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.

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:

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!