Umbria’s research shows that consumers are increasingly discussing environmental issues in online social media, with over 100,000 mentions over the course of the summer months. Almost six in 10 mentions were from males, indexing far higher than the generic blogosphere composition.

Further demographic analysis shows that the topic is most frequently discussed by the Gen-X and Gen-Y generations, measuring 47% and 32%, respectively. However, while Boomers represent only 20% of total mentions, this percentage is high in comparison to the group’s representation in the blogosphere overall.

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.