Eugene's Independent Project: February 2009

Typical Good Earth Citizen
- does the small things already
- uses cfls, canvas grocery bags
- bikes/car pools/transit/walks
- purchases energy efficient and recyclable products
- would like to educate kids with how to live with our environment

What does being Green Mean to a Citizen?
- no right answer, it varies, nobody sees green the same way
- how do they make choices wrt to sustainability, recycling, product lifecycle?
- environmental issues usually not a standalone factor for purchasing a product, like brand and price, but they can act as tipping points
- choice is key
- decisions are based on the rational and emotional
- opportunity lies in appealing to the rational side of citizens
- people are inundated with green messages, some of it green washing
- complicated to navigate messaging and make good decisions that fit our lives

Continuum ColorBlind Study
- Wonderful study conducted by a progressive design firm here
- Ethnographic interviews attempt to glean insight into behavioral and purchasing decisions in relation to "green" and "sustainable"
- interviewed over 7000 people online and in person
- 18-60 yrs old
- income 50k to 104k, USA

Key Findings from ColorBlind Study by Continuum
1. people care more about their immediate world, people in their lives, family and friends
2. they make choices to protect and sustain them
3. good companies will link green offerings with personal benefits
4. environment is abstract to many (forest, beach), not seen as the everyday
5. tangible actions, ones where consumers can see and control the results are embraced (ie. recycling, energy, water conservation)
6. environmental choices feel good, people want to make the right choice.
7. ideals are not always consistent with action at home
8. being green and buying green don't necessarily go hand in hand - lower income earners usually have a small footprint just because they consume less
9. it's not a black and white issue, multidimensional - need to speak in a variety of relevant ways
10. messaging more effective when practical (rational) more so than aspirational
11. consumers abhor waste, they value conservation not so much because its green but because it's frugal

Motivations (or lack of)
1. inconvenience
2. cost
3. confusion
=> Companies that develop green messaging that reduces these factors will benefit.