African-Americans On Saving The Planet
Two journal articles which summarize the study “Dispelling Old Myths: African American Concern for the Environment,” which finds that African Americans are more likely than white Americans to take actions that help protect the environment with respect to meat consumption.
African Americans are more likely than white Americans to make lifestyle choices that help protect the environment in the categories of:
- Buying pesticide-free foods (37 percent of African Americans versus 29 percent of whites)
- Consuming less meat (15 percent of African Americans versus 8 percent of whites)
- Driving less (16 percent of African Americans versus 10 percent of whites).
- However, African Americans are less likely than whites to recycle (44 percent of African Americans versus 64 percent of whites).
African Americans are just as likely as white Americans to be involved with environmental groups, although this group prefers to be involved at the grass roots level or form their own groups, as opposed to joining large organizations.
African Americans are significantly less concerned about their immediate environments (neighborhoods) than white Americans. African American congressmen have been the strongest supporters of environmental protection legislation over the past two decades.