East Lansing may soon know how green its residents are - energy-wise, that is.

In an effort to measure environmental attitudes, Richard Bernsten, an MSU professor from the Department of Agricultural Economics, and his students surveyed 360 East Lansing residents on topics ranging from energy-saving appliances to recycling.

The students now are compiling the data and Bernsten plans to turn over the findings to the city by September.

"If you want to change behavior, you have to know where people are," Bernsten said. "The topic of the environment is important because global warming is a hot topic in the news, and everyone has a lot of interest in it."

The study could shape future policy decisions, East Lansing City Councilmember Kevin Beard said.

"What we're looking for here is information to help guide us and fine-tune some of the areas, and find areas we might not have explored yet," Beard said. "If you want to craft policies that are going to be positive, you've really got to know what people are thinking."

Dave Smith, an East Lansing environmental specialist, hopes the survey will shed light on residents' attitudes toward recycling.

"The big thing is making recycling convenient and easy," Smith said. "Most people want to do it … but there's some people who just aren't going to do it."

The closure of one of the city's two drop-off recycling sites has resulted in a loss of "several tons of recycled trash per week," Smith said.

The site was closed because its location was being developed.

"That site was convenient," Smith said. "Some people are going to say it's not worth it to drive four miles."

East Lansing offers recycling for single family homes and apartment complexes with 20 units or fewer. The city recycles about 160 tons of trash each month.

Residents who live in complexes with more than 20 units must take their recyclables to a drop-off site.

Christina Jolejole, who helped conduct the survey, said the survey is important because the environment affects everyone.

"As much as we get from the environment, we have to think about how to protect it," the agricultural economics master's student said. "I know it's going to be beneficial for other people."

Native to the Philippines, Jolejole said her homeland doesn't have many recycling programs, so people should take advantage of their chance to voice their opinion on the matter.

"If East Lansing changes some of their policies and takes in suggestions from the people, that would be great," she said.

Urban Options, an East Lansing nonprofit organization that provides energy and environmental information and services, helped Bernsten shape the survey.

Chris Dunkel, administrative manager of Urban Options, said she wants to know whether people are willing to take energy saving steps, such as switching to low-flow shower heads and installing more efficient windows.

"If they make some of these changes, you're saving money," Dunkel said. "When we're in an energy crises, everyone thinks about it, but when gas prices are low, people don't think about it."

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