This article demonstrates how dangerously clueless the US general public is about water conservation: http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/28-everything-you-know-about-water-conservation-is-wrong/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=
It's typical for the average American not to think beyond the bottom of his coffee cup about how much waste he produces. What kills me is how often people will throw away extra food or in this case, coffee, instead of, let's say, refrigerating it to make some iced coffee later! There's a better chance that this same person will go & buy an iced coffee at Starbucks later that afternoon.
It's scary to think of how many people actually leave the water running while they brush their teeth! And god forbid they should go so far as to resist washing their cars - 'cause a clean car is a necessity, after all. If we in this country still retain an ounce of what passed as "common sense" in the 1st half of the 20th century, we'd do wonders to slow the destruction of the planet. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Fill a glass with water & use that to brush your teeth. Hang-dry at least SOME of your clothes (it's summertime for god sakes!). Buy, cook and eat what's in season. DARE to take public transportation once in a while, or better yet, ride a bike. If you must, wash your car and use a bucket - you could probably use the exercise! Limit use of the A/C by closing window blinds during the day. Eat less meat and more vegetables. What about this is so difficult to understand??
Admittedly, living in Japan has influenced me greatly - most households hang-dry ALL of their clothes and use fluorescent lighting in their houses - chances are that the reason for this is largely due to expensive gas & electricity - good habits created by necessity. You think about all the silly travel shows on TV - not one of them focuses on how people in other (first-world) countries LIVE. I think that most people here would find it fascinating.
I saw an interesting article which argues that people should not do eco-tours. Fair enough. I am happy NOT to go to the Galapagos and thereby do my part to preserve those ecosystems. But the articles later advises against travel in general for environmental reasons. However, traveling to Japan, or even better, Sweden, would be a mind-blowing, eye-opening experience, through which Americans could learn how to use their own resources wisely. I'm curious to know whether there might be a market for that kind of tourism.
