US Consumers Score Low on Environment

National Geographic's Greendex is a study measuring and monitoring consumer progress toward environmentally sustainable consumption in 14 countries around the world. Consumption as measured by the Greendex is determined both by the choices consumers actively make—such as repairing rather than replacing items, using cold water to wash laundry, choosing green products rather than environmentally unfriendly ones—and choices that are controlled more by their circumstances, such as the climate they live in or the availability of green products or public transport.

The current findings show that consumers in Brazil and India tie for the highest Greendex scores, followed by consumers in China, Mexico, Hungary and Russia. Among consumers in wealthy countries where carbon footprints are higher, Great Britain, Germany and Australia scored the best while consumers in the US have the lowest Greendex score among the 14 countries measured. What does this mean for those of us working for a greener workplace and technology? We've got our work cut out for us.