Would you shell out more money to have a warm winter? What about forking over a few extra bucks to ensure clean running water? A Harris Interactive poll asking respondents if they are “willing” to pay more to go green found that most people are interested in the benefits of renewable energy, but become wary of implementing new methods if it means lightening their wallets.

The poll, which spanned the United States and five European nations, asked respondents, "How much of an increase would you be willing to pay at the most for energy if it were from renewable sources?" Results indicate many would pay “nothing more.” In Great Britain more than half of poll participants stated they would pay no more than they do now (54 percent), as did 42 percent of French respondents, 44 percent of Italian, 35 percent of those in Spain, half of Germans, and 40 percent of Americans.

Jill Buck, founder of the CA-based environmental education program Go Green Initiative (GGI), argues that the Harris Interactive poll demonstrates a fundamental flaw in its execution. “A misperception comes from the way the poll is worded,” she explains. “The pollsters shouldn’t ask if people are willing to pay more. It is a question of whether or not people can pay more. Energy is a basic need, not a luxury. What you’re asking people to do is to pay for something that’s already pinching their budget.” For example, Buck says, people living in a cold climate may have high energy bills, and attempting to cut their usage to save money can cause “a detriment to their standard of living.”

On the whole, respondents were more in favor of creating ways for those who follow a green lifestyle to be rewarded by paying lower taxes. When asked, "How much do you favor or oppose a lower tax on lower carbon emission cars?" vast majorities of the respondents were in favor of such a measure. Most British respondents favored lower taxes for lower carbon emission cars (86 percent), as did 79 percent of the French, 91 percent of Italians, 90 percent of Spanish respondents, 89 percent of Germans, and 78 percent of Americans.

However, when it comes to penalizing those who may contribute to harming the environment, respondents were less enthusiastic. When asked, “"How much do you favor or oppose a higher tax on higher carbon emission cars?" the numbers in favor of that measure dropped considerably. Just under two-thirds of British respondents (65 percent) would support that move, as would about the same number of French people (67 percent). More Italians (71 percent) and Spanish (78 percent) would support higher taxes for higher carbon emission cars, but fewer Germans would (57 percent). Apparently the SUV-loving Americans don’t want to be punished for their Hummers and Tahoes, as they exhibited the least level of support for this measure at just over half (53 percent).

Respondents were overwhelmingly in favor of government subsidies to support green living, a choice which Buck says may be short-sighted. “How do you achieve cost-effective clean energy? The knee-jerk reaction is to say, ‘Let the government pay for it.’ But the government gets its money from us, and taxpayers would just end up paying for it anyway.”

When asked "How much do you favor or oppose a financial subsidy by the government of [the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.S.] for bio-fuels?" over three-quarters of British respondents stated that they would favor that move (77 percent). Even more French respondents agree (84 percent), as well as Italian (90 percent) and Spanish (85 percent). Germans were less inclined than their European brethren to favor government subsidies (65 percent), as were Americans (71 percent).

Examining the options of renewable energy is the best option, says Buck, but how willing are people to consider them?  For instance, when asked about using nuclear energy as a resource, poll respondents’ reactions tend to be mixed.

Overall, roughly over half of respondents from the various countries opposed the building of nuclear power plants. When asked, "How much do you favor or oppose building new nuclear power plants in [the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.S.]?" more than half of British (55 percent) and French (51 percent) opposed the measure. Italians were more in favor of the idea, with 42 percent opposing the idea, but the Spanish (68 percent) and German (64 percent) showed stronger opposition. Just under half of Americans (48 percent) opposed the idea of more nuclear power plants in the U.S.

Buck, who has received accolades from President George W. Bush and Governor Schwarzenegger for work with GGI, encourages people to open their minds to the possibility of using nuclear energy. “It is carbon-free. It is sustainable. People need to be educated about the advantages of using nuclear energy,” she tells demo dirt.

It is the fear of nuclear waste that prevents people from considering it as an alternative resource, but, Buck says, “French researchers have found ways to handle the nuclear waste, and even recycle it to use more energy.”

“Renewable energy, by and large, does cost more, with rare exception,” but there are solutions to overcome that challenge, Buck says. “The goal we should have would be to make energy accessible to all.”

To learn more about Go Green Initiative, go to www.gogreeninitiative.org.