Those keenest to go green are most clueless - survey

Most intelligent people can see the push to "go green" is more of an ideological play rather than a science-based one. So far the only "green" industries are emerging as a result of from government-backed initiatives and programs that rely heavily on taxpayer dollars. And the biggest push comes from environmental extremist organizations - and their progressive political allies - that clearly have political and ideological agenda. These those dunces would have us return to primitive 18th century lifestyles. When I finally see private industry funding and earning money on "green" energy and products then I know they will have figured out a way to make this dubious politically-charged field efficient and genuine.

Wow - quite a response to this. Perhaps the words of wise Old King Solomon are as appropriate today as they were when he said them nearly 3000 years ago: "A simple man believes every thing he hears; a clever man understands the need for proof."

Neither. What matters is the total poop you produce, irrespective of whether you take a dump before or after lunch. And there's not a whole lot you can do to lessen it, other than consume less in the first place.
Anything in large scale will damage the environment, so pick your poison. The bonfires humans had 4M years ago didn't matter in terms of SCALE. Harness all the wind, or all the tidal, or all the solar, and I guarantee you there will be some very serious environmental repercussions.

Lest I forget the people that say, oh the alternatives pollute when they are being built.
I say yes, But that pollution can be controlled, lessened, and never has to get into the environment!
After the alternative energy products are created they no longer pollute, so its not contuous pollution like old fossil fuel products!
Old fossil fuel products pollute heavily when made, and continue to pollute for their whole lifetimes.
So what do you think is better, something that pollutes only when made but not after, or a product that pollutes when made and while in use?

ITS YOUR CHOICE!
"NOT SOME RICH OIL BARON"S!
SO MAKE THE CHOICE, DON"T LISTEN TO LIES!
DO THE RIGHT THING, RIGHT NOW!
DON"T TELL ME IT CAN"T BE DONE, OR IS TOO EXPENSIVE, I KNOW BETTER, AND YOU SHOULD TOO!"
Have you! Used so many! Exclamation marks!
Yes, as the saying goes, you can have almost anything with enough work or money.
Doesn't mean its practical or ready for "the masses."

The big benefit of the smart meters will come when the power company folks can adjust the rates up during the times when we really need the power. Of course, it won't benefit the user of the power. On the question about knowing about consumption, most appliances and other things have a wattage label, that lits the power consumption. So there has been a way to have a fair idea about how much power one is using for at least 50 years. No, it is not as convenient as calling up the data on a computer, but it is probably more reliable, AND it does not spread your information all over the place.

"Just Me" certainly had quite a rant. All of it was sort of true, except for the parts about "easy", "simple", and "inexpensive". Just because I can design something that works well does not mean that it is practical to use or to produce. And just because I can make something that does work and is cheap does not mean that it does anything useful. As for evolution-well, thermodynamics proves it, BUT it goes in the other direction. "all systems tend toward the minimum free energy." that is, they all roll downhill. The population gets dumber, which, just look around and you can see that. As for an electric car, completely aside from the time to recharge issue is the where does the recharge energy come from issue. Worse yet, where is the grid capacity coming from when everybody needs to draw 15KWH, or perhaps 50 KWH, or even more, every night?

I think "just me" proved your point. Another thing to consider when going green is the lifetime effects, including raw material acquisition through disposal and that effect. Don't claim being green if you don't consider all effects, including unintended effects. For me? If it saves me money, I'm all for it.

What's the grief? If you believe in evolution, all the problems that humanity has created will be evolved away eventually. Sure you want a return to a pristine world, but what's to say your idea of a pristine world is any more valid than the one that will exists after good old "mother nature" cleans up the mess we've created? Don't worry all you "earth worshipers", "she" can take care of "herself".

I strongly suspect that those keenest to go against green are equally clueless. Often, strength of opinion is inversely proportional to knowledge. As in, often wrong; never in doubt.

This may be a dupe, it didn't seem to show, sorry if its a dupe, but here goes.
I get tired of supposedly educated people who keep saying its not possible, yada yada yada!!!!
Since electric cars have been made that work, think GM's EV-1, Think Tesla motors!
Electric cars were around in the late 1800's!
Electric cars can be made for less money than a gas powered car in production quantity's!
ALL Electric locomotives are in use!
All Electric locomotives actually were a big part of American railways till we were robbed of clean rail transportation by robber barons.
Subway systems are all electric.
There have also been Hydrogen and fuel cell powered locomotives that work!
All electric Buses are in use right now!
Hydrogen and fuel cell powered buses are on the road right now!
Homes designed with energy savings and solar systems have been built that work!
We already have wind generators working!
Solar power plants are working now!
Thousands use electric forklifts all day long!
Electric golf carts are used all day long!
Wave generators have been made and work!
Hydroelectric plants are a major supplier of power right now, and have been for years!
NASA uses solar power and fuel cells, they work well and can be made cheaply!
Lower cost, flexible, low light, solar panels are avalible right now!
Hydrogen is a viable, clean; AKA no pollution what so ever, And is available right now!
Hydrogen can be separated from water by hydroelectric, solar, wind, wave, etc!
Solar roof shingles are avalable right now, And they cost little more than a high end roofing but produce basically free power!
Geothermal energy is in use right now!
In Mishigan there are two nucear power plants and a man made recreational lake. The lake is used as an energy store, By using surplus power at night to fill the lake and using the water to turn a hydroelectric plant durring the day!
This system could be powered by wind, wave, solar, hydroelectric, etc. rather than nuclear power!
The electric power generated from alternative sources could also be stored in Hydrogen derived from separating water with excess electric power!
Every waterway of any size can have sized power generaters tethered in the water flow to create power, no dam is needed!
It costs very little to add extra insulation to homes, to caulk cracks and add extra weather striping to doors, windows, etc!
Heat exchangers can be attached to vents!
Better, lower energy appliances can be made for very little increase in price and many times no increase in price at all!
Highways can be made to require much less energy to drive on!
For little to no increase in price, simple things, like planting trees as wind breaks on highways to keep winds from the roadway, can save huge amounts of energy!
I could go on for days, as there are just so many better, cleaner and even cheaper ways to do things!
There are so many things that can be and are being done right now!
Most actualy pay for themselves over there lifetimes!
Some make you money!
And a big plus is reduction of ecological pollution, including green house gases, smog and other pollution, things such as acid rain, global warming, etc.
Ask your selves why people tell you lies that better ways to create and use power aren't available right now?
Ask your selves who pays these istitutions and your government big money?
Its on record somewhere, these sorts of "donations" have to be listed somewhere!
You'll find big money going in these peoples pockets to lie to people!
Our government is crushed under all the weight of big oil money, big car money, big bank money, and these people want to stifle growth, they want to hold back true progress, so they can charge you till oil is gone, then something else is gone, etc., etc., etc!
These people don't care if we have to live in plastic bubbles because the ecosystem is so screwed up!
Hell! They may want it that way, as they can sell the plastic bubbles for huge absorbent prices!
These people want to turn food into fuel! MY GOD! People starve to death in the world every day!
I for one am tired of people telling me lies and you should be too!
Just think!
Realalternative energy is good for America!
Its good for the world!
It doesmn't polute!
It saves you money!
It makes jobs right here, right now!
We need smart solutions for a clean future with homes and cars powered at home with solar, wind, and other alternative power Sources!
We need to get our butts in gear and contact our congressmen and tell them what we want and if they don't make the right choices, with tax incentives, real viable pollution control laws, and grants, to bring the right choices, cheaply to the world, we will speak with our vote to put candidate's in that will listen to the real leaders of this country, "THE PEOPLE!", people just like you and me.
And just think, Real alternatives take us off foreign oil, and thats also good for America, just think of driving that new car or a refurbished old one, gasoline engines work perfectly well on Hydrogen, Hydrogen you can make at home for almost nothing and you can even collect rain water to convert to Hydrogen, so no stopping at the gas station and shelling out $3 or more a gallon, no pollution spewing out of a tail pipe, power generated right at your home, with small wind generator's (these can be hidden in cupolas, yard ornaments, etc., etc., etc.), smart, more bang for your buck, solar, You can have solar cells and solar thermal together on that roof, and it doesn't have to look like crap, plus we will have the benefits of clean air, clear sky's, no acid rain, no global warming, no fuel bills, maybe a check from the electric company, and yet have all the gadgets we want, all the power we will ever need, and a bright future for the whole world.
All this and more really exists right now, won't break the bank, will clean up the world, and is simply what we have to do anyway!
Do you want to make the choice willingly or wait till you can't breathe outside, can't see, and all the oil, natural gas, coal, etc. are gone and all the plants and animals are dead!
ITS YOUR CHOICE!
NOT SOME RICH OIL BARON"S!
SO MAKE THE CHOICE, DON"T LISTEN TO LIES!
DO THE RIGHT THING, RIGHT NOW!
DON"T TELL ME IT CAN"T BE DONE, OR IS TOO EXPENSIVE, I KNOW BETTER, AND YOU SHOULD TOO!

With all the fertilizer being spread around through the media and elsewhere in the past several years (not this story), we should be living in the most lush, green garden of Eden by now. Sally must've bought into it.

It's like the "all" electric car...most people do not understand that with the current battery technology you only have a 100 mi. range. It would take you around six days to drive to San Francisco and back to LA not counting the hotel bills and charges for recharging your car. Then what do you do with the batteries after their useful life is spent? People have not thought these things through.

I agree with the finding 100%. Some people in our area have been convinced to even unplug their table lamps when not in use. They think that by running around the house unplugging two or three appliances with clocks will actually make a difference to their utility bill. The light bulb thing is incredible though.

Going green is easy. The less green you spend, the greener you are. Anything else is eyewash. And the folks at the Earth Institute are a bunch of pompous arses.

SavroD if evolution was as demonstrable as gravity then 1) you wouldn't have to be proseletizing 2) many priests of evolution such as Dawkins wouldn't be able to sell their books. Comparing belief in evolution to gravity is the kind of hyperbole to be expected from evolutionary believers - fervent but obviously irrational.

Most people don't believe evolution is as demonstrable as gravity. The majority of Americans pride themselves on their ignorance, mostly of history and civics. People are hung up on mythologies and superstition; so, there is no reason to believe those who would want to go green know what it means. It's all relative in America folks; just like the words, "natural" or "organic" on the food label!

What a load of fertilizer.

Andy makes a good point about the consumers wallet. But the point is even stronger than that - money really does reflect the value of something to a large extent. Which is why I point out that "engaging in energy conserving behaviors" without fully understanding energy production and use and their environmental impact is stupid. I know stupid is a strong word, but ignorance isn't the problem - intentional rejection of knowledge is the problem, which I could come up with other ways of summarizing, but stupid conveys the meaning.

The best energy use awareness transducer for appliances is a consumer's wallet. Anything else will be ignored (by Americans, other than the Hippies of course) and is secondary.
Remember, these are the very people who get a headache if they have to drive in anything but the very leftmost lane on a highway.