LONDON, September 6 /PRNewswire/ --

- 'Future Friendly' Launch Report Confirms Environmental Issues
are Galvanising a New Breed of 'Citizen' and Welcomes a Reward Scheme for
Local Heroes

A partnership between four of Britain's top environmental organisations
and leading consumer brands launches today aiming to help and inspire people
to live more sustainable lives. By using products displaying the Future
Friendly logo shoppers will save energy, water or reduce waste. The
initiative is backed by the Energy Saving Trust, Global Cool, Waste Watch and
Waterwise.

Findings from the Future Friendly launch report reveal that more Britons
are waking up to individual action on the environment, stating that
sustainable living is part of a new style of citizenship and that sustainable
living should soon become the social 'norm'. The comprehensive survey by
leading think tank The Future Laboratory highlights that Britons now realise
they can have a greater impact than government with 49% stating it is down to
the individual to take the lead. 32% of young people 18-24 think being
environmentally aware is a matter of personal politics, 41% believing
individual action is the only way forward to combat climate change.

The survey also shows that 72% say they care about saving the environment
and 47% believe environmental awareness marks a good citizen from a bad one.
While politicians scored 5% as a key influencer the media holds the most
potential to change behaviour - TV scoring 51%, newspapers 34% and the
internet 26%.

Green: The New Norm. According to the research, 68% of those surveyed
said that the notion of "green" would soon become obsolete - not through any
lack of interest but rather that the majority viewed behaviours like
recycling (91%), switching lights off (66%) and driving Hybrid cars (51%) as
becoming standard practice within the next 20 years.

"The study highlights the impact and importance of everyone doing small
things everyday - from unplugging mobile phone chargers and not leaving a tap
running to switching off lights and turning off TVs - making simple everyday
changes can all contribute to making the average household more sustainable,'
says environmental expert Joanna Yarrow. 'Behaviour described as 'green'
today will become absorbed happily into everyday life'.

Gender Divide

The research also highlighted a distinct gender divide when it comes to
attitudes towards the environment with men more prone to grander gestures and
women favouring everyday, more practical steps to achieve the same result. Of
the lifestyle measures people are already taking, women outperform men in
most categories such as recycling (87%), turning off lights (84%) and not
leaving appliances on standby (72% vs. 65% of men) while men prefer
technological or mechanical approaches to problem solving such as insulating
their homes (41% vs. 35%) and cycling more (13% vs. 7%). Women were also more
likely than men to use products that would enable small but consistent
changes (77% v. 65%). Men however tend to feel global conditions are outside
their control, only 13% felt that things they do now could make a difference
to the future, while one in four women believe their actions can and do make
a difference.

"Everyday steps, acorns, or token gestures - whatever you would like to
call them, changing consumer habits is vital to sustainable living, albeit by
degrees," says Future Friendly spokesperson Sir Trevor McDonald. "Large scale
events have helped raise awareness, an important step forward, but they won't
trigger a revolution. As the Future Friendly survey highlights evolution as
the most likely option with individual action at the heart of such change."

The Future Friendly Awards - Celebrating 'Person Power'

The four independent non profit environmental organisations will partner
'The Future Friendly Awards', a high profile nationwide search for local
heroes who have changed their own environmental behaviour and have inspired
others to do the same. To enter someone that has inspired you to be more
environmentally aware log on to http://www.futurefriendly.co.uk and nominate
them now.

"These awards are not for grandiose schemes but for that one person who
despite all the doom and gloom decides to do what he or she can on a local
personal level to do something different," says Matthew Wright of the Energy
Saving Trust. "Things do have to change, and they'll only change one person
at a time. We all have a responsibility to do our bit when it comes to the
environment, whether as individuals, government, manufacturers, or retailers.
If we can start in our own homes and at a local level, we can achieve great
things together. "

There are four Future Friendly Award categories: The Energy Saving
Trust's Community Action Award, Waterwise's Innovation Award, Waste Watch's
Local Champion Award and Global Cool's Creativity Award. Entries close 30th
November.

Notes to Editors

Future Friendly is a partnership between leading sustainability experts,
the Energy Saving Trust, Waterwise, Waste Watch and Global Cool and Procter
and Gamble brands, Fairy Liquid, Fairy Aqua Bursts, Lenor, Flash and Ariel.
By using products displaying the Future Friendly logo shoppers will be saving
energy, water or reducing waste as a result.

For simple advice and practical steps for leading a more sustainable
life, visit http://www.futurefriendly.co.uk or visit leading supermarkets
participating in the scheme.

EST (Energy Saving Trust) is one of the UK's leading
organisations set up to address the damaging effects of climate change. It
aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions - the main greenhouse gas causing
climate change - by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of energy. It
is an independent, non-profit making organisation and acts as a bridge
between government, consumers, trade, businesses, local authorities and the
energy market. For more information, http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

GLOBAL COOL is a 10 year campaign addressing the climatic
tipping point by moving a billion people worldwide to reduce carbon emissions
by one tonne per year and create a significant slowdown in global warming.
Global Cool is backed by some of the biggest names in entertainment including
the Scissor Sisters, Orlando Bloom, The Killers, Flea, Kate Bosworth, Sienna
Miller and Leonardo DiCaprio. For more information, http://www.globalcool.org

WASTE WATCH is a leading environmental organisation working to
change the way people use the world's natural resources. It is a national,
independent, not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity. Waste
Watch aims to educate people on ways to reduce all forms of waste through its
work in education, communications and research. By making changes to our
daily lives and by changing the world around us - at home, in school and in
the workplace - we can all make a big difference. Waste Watch exists to show
everyone how they can make that difference. Form ore information,
http://www.wastewatch.org.uk

WATERWISE is the leading authority on water efficiency and
focused on reducing the amount of water we all use at home and at work by
2010. Waterwise believes the key to water efficiency is reducing waste not
restricting use. It is an independent, not-for-profit non-governmental
organisation. Waterwise is committed to sustainable development and works
with key partners in water companies, governments (England, Scotland, Wales,
Northern Ireland and local), manufacturers, retailers, NGOs,
environmentalists, regulators, agriculture, business, domestic consumers and
the media. For more information, http://www.waterwise.org.uk

To enter the Future Friendly Awards, visit
http://www.futurefriendly.co.uk