Hope for Green Gadgets

A recent Pulse Study on “green” gadgets revealed a large group of "not so green" gadget buyers. On the positive side, a significant number of environmentally-friendly gadget enthusiasts stepped forward as well.Green MachineWe asked consumers if they feel guilty when buying “non-green” gadget and found that nearly 60% of respondents felt “no guilt” for not buying “green” gadgets, with 16% saying price trumped “green”. But nearly 40% said they consider “green” when shopping for gadgets like Yamaha receivers.Do You Trust the TV That Wears the Star? We found that 80% of people trust Energy Star ratings, but only 36% of consumers under 25 use energy ratings to help decide what to buy as compared to 55% of people over 25.Being GreenMore than 60% claimed they knew how to be “green”, however more than half of those saying they knew admitted they didn’t always put the knowledge into practice.Turning Consumers GreenIn a fifty/fifty split, half of consumers want tax or cash incentives and the other half want easier recycling to help them be more “green” when it comes to gadgets. Cash for clunker gadgets, like for old CRT TVs or rebates on new energy efficient LCD TVs, could help save consumers money and energy.Different Shades of GreenWe are encouraged by the number of consumers who are eager to learn more about being “green” and also knew what the energy ratings mean for purchasing environmentally-friendly gadgets. Unfortunately, we also saw apathy and ignorance. But that leaves opportunity to educate and motivate consumers.Bottom LineIt's clear that consumers get the “green gadget” message, however in order to motivate them to put "green" into action, the industry and the government need to take action to make recycling and reducing energy consumption easier to digest.