Yellow Pages launches the Yellow Woods Challenge - 9 October 2002
Future of the Planet is safe in small hands.Latest research conducted by NOP Family for Yellow Pages shows that young people across the UK are passionate about the future of the planet, with 80 per cent of 10 -11 year olds stating it is ‘very’ important to look after the environment. Their proactive approach sees 99 per cent putting their rubbish in the bin, 81 per cent recycling things and 68 per cent walking to school. (The key research findings are available at the bottom of this page)
The research, commissioned to mark the launch of the Yellow Woods Challenge - a new schools’ recycling initiative run by Yellow Pages, The Directory Recycling Scheme and the Woodland Trust - shows that while children are concerned about the planet, they still need more education on wider environmental issues.
Their biggest concerns are pollution from cars (47 per cent) and the lack of anywhere to put rubbish (32 per cent). When it comes to questions about landfill and the ultimate destination of their rubbish, 41 per cent of boys realise it is taken to be buried in the ground, compared to only a third of girls. And while almost one in five girls think that their dustbin’s contents ‘just go away’, only 13 per cent of boys think their rubbish simply disappears.
Encouragingly for Yellow Woods Challenge partner, the Woodland Trust, children today are also very aware of the importance of trees to the wider environment. 86 per cent of those questioned know that trees help the earth to breathe, 96 per cent understand trees provide homes for wildlife, while 83 per cent see trees as havens to protect plants, animals and insects in woodland and forests.
The oak is children’s favourite tree in the survey with 38 per cent of the vote, followed by horse chestnut (13 per cent) and apple trees (10 per cent). The Christmas tree hardly registers with children, achieving only 1 per cent of the vote.
Environment minister, Michael Meacher, said: “"The Yellow Woods Challenge is a fantastic example of how we can educate our children about the merits of recycling and the importance of our environment. By working in partnership with local authorities and environmental organisations, Yellow Pages and the Directory Recycling Scheme will also be supporting the invaluable work of Woodland Trust in protecting the UK's woodland heritage.”
A thousand schools across the UK will take on the Yellow Woods Challenge, which rewards schools with environmental educational materials and cash prizes in return for recycling old Yellow Pages directories. And for every pound awarded to schools, a matching pound will be donated to the Woodland Trust to help keep native woodland alive.
John Condron, chief executive of Yell, the publisher of Yellow Pages, said: “The Yellow Woods Challenge is a simple, fun and educational initiative that aims to enhance young people’s understanding of the environment. Our research shows there are many interested young people in the UK who are committed to making a difference. This is a great foundation for the Yellow Woods Challenge.”
For further information about the Yellow Woods Challenge click here, or email yellow.woods@yellgroup.com.
NOP Family Research Results September 2002
| 1. How important do you think it is to look after the environment? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female |  |
| V. important | 80% | 79% | 80% | |
| Quite important | 20% | 21% | 20% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| V. important | 79% | 80% | 82% | 89% |
| Quite important | 21% | 20% | 17% | 10% |
| | | | |
| 2. Where have you learned about the environment? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| At school | 97% | 95% | 99% | |
| On TV | 70% | 66% | 74% | |
| At home | 59% | 62% | 56% | |
| On the internet | 18% | 19% | 16% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| At school | 97% | 94% | 95% | 98% |
| On TV | 70% | 72% | 65% | 68% |
| At home | 60% | 59% | 51% | 51% |
| On the internet | 17% | 25% | 15% | 16% |
| | | | |
| 3. What do you think is the biggest problem for the environment where you live? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| Pollution cars/factories | 47% | 49% | 45% | |
| Nowhere to put rubbish | 32% | 31% | 33% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| Pollution cars/factories | 48% | 38% | 41% | 42% |
| Nowhere to put rubbish | 31% | 40% | 35% | 39% |
| Loss of habitat | 7% | 7% | 12% | 10% |
| | | | |
| 4. What things do you do to look after the environment? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| Put rubbish in bin | 99% | 99% | 99% | |
| Recycle things | 81% | 80% | 82% | |
| Walk to school | 68% | 68% | 68% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| Put rubbish in bin | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Recycle things | 82% | 75% | 78% | 85% |
| Walk to school | 69% | 75% | 57% | 46% |
| | | | |
| 5. Where do you recycle things? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| At home | 68% | 67% | 70% | |
| At school | 51% | 50% | 52% | |
| At a club/group | 11% | 7% | 15% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| At home | 69% | 60% | 62% | 74% |
| At school | 51% | 45% | 55% | 58% |
| At a club/group | 11% | 14% | 7% | 18% |
| | | | |
| 6. Where do you think your family's rubbish goes when your dustbin/wheelie bin is collected? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| To be recycled | 38% | 38% | 38% | |
| Buried in the ground | 37% | 41% | 33% | |
| It just goes away | 15% | 13% | 18% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| To be recycled | 38% | 35% | 38% | 25% |
| Buried in the ground | 38% | 26% | 39% | 47% |
| It just goes away | 14% | 26% | 16% | 21% |
| | | | |
| 7. What is landfill? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| Where rubbish is buried | 46% | 46% | 45% | |
| Where rubbish is recycled | 31% | 27% | 35% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| Where rubbish is buried | 48% | 29% | 35% | 58% |
| Where rubbish is recycled | 30% | 38% | 37% | 16% |
| | | | |
| 8. Which of the following can be recycled? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| Paper products | 94% | 91% | 96% | |
| Yellow Pages | 74% | 73% | 74% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| Paper products | 94% | 92% | 92% | 95% |
| Yellow Pages | 74% | 69% | 72% | 84% |
| | | | |
| 9. If your Yellow Pages was recycled, what would you like it to become? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| Animal bedding | 66% | 63% | 69% | |
| Compost | 15% | 18% | 12% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| Animal bedding | 65% | 75% | 74% | 55% |
| Compost | 16% | 5% | 11% | 22% |
| | | | |
| 10. What is your favourite type of tree? | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| Oak | 38% | 39% | 37% | |
| Horse chestnut/conker | 13% | 16% | 9% | |
| Apple | 10% | 10% | 10% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| Oak | 37% | 36% | 55% | 46% |
| Horse chestnut/conker | 13% | 10% | 7% | 15% |
| Apple | 11% | 6% | 6% | 7% |
| | | | |
| 11. True or false Trees provide important homes for wildlife | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| True | 96% | 97% | 96% | |
| False | 3% | 3% | 2% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| True | 97% | 95% | 95% | 97% |
| False | 2% | 4% | 4% | 2% |
| | | | |
| 12. True or false - Trees protect plants, animals and insects | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| True | 83% | 84% | 83% | |
| False | 15% | 15% | 15% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| True | 83% | 86% | 79% | 82% |
| False | 15% | 12% | 21% | 18% |
| | | | |
| 13. True or false - Trees help the earth to breathe | ||||
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| True | 86% | 86% | 85% | |
| False | 13% | 12% | 14% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| True | 86% | 85% | 82% | 84% |
| False | 13% | 13% | 17% | 14% |
| | | | |
| 14. Trees are important | | | | |
| Weighted (national): | Total | Male | Female | |
| True | 99% | 99% | 98% | |
| | | | |
| Unweighted (regional): | Eng | Sco | Wales | NIre |
| True | 99% | 96% | 99% | 100% |
