8 replies to this topic

[Green Steve]

Hi all,

I am looking to embark on some surveys, aimed at the general public to see how green they are.

The first survey I want to do involves asking people how green they think they are. My first question would be:

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On a scale from 1 – 10 (1 being the least green and 10 being the most green) how green would you say your lifestyle is?

I want to follow up this question with a small number of questions about their lifestyle and then end with a similar question to the first to see if they have changed their minds about their score.

I was thinking maybe questions like:

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How many flights abroad do you take in a year?

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Do you ever buy bottled water for the convenience?

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How long do you spend in the shower over a typical week?

Do you think these are the right sorts of questions to make them re-evaluate their "greeness"?

What else would you ask?

Thanks

Steve

[Shortpoet-GTD]

You can read some of our tips threads, and base your questions on the statements made by some of our members.
http://www.altenergy.../page__hl__tips

http://www.altenergy.../page__hl__tips

This thread has links to several others-
http://www.altenergy.../page__hl__tips

http://www.altenergy...e__hl__dictator

To get good results, imo, you should ask more specific questions-
instead of
"Do you ever buy bottled water for the convenience? you could ask, on a weekly or monthly basis, how
often do you buy bottled water?
For what reason?
Convenience?
Do you believe that bottled water is purer than tap water?
Are you aware of the shipping miles for bottled water?
Forgot to fill home bottles?
Don't own a water filter? (etc.)
You'll get better results with better questions.
Good luck.

[FamilyTreeClimber]

This sounds like an interesting survey.

Here are some questions you might ask as well:

Have you replaced your old light bulbs with CFL or LED light bulbs?

Do you unplug appliances that are not in use?

Do you recycle your electronic goods?

Do you shop locally?  Or, how often do you shop locally?

How often do you buy local produce?  Do you grow your own vegetables and fruit?

At what temperature do you keep your thermostat set to during Summer and Winter?

Do you recycle food scraps for composting?

[FlanneryCam]

For more ideas, check out one of the many free carbon footprint calculators. They will easily give you more ideas to start with.

Also, you can give some hypothetical questions like: in the grocery store, would you rather pay 5 cents per plastic bag, by 1$ once per reusuable bag or use recycled boxes to carry your groceries?

Good luck with your project!

[dissn_it]

You may also want to consider asking questions about their overall opinion of the environment and conservation. Someone who is not concerned for the environment and doesn't think that there is such a thing as global warming, will not answer your other questions the same way that an environmentalist would. It may help you to "consider the source" when tallying your results.
Good luck with the project!

[Green Steve]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions guys - I want the survey to be concise (for cost reasons as much as anything) so I'll have to think carefully about how I might roll some of these into one multiple choice question and then go from there.

Thanks again!

[lifeacoustic]

How about questions regarding public transportation or carpooling?
Or what about questions about environmental home upgrades?
How about asking about organic fibers and whether people are conscious of what their clothes and shoes are made of?

There are so many hidden things and often when we think we're being green... we're not.

[eds]

Ask this question first.

"What does being GREEN mean to you?"

To me, that means I'm Irish (Wearing of the GREEN).

I have no idea, what it means to you, or to other people.

You ask that question, and you might be surprised with the number of different answers you get,
. . . and how do you measure, what you can't define?

[Dustoffer]

A lot of footprint calculators do not take in the geometric multiplier of having more than one kid.  A lot do not take into account if you live in a true eco-house built of recycled and indigenous materials, all solar off grid, etc.  How much and type of travel, mileage, etc.  Water use per day, electric (even off grid) use per day, sq. ft. of gardens, grey water use, etc.