Survey: Americans report reluctance to conserve

A survey released by MSN.com two days before Earth Day indicates many Americans are reluctant to institute conservation measures, such as limiting the number of times they flush their toilets. The survey indicated almost 70 percent of those surveyed said they wouldn’t limit their toilet flushing to conserve water, or compost kitchen waste. Other survey findings included these:

• About 20 percent of people don’t have access to a local recycling service.
• About one-third said it would take either a tax credit or $1 million for them to recycle or compost all of their waste.
• Forty percent of respondents believe that most people go green for factors unrelated to the environment. Instead, they believe most do it because of a celebrity role model or because they are a trend follower.
• To reduce their carbon footprint, 49 percent said they would give up air conditioning for a summer or become a vegetarian for a year.

“Although half of respondents say they recycle everything possible, the rest of America needs some convincing, or some help,” according to MSN, in a statement. MSN said it surveyed 1,086 men and women this month for its survey.