Quiz: How environmentally friendly are you?

25 April 2014 by Infinite Ideas in Lifestyle

Let’s face it, as a generation we’re spoilt rotten, and may not even be fully aware of the detrimental environmental effects our self-indulgent habits are having on poor old Earth. But there’s nothing like a bit of self-assessment to kick start the conscience. The idea behind the quiz is to give you a rough idea of how much work you need to do in your quest for an environmentally friendly lifestyle that leaves less of an imprint on our troubled planet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1   How do you mainly shop for food?
(a)  You don’t – it’s all home produced.
(b)  Online certified organic delivery schemes.
(c)  At local markets and grocers.
(d)  At the supermarket.

2   It’s lunchtime in the office. Do you:
(a)  Dive into your organic, homemade packed lunch?
(b)  Order something decent at an upmarket macrobiotic café?
(c)  Go where everyone else is going, e.g.the pub?
(d)  Head for the nearest fast-food chain or work canteen?

 3   How do you get to work/school?
(a)  Walk or cycle.
(b)  Take public transport.
(c)  Share lifts.
(d)  Drive.

4   When the temperature drops, what do you do?
(a)  Do nothing – your home is insulated and solar-powered.
(b)  Put on another jumper and shiver.
(c)  Turn up the thermostat just a little.
(d)  Whack up the heating as far as it goes and bring in extra heaters.

5   What kind of holiday do you mainly take?
(a)  A working conservation holiday.
(b)  Something low-key and national.
(c)  A package holiday somewhere warm.
(d)  As exotic and far flung as possible.

6   What are your cleaning materials of choice?
(a)  Lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda.
(b)  Eco-friendly products.
(c)  Anything from the supermarket that works.
(d)  A whole army of branded mousses, sprays, wipes and liquids.

7   How much do you recycle?
(a)  Virtually everything, and the rest goes to charity.
(b)  Newspapers, bottles, cans, vegetable matter.
(c)  Newspapers and maybe bottles sometimes.
(d)  Nothing – it all goes straight in the bin.

8   What kind of car do you own?
(a)  You don’t.
(b)  A small, low-emission model.
(c)  A people carrier or family saloon.
(d)  A nice big SUV.

9   What sort of presents did you give last Christmas/birthday?
(a)  You didn’t – the money went straight to charity instead.
(b)  Ethical presents for good causes.
(c)  Catalogue/online goods where some profits go to charity.
(d)  Whatever the recipients wanted.

10  How ethical is your bank?
(a)  Very: that’s why you chose it.
(b)  It has several good environmental policies.
(c)  Not sure, but hopefully pretty good.
(d)  You went for the best deal – ethics didn’t come into it.

Mainly (a)s. Congratulations, you are fully committed to the environment and well on your way to becoming a green goddess – or god, of course.

 Mainly (b)s. You’re definitely aware of what it takes to be green although there are one or two luxuries you’re not prepared to give up just yet. But keep up the good work, and you’ll be doing your bit for the planet in no time.

Mainly (c)s. The will to change is there, but you’ve got some way to go before youwin the Zayed Prize for the Environment. You just need to spend a little more time thinking about how your actions could affect the planet.

Mainly (d)s. Oh dear, you’re something of a walking eco-disaster. Time to change your wasteful and spendthrift habits for a greener, cleaner lifestyle.