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Americans are less green than consumers in India, China, and Brazil, according to a new study by National Geographic and the international polling firm GlobeScan, measuring and monitoring consumer progress toward environmentally sustainable consumption in 14 countries around the world.

Check it out here: Greendex

According to NatGeo, it's a "quantitative consumer study of 14,000 consumers in a total of 14 countries asked about such behavior as energy use and conservation, transportation choices, food sources, the relative use of green products versus traditional products, attitudes towards the environment and sustainability, and knowledge of environmental issues. A group of international experts helped us determine the behaviors that were most critical to investigate."

The National Geographic/GlobeScan "Consumer Greendex," a scientifically derived sustainable consumption index of actual consumer behavior and material lifestyles across 14 countries, will be tracked over time and will be comparable across the selection of countries representing both the developed and developing world.

"To provide context for the Greendex results," NatGeo says, "we developed a 'Market Basket,' an index of actual consumption in four areas important to environmentally sustainable behavior—energy, transportation, travel, and consumer goods. A Market Basket for each country was assembled using a set of independently collected macroeconomic indicators, gathered by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which mirror, in part, the consumer behavior measured by the Greendex survey.

"The purpose of the Market Basket is to provide an external estimate of the results of changes in consumer behavior over time. The Greendex, for example, measures things consumers are doing to save energy in a country; the Market Basket measures whether total energy consumption in the country is actually going up or down. The Market Basket will also establish a framework for comparing the relative environmental impact of each country's size and rate of growth, over time."

Poke around on the site and check out the Greendex survey results, calculate your personal Greendex score, measure your knowledge of some basic issues against what your fellow citizens know, at home and around the world, and learn how to take steps to change your behavior so you ARE making a difference.

Visit the Greendex

When you want to start a garden, chances are you’re going to have to get rid of some grass.  You could spray non-selective herbicides or till, but those methods require harsh chemicals or hard labor.  My favorite method is to smother the existing lawn, usually with mulch.  I think the best time to start this is in the fall, because then you have a good grass free zone by spring.  If you use leaves to accomplish this you get the added bonus of a thin layer of compost in the spring.  Those who have a deep hatred of weeds would wait a whole year- then there’s little chance of any seasonal weeds slipping through, but I think that’s a bit excessive.  If you’re planting native plants you don’t normally need to get crazy with tilling the land after you’ve smothered it.  Remember, nobody tills the land for these plants in the wild and they do just fine.  Remember to use a thick layer (about three inches) of leaves or mulch, let it stay untouched for a few months, and you’ll do just fine.  This is my kind of gardening- no hastle, no rush, and no chemicals :)

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Interested in a type of garden but want to know more about it?  Looking for a plant to fit a specific site?  Add some comments and I’ll make sure to factor in your feedback when deciding what to write about next

This from Ella Delio of NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise:

Do you run a small-to-medium size enterprise operating in India, Indonesia, China, Brazil or Mexico? Does your company have an innovative business model that delivers strong environmental and social benefits? Are you seeking debt or equity capital in order to grow your business?

If so, apply for the New Ventures program in these countries. The New Ventures program of the World Resources Institute supports the growth of businesses that deliver social and environmental benefits by providing business advisory services and access to capital. Enterprises that have been supported by New Ventures have raised US$120M in capital. Moreover, 98% of New Ventures enterprises are still in operation.

The application deadlines for each country are:

• India: May 15th
• Indonesia: May 16th
• Mexico: June 30th
• China: TBD
• Brazil: TBD
  

For more information and access to the application form, please visit the specific country websites. For an English language version of the Indonesia application form, please contact slall@wri.org.