Most Canadians still see Earth Day as important despite concerns that current stormy economic times are raining on the environmental parade, a new survey suggests.
The Harris-Decima poll, released yesterday, finds Canadians are more likely to give a green thumbs-down to the financial crisis than see its environmental benefits.
Overall, one-third of respondents said the economic downturn has had a negative impact on making environmentally friendly choices, while 26 per cent believed the effect is positive.
“There’s still a sense among many Canadians that making an environmental choice might be a more costly choice, at least in the immediate term,” said Jeffrey Walker, senior vice-president of Harris-Decima. “(But) there’s a large segment of Canadians whose behaviour does not appear to be affected based on where the economy is going.”
Organizers say about six million Canadians will join as many as one billion people in 170 countries worldwide in marking Earth Day today.
“It’s when times are tough that you’ve got to really show that you’re willing to adjust to this kind of lifestyle,” said Toronto resident Miranda Fong.
