Uh oh, I think a whole lot o people are doing a whole lot o fibbin!

I'm pretty certain that at least half of you should really have picked "Be cool and hip".

Me, I was torn between 1 and 2, but I had to admit that I was more 2 than 1. Why don't the rest of you BE HONEST about your motivations?

Since the question asks for "the greatest motivating factor" in general (as opposed to "which of the following are the greatest motivating factor"...allow me to respond "Other:"

[ ] My faith informs me that creation is inherently good and we are called to care for it and for our neighbors (including the poor and future generations)

"I'm pretty certain that at least half of you should really have picked "Be cool and hip"."

It is true that many people like to be "cool", but it doesn't mean it's their primary motivation. There are many other ways to be cool.. But when wanting to be green and cool, the cool can be secondary.

Though I'm sure that for some people it's still a superficial thing, but I guess everybody follows their own path. Some are just starting out, and I bet that as they learn more they'll become more serious about it.

Feh. I'm 43. I stopped caring about cool and hip decades ago. I also think those are lousy choices. My motivator is that it's the right thing to do and the most consistent with my other values.

Haven't had a college professor in deaces either.

Bah, none of those choices accurately describe me. 2 comes the closest, but it's far from accurate. There's no neck saving involved.

I use energy saving devices to cut costs. A perfect example is that I have several incandescents in the house. As they burn out, I replace them with CFLs. I particularly like the incandescents in the winter. While they use more energy, the heat by-product is usable, even desirable. In the summer I'll swap in the CFLs that I have, then back again next winter.

Design products that will cut my costs over the life of the device, including the cost of purchase and installation, and I'll buy them.

I want to be green because logic tells me it should be more economical, usually it isn't.

Willy Bio,
It's funny you should mention something of that nature. Every environmentalist that I know chooses to be green for one of the first two reasons (I chose option two, if you'd like to know). I think you may just be surrounded by a different crowd than a lot of others. I see the "hip/cool" reason as a bigger factor in the collegate or youth setting. Perhaps the larger part of the treehugger crowd is in a different place in life.

Sorry Lizzy you must be in a different crowd. Most people I know do not claim to be green because they want to be hip or cool. In fact I'd say that option is the worst. When something else becomes hip or cool, you'll drop the green act. It just says being green is a fad and is doomed to failure.

Should have had another option:

Only if it breaks even or saves money...

What a conundrum for me...I struggled between the first two, but in hindsight this would be my epithet:

Thinking it is hip and cool to protect the planet for the kids I am afraid to have while saving my money by following in the footsteps of great college professors and my significant other!

I would have picked that one in a heartbeat!
Keep fighting the good fight, regardless of your motivation!

These choices are kind of lame. I do it because it is the right thing to do. And Willy Bio, I assure you that I am completely honest about my motives.

On a side note, does anyone else find it really hard to sort out who said what in the comments?

As a "Youth" I don't particularity care about being hip too much (always nice I guess). I'm in it because in 50 years I'm going to be around. Anyone who makes policy decisions now isn't really going to be hurt by ignorance. It would be nice if everyone cared about future generation, but almost nobody really does, at least over their temporary comfort. The crowd here may be more inclined to care, but not 71%.

I think that people who are doing this just to be hip/cool are probably not spending a whole lot of time reading green blogs, they're probably out there trying to be hip and cool.

i chose 1, as it fit the closest, but i dont really like the choices much either.

my reason was a sort of "click", where it struck me. one of my best friends died at 22 of a really rare form of cancer, before he died he was attending meetings in his community of other people with rare cancers and diseases, trying to find out why there was a disproportionate amount of these diseases in their community, and all fingers were starting to point at the oil refinery that had recently been shut down in the center of town. my grandfather died of cancer after working his whole life in early plastics factories. something inside of me realized that we arent supposed to be living like this, this plastic modern life.

i didnt even plan to go green, it just sort of happened, almost like sleepwalking. i cant tell you when, or how, i just kno my why.

and bitter bitter willy, im glad you continue to assume the worst about everyone, but ill let you kno, being hip has never been much of a motivator for a black sheep like me.

What about for God? Seriously.