Americans are getting a last-place ranking when it comes to being environmentally friendly. U.S consumers are at the bottom of the National Geographic Society's new "Greendex" survey.

One-thousand consumers in each of 14 nations were asked about their homes, energy use, transportation, food and buying habits. The United States is last in transportation, housing and purchases of goods and is near the bottom on food.

Brazil and India are tied at the top of the survey. Brazilians live in small homes, and most have no heat or air conditioning. Homes in India are similar to those in Brazil.

National Geographic vice president Terry Garcia says this first annual "Greendex" will serve as a baseline for future surveys. He says it will allow observers to see the progress people are making "to conserve, minimize waste, and protect natural resources for the future."

He stresses that the goal of the study is not to rank counties but to gauge consumer behavior in different locations.