Shelton Group of Knoxville, Tenn., surveyed 1,007 people who at least occasionally buy green products.

Results show that the environment is not their main concern and their children are not influencing them to be green, said Shelton Group, an advertising agency. This means that messages aimed at those consumers often are ineffective, the company said.

Many also said they know what they should do to save the planet, but often do not take those actions, Shelton Group said.

"Most green advertising is created as if there´s one pool of green consumers and they´re all motivated by ´save the planet!´ messaging," said Suzanne Shelton, whose firm conducted the study. "We need a revolution in this thinking. Not all green consumers are the same, they´re not all motivated by the same messages and they´re not all inclined to buy only green products."

The Shelton Group focuses on motivating mainstream consumers to make sustainable choices.

Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Jim Johnson at 937-964-1289 or jpjohnson@crain.com