Environmental groups are urging followers to “vote with your wallet”—to purchase environmentally friendly products over traditional products—and send a message to manufacturers that consumers want to buy green. In some markets the strategy seems to be working.

Packaged Facts estimates that nearly 70% of US consumers buy organic foods and beverages, and forecasts that the market for ethical food and beverages will top $44 billion by 2014. (See Green Chart of the Day: 1/21/10)

But, according to the “Global Warming’s Six Americas 2009: An Audience Segmentation Analysis” report, published by the Yale Project on Climate Change and George Mason University, only 34% of consumers have rewarded companies they believe are taking steps to reduce global warming with a purchase.

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What if wind comprised 20% of the nation’s energy profile by 2030?

According to the “20% Wind Energy by 2030″ report, issued by the Department of Energy (DOE), greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 825 million metric tons annually, 4 trillion gallons of water would be saved, and over 1.75 million jobs would be created.

The cost? The DOE estimates that the 20% wind scenario will cost roughly 2% more than the $2 trillion necessary to keep the US powered under the “no new wind” scenario which keeps wind at 2006 levels—an incremental investment of $43 billion.

But, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), current installed capacity is only slightly more than 35,000 megawatts, a far cry from the over 300,000 megawatts required for 20% wind energy by 2030.

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Home builders and buyers agree that energy efficiency has become a priority—particularly when it comes to new construction.

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), four out of the top ten features builders will most likely include in the construction of new homes this year are green.

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According to the “2009 Collegiate Athletic Department Sustainability Survey Report,” issued by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 44% of university athletic departments rank environmental initiatives as a “very high” or “high” priority.

When asked which specific environmental initiatives receive the the highest emphasis, college athletic department managers placed energy conservation first, followed by in-office recycling.

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For more information on the sustainability initiatives of NCAA teams see Go Green, Go Green Team!.

The “MapChange 2010″ study, published by Climate Counts and Angus Reid Public Opinion, found that the perceptions of sustainability for most consumer brands differed from reality.

For instance, in the food and beverage category, General Mills, Kellogg’s and Kraft were ranked high by consumers, but fell when actual commitment to sustainability was measured.

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The votes are in—Edmunds.com readers named the Ford Fusion Hybrid the 2009 “Consumer Favorite.”

The Ford Fusion Hybrid received 26% of votes, just ahead of the Toyota Prius with 23% of votes.

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Generally greenwashing is frowned upon, except when it comes to doing laundry or the dishes.

A Whirlpool survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, found 59% of consumers would choose a more expensive home appliance—if they were able to save energy and money over the lifetime of the product.

“What we discovered is that consumers want the easiest path toward efficiency and cost-savings,” said Monica Teague of Whirlpool.

When purchasing major home appliances, men and women have similar preferences.

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Consumer electronics giants Google, Microsoft, Panasonic, Intel and now Apple are making forays into the home energy management market.

And for good reason—the Department of Energy recently announced $3.4 billion in stimulus money for smart grid technology. This round of grants will fund the installation of more than one million in-home displays.

Parks Associates predicts that by 2012 there will be 44.1 million households with smart meters.

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According to “Online sights,” from Burst Media, consumers are wary of green advertising claims.

The majority, 52% are sometimes skeptical. And less than 5% always believe green claims.

If consumers are skeptical of green advertising claims—where do they go to look for information on green products and practices?

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Dense megacities are the ideal market for electric vehicles—trips are short distances and cities are hard pressed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. New York will lead dense cities in electric vehicle penetration in 2015, but Shanghai is not far behind (See: Green Chart of the Day 1/20/10).

According to the “Electric Vehicles in Megacities: Shanghai Charges Up” report, published by McKinsey, by 2020 15% of new car sales in Shanghai will be electric vehicles (EVs).

That is roughly 28,000 new cars a year—the majority of which will be plug-in hybrids.

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See Consumers Pressure Brands to “Do Good” for more info.