India’s environmental score rates a glowing green star, but Canada’s is dim in a new poll of consumer behaviour around the globe.

While environmentally friendly behaviour has increased in 10 of 17 countries, said a survey by the National Geographic Society and the polling firm GlobeScan, Americans rated last for sustainable lifestyles, followed by Canadian and French consumers.

“We measured people’s consumption patterns, housing, transportation habits and the kind of food they eat,” said Eric Whan, GobeScan’s director of sustainability and environment in Toronto, “Canadians ranked near the bottom.”

And he said, the environmental footprints of Indians, who rated top for sustainability, and second-ranked Brazilians, were far smaller than those of large-living North Americans. The survey included China, Mexico, Russia, Hungary, Japan, Australia, Argentina, South Korea, France and Britain.

Tracking 65 indicators of consumption through on-line questions to 17,000 consumers worldwide, the poll showed that while Canadians talk the talk of eco-consciousness, they’re slow to walk the walk.

According to the survey, consumer awareness has been good news for the environment worldwide. But while environmentally friendly behaviour has improved in the majority of countries over the past year, progress has been held back by cynicism over “greenwashing,” by companies that make false claims about the positive impact of their products.

“Out of a list of 10 obstacles to doing more for the environment, (it) was the most frequently cited factor, followed closely by governments and industries failing to take action,” it said.

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