A green light for green behavior

Asked whether they've incorporated green principles into their household, 45 percent of Americans in a recent Consumer Reports survey replied "very much" or "somewhat”; 55 percent replied "very little" or "not at all." Those 55 percent could be missing out: Taking many of the actions we asked about will benefit the environment and save money. Low-flow showerheads can save as much as $265 per year on water bills, for instance; underinflated tires resulted in a loss of 1.3 mpg in highway fuel economy in a Toyota Camry we tested.

What we found

Nine out of 10 respondents took at least one action to lessen demand on their home heating and cooling systems (using fans instead of A/C, say), and 46 percent who bought a car within the past three years replaced an old one with a hybrid or other more fuel-efficient model. But many people are still putting recyclable items in the trash: 28 percent of those with old printer cartridges toss them even though some companies make it easy to recycle cartridges free. The tables show to what extent Americans have adopted green behaviors.