Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I have lots of memories of my folks telling me to stop leaving lights on and to “close the door, we’re not trying to air-condition the neighborhood.”  Following the oil embargo, President Jimmy Carter tried to send the nation on the path of energy conservation, and in some respects it worked.

Buoyed by Vice-President Al Gore’s messaging twenty years later, conservation has made it mainstream.  But just as green in the 70s was limited to energy conservation, it seems that these days, it may be limited to recycling. Interesting notice on a study on GenY perceptions of environmental messaging and electricity.

Feedback from participants also indicated that Gen Y’s are dismissive of the impact they can and do have on the environment and that, when electricity is restricted, it is not uncommon for Gen Ys to experience a degree of stress.

Given our increase in gadgets, maybe it is time to start doing some messaging on energy again.