The study of ecological sensitivity is an important field of investigation in marketing. If ecological sensitivity is real then it is likely to have a profound influence on the way firms conduct their marketing. Due to its earlier arrival in western economies it emerged as one of the important areas of study there. However, the study of green consumer or ecologically consistent consumer behavior is relatively newer and emerging area in developing economies. This is particularly true of India. This study aimed to explore the green consciousness and behavior of young people. This choice was guided by the consideration that India is demographically a young country. The cognitive consistency and harmony between cognitions and behavior founded the theoretical base of this research. The constructs used in the study are beliefs, feelings, perceived seriousness about environmental problems and perceived consumer effectiveness. This study found absence of significant correlation between beliefs and affect related to several aspects of environment problems. This discrepancy suggests that awareness or knowledge about environmental degradation is not correspondingly related with sentiment or emotional connection. It was also found that high perceived consumer effectiveness was significantly correlated with ecologically consistent consumer behavior. It can be argued that building of a perceived sense of control over environment is essential for people to engage in pro-environment behaviors.
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