[CULTURAL REFLECTIONS] GOING GREEN

While in all three countries on this past trip, one major observation I made was the environmental consciousness of the people.  This environmental consciousness ranged from very simple habits to initiatives through infrastructures. 

Upon landing in Munich, the first two big environmentally friendly things I noticed were recycling receptacles in public areas and the large public transportation system.  In airports, subway stations, and in the streets, one could find not only a trash and recycling receptacles, but recycling receptacles for paper, glass, plastic, and tin.  The public transportation was immediately apparent once setting forth from the airport.  Extensive S-Bahn (suburban trains), U-Bahn (subways), tram, and bus systems were all in place within Munich.  I would soon learn that most major European cities in that region also would have such systems.  Linz and Prague later both proved to me further that such systems are a part of, and indeed integral to, daily living in those cities.  One of our tour guides would later tell us that a flooded subway line in Prague nearly shut the city down for six months.  The amount of auto emissions that must be eliminated by such extensive train use is likely astronomical.  Rarely during the day would we ride any of these networks where the train was not filled with a decent amount of people.

In addition to the rail networks and availability of public transportation, it has continued to impress me just how many pedestrians and bike riders are in the cities.  As we rode through stations while on the train, we noticed huge lots full of bikes.  These were all of the people who had ridden to the train station to catch passage to another town or suburb.  In America, I would have expected to see full parking lots of cars.  I know when I was younger I would drive my car three blocks just to get to high school.  In central Europe, this would have been non-sense.  Even better than watching just how many bicyclists there were was seeing how well the city’s infrastructure supported such riders.  Not only were bike lots readily available, but so were bike paths on roads.  These were separate from pedestrian walk ways, and if you were not careful, you would quickly get run over by a bike.  At intersections, a bicycle lamp would indicate when cyclists could cross.  In downtown Cincinnati, I would have been very nervous to ride a bike.  In downtown Munich, I would have felt perfectly fine.  There was almost a complete absence of cars in many cases.  Pedestrian zones were everywhere in the downtown area.  While sitting for lunch one day, one of the guys noted that it was extremely quiet downtown.  I immediately thought, “That’s because there are no major freeways running right through the inner city like most do in the States.”  Because of that fact, the air quality downtown was also greatly improved.

Environmental consciousness extended to rural environments as well.  As we would pass through the country side, we could see many houses with solar panels mounted on as many surfaces as was convenient.  Even from the airplane window as we landed, I could see the shimmer of panels on many houses.  Windmill generators could also be seen in the distance from many areas.  The use of these alternative energy forms showed great initiative on being environmentally conscious.

I notice many smaller things in Europe as well.  There were many light sensors that turned on lights in public facilities only when there was motion in a room.  Toilets had two flush options… big and small.  The small one could be used if not as much water was necessary.  Many bottles contained labels for what was known as Pfand.  This was basically a return price for the bottle.  Grocers would often have giant recycling machines right in the store.  After purchasing a bottle of water and drinking it, one could simply return it to the store for as much as 0.30 Euros back.  The machines in the stores would actually then crush the bottles and store them to be shipped to a recycling plant.  Bathrooms rarely had paper towels; most had hand dryers.  Restaurants primarily gave out linen napkins.  Most paper trash in restaurants came from American chains which were in the region.  In grocery stores, one would use reusable bags over plastic bags.

My final major observation with the environmental consciousness came through the types of vehicles that were used.  Almost all consumer vehicles in the regions we visited were small passenger cars.  Very few trucks, SUVs, or vans were to be found.  If larger vehicles were needed, many hatchbacks seem to be the popular alternative.  Of the small cars we noticed, many were also utilizing hybrid technologies.  Even some buses and taxis used hybrid technology.

Reflecting on these conservation initiatives, one wonders why they are so much more resourceful than we are in America.  My initial thoughts were that such consciousness was borne more out of physical circumstances.  In Europe, less land means fewer resources.  This, in turn, means using the resources more conservatively.  They don’t have giant open spaces for landfills like we do in the States.  After doing some research, I found that this actually has a lot to do with Europe’s keener watch on their carbon footprint.

Not only are cars smaller in Europe, but so are houses.  With less land available, real estate becomes much pricier.  With smaller homes and apartments, less energy must be consumed to sustain inhabitants.  Not only this, but the way those houses are constructed lends well to the environment.  Many apartments that I saw had balconies.  On these balconies, and if outdoor space was available, laundry could often be seen drying.  Upon further research, I found that most households do not own their own washer and dryer.  Most do not have central air units.  Why?  The biggest reason is likely that no space exists for them.  With many buildings in Europe, they were constructed before such amenities were available.  In addition, most buildings in Europe are constructed attached to one another.  This helps conserve heat and energy as well.  This concept of pre-dating amenities applies to cities too.  Most cities in Europe grew long before the car industry even existed.  Because of this, streets are smaller, and cars must also be smaller.

In 2008, the CO2 emission in metric tons per capita in the USA was 17.5.  This is compared to 9.6, 8.1, and 11.3 in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic respectively.  We produce more than TWICE the emissions as Austria!  This is an amazing figure.  I know it makes me think twice about how often I waste energy as a US citizen. 

CO2 Emissions per capita (courtesy of Wikipedia)

In the end, it is interesting to see how circumstances in a country can affect the effect that country has on the planet.  Perhaps it is not that Europeans are necessarily more environmentally conscious (I would still say they are), but that they were born into a culture where those more environmentally friendly systems arose naturally.  Smaller houses and cars came about because of the way cities developed.  Fewer landfills arose because of the commodity of land and the proximity of cities. 

Ultimately, it is an eye opener.  As an American, it is probably good to be exposed to a culture that will make you feel guilty if you throw a plastic bottle in the trash can.  I know I felt awkward the first time I left a grocer with a plastic bag.  When everyone around you carries a reusable one, it makes more sense to switch systems.  I think eventually such things will catch on in America, but as with most major changes, these will come over time and with patience.

In the mean time, one might ask what implications this European characteristic has on profession and social interactions between European countries and in their international partners.  One clear implication is both a sense of rivalry and responsibility in instituting good corporate responsibility initiatives.  This was very clear when we visited Voestalpine in Linz, Austria.  They mention not once or twice… but several times that they were probably the cleanest steel manufacturing plant (in terms of air quality) in Europe.  They were very proud of their ability to reduce damaging emission by over 90% in the past decade.  This in turn pushes other industries in Europe to meet those standards.  It was clear from a multitude of conversations that the government has also been more thorough in regulating such corporate responsibility.  On a social level, it is clear that Europeans push each other towards more responsible environmental actions through habit.  Be it recycling or voting for certain political parties, these habits and trends permeate through each country on the continent.

The implications of these internal interactions have been seen globally as well.  In my college experience, it has not been uncommon to hear things like, “Europe is much better at recycling than we are.”  As a young American population, we are very aware that across the Atlantic, their green initiatives are becoming successful.  I think this really pushes many Americans to meet a similar expectation here in our own country.  That is the social end of it.  On a corporate level, the same thing is happening.  Because businesses have become much better at learning from each other in the past couple of decades, they are also more and more aware of the level of corporate responsibility that is typical and beneficial for a company.  In America, many of our own businesses are adopting practices that mirror those being used in Europe for environmental protection.  In this regard, the global community becomes a great tool in focusing all nations towards more positive aims.