countries surveyed in 2009 is again in the poorer, developing economies of India, Brazil and China, and the poorest performers were the wealthiest countries, with the last two places going to America and Canada (Australia came in twelfth). 

However, there are some positive signs emerging, especially in terms of Australian community attitudes. 

The survey found that consumers had reduced the consumption of energy in their homes over the past year, and they had also reduced the amount of fuel they consumed in their vehicles.

Not surprisingly, concerns about the household budget has been given as a major factor in the change, with reducing costs being an important factor behind this year’s increase in consumers’ Greendex scores. Given the current recession, this interpretation is logical.

But while the economy is generally the major issue measured in the 2009 survey, overall concern about the environment is down only slightly from a year earlier.

The widespread community concerns that we hear about the environment generally, but especially concerning food security, and safe supplies of water and clean air are being confirmed.

Air pollution, climate change/global warming and water pollution rank fourth through sixth on a list of 12 global concerns, just behind the economy, fuel costs and poverty. Roughly two-thirds of consumers say they are concerned about each of these environmental issues.

Six in 10 consumers across the 17 surveyed countries agree that people need to consume less in order to improve the environment for future generations (only 12 percent disagree), showing that consumers recognise the connection between their actions and the environment.

So it is timely that the Senate Enquiry into Food Production in Australia is coming to Gunnedah. While the public hearings, to be held on Tuesday, will be over by the time this article is published, there is still an opportunity for the local community to make written submissions.

The terms of reference of the enquiry is to examine “Food production in Australia and the question of how to produce food that is:

• affordable to consumers;
• viable for production by farmers; and
• of sustainable impact on the environment.”

The committee invites you to make a submission addressing all or some of these issues. Submissions will be received up until November 2009.

A second important survey is being carried out by Landcare NSW Inc.

Landcare NSW Inc has been invited to report to the State Government through its Landcare advisory committee, the NSW Landcare Committee, on the collaborations forged between community Landcare and the CMAs with whom they work.

We know anecdotally that these collaborations take a variety of forms across the 13 regions in NSW; some really mutually beneficial and productive and some less so. We need to document and report on these collaborations. Most importantly we need to hear from community Landcare about what's working and why. And if things are not working, we need to explore what avenues we have to improve government-community collaborations for achieving lasting environmental outcomes across the state.

We welcome the opinions of all community Landcare members. The survey can be downloaded at: www.landcarensw.org.au, or contact us and we will send the form.