You haven’t replaced that water-sucking front lawn with organic vegetables to share with neighbors, begun hang drying your laundry out by the Infinity pool or sewing your own reusable tampons in your craft room. BFD! You don’t have to be a card carrying member of the Earth Liberation Front to be going green.

We all go there differently. Some, by living the little tree house on the Prairie life; others put themselves on the front lines to brave the political battle of solving climate change; and then there are those I classify as Gruppies, middle class yuppies grappling with the so-called American dream while making strident efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle –  driving hybrids, resisting the tempting sales at Nordstrom, unplugging the 17″ titanium laptop at night.

Many of us are judged cruelly by cynics challenging the eco-friendliness of anyone electing to own a nice home, spawn offspring and use gas-fueled cars as transport.

Are they right? I do aspire to be more of the “real green deal” like a colleague of mine who does fabricate her own reusable menstrual pads and measures a delightfully small carbon footprint. I dream of fleeing urban life where the flow of Feng shui is often disrupted by selfish drivers in heavy traffic, fierce competition in the workplace and private schools, and the exorbitant costs of housing, food and pilates classes.

Do you drive a Prius and have solar panels on your remodel in the gated community? Or perhaps you take the bus to work to save on carbon while you answer emails on your iPhone? If the answer to any of these questions – or the following 10 – is yes, you may be a gruppie. Take this test to find out.

1. You have made the friendly switch to 100% organic cotton and bamboo clothing and bedding, and clean them in hot water and Tide in you new, Energy Star LG rated front loader. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

2. You own reusable shopping bags can’t remember to take them out of your hybrid SUV when you go to Whole Foods to buy your imported organic produce. Yes (5 points) No (1 Point).

3. You take public transportation to work and home each day and also when you fly in big jets all over the world for business and pleasure each year. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

4. You would like to resist buying plastic-sealed products at Trader Joe’s where you shop to save money, but it is nearly impossible because almost everything is overwrapped at TJ’s and it’s a hassle to shop at more than one store. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

5. You love checking out farmers’ markets and the idea of buying fresh and local, but only go occasionally when they feature live music or when friends are visiting form out of town and it’s a cool thing to do. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

6. You make a habit of recycling all glass, cans, paper and plastics but don’t compost because it’s sort of icky having those smelly food scraps and egg shells under the sink, and the garbage disposable gets rid of it so quickly. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

7. You cut down on shower time, turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, and refuse to buy individual plastic water bottles, except for Vitamin Water, because at least it is better than soda and so far, doesn’t come in big delivery bottles. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

8. You have invested in nontoxic household cleaning products to reduce exposure, but are still getting mani-pedis, because, well, it just looks better to be groomed, especially at formal events. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

9. When shopping, you are discerning about buying free range, grassfed meats, but you accept whatever meat is on the menu at the restaurants you frequent because the food is good even though the owners have not yet switched to safe meat you can trust. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

10. After watching reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm at night, you routinely unplug electronics to save on phantom energy, including the computers in the bonus room, toaster and microwave, recessed lighting, heated cat bed, vibrating dog lounger, home theater and music systems, cordless phone adapters, cell phone chargers, digital camera chargers, espresso machine. You yell at your spouse and kids to turn their stuff off, too, but they ignore you.

Bonus Question: You espouse the philosophy that we all need to respect and preserve our planet for future generations and yet, you will never pass this way again and are entitled to fully partake in the “good life” which means all that you can afford (and then some) for your family. Yes (5 points) No (1 point).

How You Rate as a Gruppie

5 points: You don’t really qualify, yet, you earthy-crunchy you. Initiate a Capri Sun Pouch Brigade Program at your kids’ school and we will talk.

15 points: Congrats, you are well on your way to keeping up with the Gores!

50 points: Love to meet you and hook up for a bite! There’s a great new small plates bistro in the Mission and I’m getting a carpool together. Oh, we’re also sharing a sitter. Is that green? My therapist says it is.

More Quizzes: Are You an Eco Snob?

Images: TheeErin, Rabble, Airshow, Prontohome, Scienceline, Greenbag

The post Are you a Gruppie (Green + Yuppie)? Take the Test and See! appeared first on EcoSalon.

A newsletter from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) this December predicted that 80% of shoppers would purchase new electronics over the holidays. Meanwhile, the gadget-loving blogosphere has fanned the flames of this worldwide appetite, with a flurry of year-end picks, pans, on sale and what’s next lists.

Hard to believe we’re not yet sated. In 2009, the worldwide sale of DVD players alone has already reached 115 million units (worth some $15 billion) according to GfK Retail and Technology. Add to that the last minute sales of the latest Wii, PS3, Xbox, iPhone, RIM Blackberry, Motorola, and hundreds of other electronics and appliances, and we’ve got a lot of potential landfill.

At least there’s hope for a shift to greener electronics manufacturing and American purchasing habits.

A new study by the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith school of business, The 2009 National Technology Readiness Survey, found that U.S. consumers given a choice between “two equally priced big-ticket consumer electronics products,” like a TV or computer, where features and functions are identical but one is “manufactured in a way that is good for the environment,” 92 percent choose to buy the one with the green advantage.

The average shopper is willing to pay 11 percent more – $55 on top of a $500 price tag – for a “big ticket electronic product that is manufactured in a green friendly manner,” the study also found. And consumers who label themselves as “leading edge” in adoption of green tech are willing to pay even more.

Among all shoppers, not just tech geeks, the survey found 40 to 50% of U.S. consumers identify as either “green oriented” or “sympathetic to the green movement.” But what will it take to get manufacturers of – well, everything – to step up?

P.K. Kannan, a marketing professor with the team that conducted this survey, explains: “If market shares in the range of 20-30% [of American consumers] are sufficient for a break-even, then product manufacturers should be able to cover the costs of going green easily.”

While he didn’t have numbers from the electronics industry, he did say that cleaning product manufacturers typically add a 5-10% manufacturing cost to go green.

Kannan offers advice to brand managers and companies on the brink of an eco evolution. To succeed with the new green-minded market, he says, they have to “Make a sincere effort – not a gimmicky one.” Some of the respondents that his team surveyed indicated that “they are willing to pay extra for green products, but were disappointed with the overall quality of those they have had experienced so far.”

That applies to everything from low-tech soaps and paper goods, to hybrid vehicles and electronics.

Read up on what’s hot, green and not, and make your demand for greener gadgets known.

Basic Reading:

“Finally, a rechargeable battery that delivers as much juice as disposables. PowerGenix took high-power-producing nickel-zinc chemistry, typically too short-lived to be useful, and increased its life span 10-fold by using a water-based electrolyte that doesn’t dissolve the vulnerable zinc…”- Popular Science, from a collection of 100 best innovations of 2009, including green electronics

“The new web site and iPhone application Goodguide empowers consumers to make informed purchasing decisions that impact people and the planet. By entering a product’s name, or scanning the barcode of an item using the app, customers can learn about the health, environmental, and social effects of their purchases.” – Mashable’s short list of “social good” tech trends of 2009, including social media and mobile apps you can use on your (hopefully green) gadgets

A guide to electronics, their toxic contents, recycling and shopping for greener gadgets from the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, GreenerChoices.com

Further Resources:

A ComputerWorld review of desktop PCs that claim to use less energy than competitors

A 2009 green gifts for techies list by Re-Nest.com

Sustainablog’s guide to buying a used laptop that works

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of EcoMeme, a column featuring eco news, tech and business highlights by Lora Kolodny.

Image: Rev Dan Catt

The post EcoMeme: 2009 Study Finds U.S. Consumers Prefer Greener Gadgets appeared first on EcoSalon.