How Green Are YOU
How Green are YOU?
An eco-questionnaire for all ages!
Created by Chris Summerville
Here are fifteen questions that ask you how you would act in various daily situations that you may already have experienced or may experience in the future. Choose the response that you feel is closest to how you would act in each situation. Don't forget to remember or note down how many a, b, c, and d you get as you go along!
1. A student (person) next to you leaves the tap running while cleaning their teeth. Do you:
a. Ignore it. If they want to waste water, that's their business.
b. Say something like, "You forgot to turn the tap off".
c. Gently lean over and turn the tap off.
d. Tell him/her it's wrong to waste water and give them some reasons why.
2. You are passing by an empty (class)room/office and notice that all the fans and lights have been left on. Do you:
a. Keep walking by and forget about it.
b. Tell somebody later "You know I saw all the lights and fans left on in one of the (class)rooms/offices. Those students/people in are so wasteful!
c. Go in and turn them off.
d. Go in, turn off the lights and fans and write on the board something like, "Please turn off the lights and fans when you leave this room. You are wasting electricity!"
3. You are walking with a friend and he/she casually throws a chocolate wrapper on the ground. Do you:
a. Throw you wrapper on the ground as well.
b. Pretend not to notice.
c. Pick it up and give it to them saying something like, "You dropped this".
d. Tell them off and give them a talk about how wrong it is to throw garbage around.
4. You see a documentary showing the cruel and unhygienic conditions in factory meat/chicken farms. Do you:
a. Rush to the nearest McDonalds.
b. Think "How terrible and sad" and carry on eating meat.
c. Make enquiries to make sure that the meat/chicken you eat has been humanely raised and killed.
d. Become a vegetarian and tell your friends why.
5. You see someone on the street abusing an animal. Do you:
a. Look the other way.
b. Go up to them and ask them what they are doing and why.
c. Go and look for a policeman.
d. Go up to them and physically restrain them from committing any further abuse.
6. You hear that many cosmetics and toiletries are tested on animals causing them extreme pain and suffering. Do you:
a. Think, "Oh well, their only animals and I can't make any difference".
b. Find out if your preferred brands test on animals but then if they do keep on using them because they are the ones you like.
c. Find out if your preferred brands test on animals and if they do change to brands that do not test on animals.
d. Find out all the brands that test on animals and those that do not, make a list of them and tell your friends what you found out.
7. When you go shopping do you:
a. Expect all your purchases to be loosely packed in many plastic bags so they are easy to carry and then throw the plastic bags away when you get home.
b. Take your purchases home in plastic bags but reuse the plastic bags for future shopping and for other things.
c. Take your own cloth shopping bag with you and tell the shops you don't need plastic bags because you have your own.
d. Always use your own shopping bags and write letters to shops and local politicians asking that plastic bags be banned because they are causing so much environmental damage.
8. You notice that your friends often take more food than they can eat and just dump it out afterwards. Do you:
a. Also often take too much food and do the same since everybody else does.
b. Sometimes take too much food but feel guilty when you dump it
c. Only take as much food as you can eat and hope your friends will learn from your example.
d. Tell your friends that it is wasteful to dump food and that they should think of all the people who do not have enough to eat.
9. Your parents go everywhere by car even if it is only for a short distance and are also talking about getting a new, bigger car. Do you:
a. Agree with their decisions and suggest that they buy a second car as well.
b. Agree with their decision but suggest they buy a smaller car or hybrid car that does not use much petrol.
c. Tell them that you would rather walk, bicycle or take public transportation and invite them to join you.
d. Go around to your neighbours and get them to sign up for a car-pooling scheme.
10. You discover that one of your favourite musicians or movie stars actively supports an environmental or animal rights NGO group. Do you:
a. Think, "So what?"
b. Think, "That's great! Good for them!"
c. Write them a fan letter telling them how much you admire them.
d. Find out more about the NGO, join the group and tell all your friends about what they are trying to do and that your favourite musician/movie star is a supporter.
11. We all know that paper is made from trees. When you use paper, do you:
a. Just use and throw away as much paper as you want since paper is cheap.
b. Try to save paper, but continue to use and throw away a lot of it.
c. Always write on both sides of the paper and save your scrap paper for taking notes.
d. Same as c. but you only buy recycled paper or paper made from alternative sources, (sugar cane, kenaf), and encourage your family to do the same.
12. Large hotels and tourist resorts have a huge environmental impact and usually ignore the needs of local people. They require unlimited water and energy for bathrooms, swimming pools, golf courses, A/C, lighting and TV, and create large amounts of sewage along with food and paper waste. When you and your family travel, do you:
a. Stay at these fancy places since if you can pay for it you deserve all the luxuries you can get, no matter what the environmental and social costs.
b. Stay at these fancy places, because they are comfortable, but try to save energy and water, and to create as little waste as you can while there.
c. Stay at small, locally owned hotels and guesthouses without A/C and eat at local restaurants.
d. Stay at simple eco-lodges or camp in natural places and get around by walking or bicycling trying to talk and learn from the local people whenever you can.
13. Your favourite piece of clothing has become a little old and now has a small hole in it. Do you:
a. Throw it away and buy a new one from a popular brand shop.
b. Get a new one but reuse the old one by making it into a rag.
c. Get a new one and give the old one to somebody who needs it after stitching the hole.
d. Stitch the hole putting some new design on it and keep wearing it.
14. You need to buy soap and washing powder for your school trip. How do you decide which one to buy?
a. Buy the ones that you see on television that have a nice smell and colour.
b. Buy a soap that looks natural so that it is softer for your skin but still buy a well-known washing powder.
c. Read the label and buy a natural soap made without chemicals. Try to get a washing powder that does not contain phosphate so it doesn't pollute the water so much.
d. Read the label and buy a soap that is both chemical-free and animal test-free. Get a washing powder that is only made of pure soap so that it doesn't pollute the surroundings at all.
15. What is most important to you when you buy something?
a. Cost b. Quality c. Effect on the environment. e. Effect on the environment and the working conditions of makers/growers.
Now, take YOUR 'Eco-Temperature'
Add up your score giving yourself the following points according to how you answered each question:
a. 1 point
b. 0 points
c. 1 point
d. 2 points
Total Score
-15 points > -5 points: COLD. What comes around goes around. Your cold and uncaring attitude will get us all in hot water!
-4 points > 4 points: MILD. Staying silent when you see some harmful action is the same as agreeing with it. And just thinking about something but not doing anything doesn't help anyone. Go on . . . Push yourself!!
5 points > 10 points: WARMING UP. But unless awareness is put into action, nothing will change! You're on your way!!
11 points > 20 points: PRETTY HOT! You already know that change starts with the individual and are willing to 'walk your talk'. Next step is to spread the word and get others on board!
20 points > 30 points: TOTALLY COOL! You are way ahead of the pack and are not afraid to be different and voice your opinion. You are the change we are all waiting for! Lead on, Eco- Warrior!