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What Going Green Means to USCity.Net

USCITY.NET has just added a new category that we hope will help us all. “Go Green” is the new category and it is listed on all of our state pages. I gave the job of researching the category to Carol. She decided on the category name, content and any subcategories we might need. Carol tells me she learned from this and she says: “What I do to go green is recycle, ride my bike to the store, shop on the internet (at uscity.net, of course) and turn off lights and open window to conserve energy.”

After I gave her the project, I sent out an informal survey, mostly to our employees, I asked them “What do you think of when you hear “Go Green” and what does it mean to you?” Here are a few of the answers I received.

From Our Seniors:

Going Green.... for me is beginning the process of eliminating products we use that might be harmful to the elements or to ourselves and our families. It is a little more difficult as a senior to “let go” of all the “tried and true” products that we have used for over a 1/2 century, but we are doing it. Probably the older population will be the “foot draggers” in this new environmentally safe era.

When I think of someone that has “gone green”, I figure the products they use probably don’t work as good as the “non green” but are safer. I know that’s not a good attitude, but it’s honest. I am slowly, “going green”. What it means to me is that the entire world is going to be in agreement on at least one thing, we need to clean things up for our grandchildren and their children!!!

From the Boomers:

When I think of go green I think of how happy I am that I bought my Prius two years ago, long before the gas got to this point. I also think of recycling, which I do and conserving energy in other ways - but definitely the number one thought is my Prius.

I think it means doing stuff instead of owning stuff! And doing stuff without using Earth’s resources – like biking, hiking, swimming.

Solar Power and recycling are the first things that I think of when I hear “go green”. My biggest heartbreak is what we have done to nature, in particular the waters – like the ocean and the lakes and springs and the piney forests (I’m a Florida girl).

I visited Denmark a year ago and it looked like half of their population was riding bikes instead of taking cars. That was going green to me.

From the Young Adults:

From a recent college grad: I think of the green recycling bin that I'm going to have to put out to the road when I move back home. I enjoy recycling items such as the grocery bags at Publix, but when it comes to recycling bottles and boxes at home I don't necessary do it. It is something you forget to do after you live in a dorm, or apartments for a few years.

I think about not buying stuff that has a lot of packaging – even though it makes my life easier – I am using fewer paper plates, napkins and frozen dinners. I am eating more fresh vegetables and fruit and that is healthier too!

I think about how I am riding my bike more and driving less. Going Green to me means hybrid cars, recycling and of course “We have got to save the planet for our children’s children’s children.” (This may have been a little tongue-in-cheek, I am pretty sure he was mimicking me!)

Online Shopping

Before writing this blog, I decided to do an informal survey of why and if people shop online. I say informal, because I emailed friends and family to do this survey. The survey consists of men, women and teens ages 13 to 89. The people that answered the survey come from all walks of life and varied incomes - families, retirees, newlyweds, parents, couples and singles; professionals, blue collar workers and students.

I emailed approximately 60 people and 49 responded.

REASONS TO SHOP ONLINE:

#1 Reason – (no shock to me) – I don’t have to leave home!

#2 Reason – It is easier to compare prices and items, you can compare items from different stores without traveling to each store or calling on the phone. The prices are generally lower than store shopping. A lot of respondents say that sometimes when in the store, they will ‘settle’ just so they can get on with their lives.

#3 Reason – It’s faster – no standing in lines, no traveling, faster checkout. As one new Mom put it “I can take my time to shop rather than be rushed everywhere by my kid or my man”. I can remember times when I had to deal with that too, kids want to got the toy department, teens want to go to electronics, men want to go look at tools or some other department and all I need is some bath towels!!! Shop from home and you are simply shopping for what YOU want.

#4 Reason – You don’t have to deal with grumpy customers and cashiers and pushy salespeople.

#5 Reason – It’s easier to find out information on the products you want. "In the store all you have to go on is the information on the box or - if you are lucky – a salesperson who knows about what they are selling without the pressure of a commission.

One of the retirees said:

I like shopping online because they just don’t send the big catalogs home anymore and I loved shopping like that when my family was younger. Now I go online to Sears.

One of my friends who lives up north said:

Living in the "snow and cold" just sitting in my recliner Christmas Shopping for the family, is "Hog Heaven" for me!! I try to shop smart and combine orders so I often times can get "Free Shipping" if over a certain amount. I also comparison shop and will often times open 3 or 4 screens with different "stores" on each one.

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Out of the 49 people responding, six prefer shopping in the store and their reasons were:

1 - I can’t buy clothes without trying them on.
2 - I like interacting with people at the store.
3 - I don’t like using a computer.
4 - I’ve been burned buying online before.

I must say I am on the side of the 43 who prefer shopping online and agree with all the reasons they gave. However, I am not that picky about clothes and I get plenty of interaction with people in my daily live. I also have NO problem sitting at a computer. Another reason I have that no one else mentioned, was that when I go into a store, I usually come out with more than I went in for, and that makes shopping online much more economical for me.

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Dealing with the last reason for buying in a store, here are some tips to help you have a happy online buying experience:

Do your homework on the website you are thinking about purchasing from. Make sure it is a legitimate business, one you know of. It’s not a good idea to buy from a business that does not provide contact information and I like seeing a physical address. One exception to that, for me, is Amazon.com – I have dealt with them for years and have had very good experiences with them.

Make sure the website is secure – look for “https:” at the beginning of the URL or look for the little padlock icon that symbolizes (but doesn’t guarantee) a higher level of security.

Be VERY CAREFUL if you are responding to an offer coming from an unsolicited email or do like I do, and ignore them ALL.

Also, make sure your computer has a firewall and the latest anti-virus software. And NEVER, EVER open unknown e-mail attachments, including those contained in what appears to be a company you do business with.

If you think you have been scammed, you can go online and file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center run by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and contact your local police. I would also file a complaint directly with the company you did business with.

Since part of our business here at uscity.net is online shopping, we want everyone to have a safe and happy shopping experience. If anyone has any other ideas to make our online shopping safer or happier, just leave us a comment below.