National Geographic and GlobeScan conducted a study of 14,000 people in 14 countries. The Greendex study asked questions about their energy use and conservation, transportation choices, food sources, use of ‘green’ products, and attitudes toward the environment. The Greendex is the first survey to rank the performance of individual consumers within each country.

Brazil and India had the best scores. Other countries surveyed include China, Mexico, Hungary, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Spain, Japan, Canada, France and the United States.

How do the countries compare in terms of making the world a more environmentally sustainable place?

About 60% of the Greendex study measured individual choices consumers make such as repairing rather than replacing items, using cold water to wash laundry, choosing to use environmentally friendly products and other individual lifestyle decisions. The remaining factors considered decisions that particular to their country’s circumstances - used of public transport, size of houses, etc.

60.0 points - Brazil (tied for first)
60.0 points - India  (tied for first)
56.1 points - China
54.3 points - Mexico
53.2 points - Hungary
52.4 points - Russia
50.2 points - Great Britain (tied for 7th)
50.2 points - Germany  (tied for 7th)
50.2 points - Australia  (tied for 7th)
50.0 points - Spain
49.1 points - Japan
48.5 points - Canada
48.7 points - France
44.9 points - USA

U.S. consumers scored worse than those in any other country, developing or developed, in the categories of housing, transportation and goods.

Americans are the least likely to use public transportation, to walk or bike to their destinations, and least likely to eat locally grown foods.

Americans score very high in the largest average residence size in the survey.  26% of Americans have 9 or more rooms in their home. 29% of Canadians and Australians have 9 or more rooms in their home.

Only 15% of Americans say they minimize their use of fresh water.

Examining specific categories:

A) Housing
Measuring the size of the houses, heating, cooling, use of renewable energy, energy efficiency of appliances and water use, Brazil had the best score. Brazil ranked high in having small houses, low used of heating and high use of renewable energy. U.S. consumers ranked last.

B) Transportation
Measuring the types of transportation, distances travelled, fuel efficiency and behavioral practices, China had the best score. Chinese widely use public transportation, bikes and walking to get to their destinations. The USA was last. Russia, another country with a very large land mass, ranked 5th out of 14 countries.

C) Food Consumption
Measuring the proportion of food that was locally produced, consumption of fruits and vegetables relative to meat and seafood, India had the best score. Japan ranked last in the food survey due to their high consumption of fish, seafood and pork.

D) Goods
Measuring the avoidance of products for environmental reasons, preference for re-using and repairing products, buying used products and number of household appliances, China, India and Brazil are the highest rated countries. American consumers rank last.

The survey also reveals that consumers in developing countries are much more eco-minded that consumers in underdeveloped countries. But people in developing countries, due in large part to smaller homes and less energy devoted to cooling and heating, often have a better overall grade for eco-friendliness. But each country has its strengths and weaknesses, and this survey provides some very interesting comparisons of different countries.