Umbria’s research shows that consumers are increasingly discussing environmental issues in online social media, with nearly 10,000 mentions per week* over the course of the summer months. Almost seven in 10 mentions were from males, indexing far higher than the generic blogosphere composition. The conversations also skewed to both ends of the age spectrum, with Baby Boomers contributing to almost 40% of the conversations, and Gen Y (teenage to late 20s) besting that percentage with 51%. Gen Xers – those in their 30s and early 40s – were seemingly preoccupied, as they contributed to only 11% of the total conversations about environmental sustainability.

Some of the insights culled from Umbria’s Environmental Sustainability research include

• Individual and Corporate Responsibility:  43% of bloggers indicate that individuals should be responsible for environmental sustainability, followed by society at 37% and then business at 28%. Government is sixth on the list, mentioned 22% of the time, and non-profit organizations crop up in just 4% of conversations, ranking twelfth.

• Broadcast Media Still Low on Radar:  Of other informational sources, television was cited only 2.4% of the time, radio was not referenced, and music was mentioned just less than 2% of the time.
• Associating Brands with Sustainability:  Specific brands bubbled to the top of sustainability conversations, yet not all were referenced positively. The five brands mentioned most frequently were Toyota/Prius (majority leader), Google, General Motors, Exxon Mobil and GE.