According to the survey, 71 percent of Americans consider the environment when deciding what to buy. That’s up 5 percentage points from 2008.

The same number also follows the instructions on how to use the products properly, and 66 percent try to dispose of the items correctly as well.

"This is important because we have to view every product (we purchase) with a cradle-to-grave mentality," said Jennifer Meek, director of marketing and customer relations for Enviro-Solutions. "A green product may have less impact on the environment, but if not disposed of properly, it can just add to a landfill. This is something we are trying to avoid."

The survey found that 85 percent of those who responded would like better information on how to properly use environmentally friendly products and how to dispose of them correctly. And about 75 percent would also like more information on what green terms mean.

"We can hope that the new Federal Trade Commission green guidelines will help address this issue," Meek added. "This confirms what the FTC believes: that there is a lot of misunderstanding about green terminology in the market place."

Consumers do not expect companies to be “perfect” when it comes to green practices — but they do expect them to be honest about it, the survey found. Almost 70 percent said they could accept some non-green practices, but if a company made a false environmental claim, 78 percent they would boycott their products.