Poll - who does more for the environment?

[Rosendula]

I know a few people who are known as environmental activists, including members of the local Green Party. They travel all over the country and sometimes out of the country on their mission to persuade others to reduce their carbon footprint, one of their arguments being that we should travel less. This has always struck me as hypocritical.

Then there's Martin Lewis, known as the Money Saving Expert. He doesn't try to persuade anyone to save the earth as far as I'm aware, but we Ishers know that saving money usually goes hand-in-hand with reducing our impact.

So I'm wondering, who do you think is the more environmentally friendly. Green activists or money savers?

[Minnesota]

Personally, I think the Environmentalists preach to the choir and turn everyone else away with there radicalism (in the US that is).

[Rosendula]

That's how I feel it is here in the UK, at least in this corner of it. I think those people who are not interested, or not convinced by environmental matters might respond better to "if you do this thing you'll save this much money". The more of those people we get saving money, the better for the environment. Everyone's a winner.

[Clara]

It´s an individual thing....yes I´m staggered by how some of the greenest living people I know, will take a flight to India every year, sure they offset it but wouldn´t contemplate living without it. On the other hand there´s doing things cheaply that aren´t good for the environment, sadly most people who try to save money don´t simply go without, they buy cheap less well made stuff that ends up in landfill sooner though probably used a disproportionate amount of resources to create.

It´s got to be a common sense approach, a bit of both and frankly things are moving too slowly for the environmentalists to be quiet and wait for everyone to come around to sensible thinking.

[crowsashes]

i agree, saving money is great but cheap clothes from primark dont last anywhere near as long as say the items i order online as well as all the ethical issues.

i save money with gas and electric by switching supplier and using less but skimping on a shirt that your gonna wear out in weeks makes no economic sense at all!