Why not the deep South Green? Or is it?

Everyone is looking for the elusive killer app that will revolutionize energy. Most expect a high-tech gadget, or new form of production or mass quantities finally save electricity.

Not Susan Mazur Stommen anthropologist. You will look in a completely different location: in our head, or more precisely in the minds of those who live in the deep South.

Mazur Stommen, Director of behavior, and human dimensions for the American Council for an energy-efficient economy is trying to understand how consumers think energy. Their work has the opposite aim of most consumer research. Instead of looking for ways to make us more to buy, seeking it opportunities, to buy us less, or just said, are more energy efficient.

That's what they last week at the great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas, placed where they in part of a larger research project on the everyday use of energy households, businesses and farms in the deep South truckers, asked.

It was the last stop in a unusual summer trip for people in small town company, upward mobile Relovilles, to talk about agricultural communities and poor neighborhoods. Their research took them to Alpharetta, Georgia; Oneonta, Alabama; Corinth, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Not necessarily, what they found was what you'd expect.

In the South other times because of the nature of their culture is known for his opposition to the green energy, sometimes because of the nature of their local resources.

At the American electric power a few years ago a scheme to transfer moved to wind power nationwide to wear, also it conspicuously from the Southeastern States. Southern States received 2011 published for the annual scorecard ACEEE energy efficiency in low rankings. South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi were ten in the lower.

In fact, what she asked while in Mississippi, Mazur Stommen of a small town business woman, on energy efficiency. Your answer: "efficiency?" "We have not even curb side recycling!"

But that doesn't mean that the South is not green.

“People pursue green in the South, but they do it in their own way. This is one of the messages. Trust not in the Government. They do not trust their use. It was take care of, "she said."

What they found was a non-monolithic pursuit of energy efficiency, from place to place, a sometimes on pragmatism and other times on altruism, but apparently not on the wish to keep distinguished with Jones, as is sometimes the case in California or in the Northeast. No 'cloud of smug' - South Park satire of the Prius driver - hovering over the South.

A ageing trucker said Mazur Stommen, he always keeps matched his rig and wait for maximum efficiency, but quickly added, "I not trees embrace." It was held that the air conditioning high set thermostats in upmarket houses in Georgia. Egg farmers use LED lights, specifically for the laying of chickens because of their sensitivity to light; It was a practical not political act. In New Orleans, a basic network is an energy awareness for reconstruction which brings Hurricane battered city.

"It's complicated." People would clean fuel for health issues, "she said." "One woman said, ' I will not my man to smell like diesel ever '."

Energy said Mazur Stommen on people's minds. But they were overwhelmed by the ailing economy. Family and owners/operators of truck driver described the burden of government regulation are applied, but was better suited for larger operations.

"they are feeling, how she will be targets by regulation and the regulation is not appropriate to their situation and is sometimes aim, by you from business," she said. "I can say not necessarily that they are wrong."

Those who often interviews she expressed to believe a strong relationship-based institutions. She believes that such institutions could become better purveyors of energy efficiency in the South as government agencies and utilities - objects of suspicion.

The bottom line is that the messaging must be different in the South, when it comes to energy efficiency than in many other parts of the country, she said. "You have to not only provided get in the complexity that people are anti-environmental." It is branding. "I want to be a tree hugger, but I want to do the right thing." "There is a certain side of environmentalism, people want not to get, but they want to burn cleaner fuels."

Take full account of the deep South, which will be published in end of 2012 by ACEEE on Mazur Stommen.

(Author's Note: this blog is dedicated to Lisa Perea Hane, a very good friend, who died this week.) Lisa was a native of South Carolina, which played southern friendliness and wit, and never given up their performances "Y ' all ' despite many years away from home.)

ELISA is a long-time energy writer, whose free Newsletter is available on the subject of energy efficiency under RealEnergyWriters.com

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