Consumer Reports, the Yonkers, New York-based consumer-product testing and rating organization, has started a new website geared toward the "green" consumer.
Consumer Reports, the Yonkers, New York-based consumer-product testing and rating organization, has started a new website geared toward the "green" consumer. The website, greenerchoices.org, went live on Earth Day, April 22.
Consumer Reports also released a survey showing that While only 5 percent of respondents consider themselves activists, nearly 9 out of 10 actively consider environmental and health factors when making purchases. According to the survey, consumers are making environmentally friendly choices through their purchasing decisions. They are actively seeking out organic foods, avoiding dangerous chemicals in products, and looking for energy-efficient appliances. GreenerChoices.org aims to offer consumers reliable and practical advice on how to be more environmentally conscious.
The survey also reveals that consumers are in fact willing to pay more upfront for choices that protect the environment, public and personal health, and long-term savings. The nationally representative, online survey of more than 1,200 U.S. adults was conducted in March 2005.
“It’s very clear that while consumers do not want to be labeled green, they are searching for green labels,” says Dr. Urvashi Rangan, an Environmental Health Scientist and director of GreenerChoices.org as well as Eco-labels.org, another Consumer Reports site.
“Forty-three percent of respondents said they would be willing to pay more for electricity generated from environmentally sound sources like solar and wind power and nearly 7 out of 10 would be willing to pay an additional cost to recycle big-ticket items like TVs and computers. What this says to us is that not only do consumers care, but they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is,” adds Rangan.
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The site will explain how making choices with a conscience for the environment often has other important benefits too. These include protecting personal health and saving money--key reasons why survey respondents buy green. Greenerchoices.org also helps people figure out whether or not greener products actually perform as well as their mainstream counterparts. For example, Consumer Reports recently crowned the Honda Accord Hybrid its top rated family sedan, ousting the Volkswagen Passat, which held the title for the past seven years.
Consumer Reports asserts that its energy-use ratings are more stringent than the government's Energy Star program, and that its testing represents more real-world use than the methods used to give the Energy Star rating.
Recently, Consumer Reports also announced that the Toyota Prius hybrid is the car with which purchasers are the most satisfied, surpassing every other model of automobile. When asked, 94 percent of Prius owners said they would "definitely get one again."
“GreenerChoices.org combines the independence and expertise of Consumer Reports ad-free test ratings and recommendations with the strong public interest and education component of our mission. We’re very excited that the site launches at a time when more than three-quarters of consumers are searching for green information on the Internet, and we’re looking forward to tracking the marketplace changes we expect to see as a result of making this site easily available to consumers,” says Joel Gurin, Executive Vice President of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine.
The GreenerChoices.org site was partially funded through grants from the Surdna Foundation and the Foundation of Donor Advised Funds.
About Consumers Union: Consumers Union is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To maintain independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising and no free test samples. CU supports itself through the sale of information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants. Consumers Union is governed by a board of 18 directors, who are elected by CU members and meet three times a year. CU's President, James Guest, oversees a staff of more than 450.
