Sustainable Living in England

Hi everyone,

I just returned from England two weeks ago. I am not sure if the government mandates recycling or if the people there are just a lot more interested in living a sustainable lifestyle, but the opportunities for recycling and composting are terrific! All the plastic bags (grocery bags, for instance) are recyclable, and all the groceries take back the bags if you choose not to recycle them (and this option is heavily advertised in the groceries). I bought a sandwich at a little grocery store, and it was in a sort of cardboard holder (but sort of waxy - don't think you can recycle them most places here in the U.S.), and all over the holder were announcements that it was recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable. Heathrow has a triple bin program where trash bins are always accompanied by recycling bins for glass and plastic.

Petrol (gasoline) prices are outrageously expensive - 8 or 9 pounds per liter. We pay about $4 per gallon - a lot more gasoline for a lot less money. I think, though, that it's good that the gasoline is so expensive over there, because it certainly encourages people to drive less frequently and own cars that are better for the environment. Their cars do use diesel, which is not as clean as gasoline (except in areas that mandate "clean diesel," which is diesel subjected to high standards of purification, I think) but lasts a lot longer in manual cars (and most of their cars are manual), so helps Britons to get the most out of their petrol and avoid filling up so often.

Another interesting thing was that all the English electrical outlets had switches to turn the electric on and off. So, for instance, when nobody was watching the television, the entire outlet would be switched off, so the television wouldn't use up energy with it's tiny red lights that indicate power or whatever. (Sort of like when you turn off your stereo but a red or blue light stays on to indicate that it's plugged in.) And apparently they save a lot of energy this way! I wondered why we Americans can't turn off our outlets, but my mother says we have a different kind of electricity (hence why we have to use converters when using our own electrical products in Europe). Since we can't turn off our outlets, I'm now unplugging the stereo and the shredder and other things that have little lights still on when they aren't in use. I am careful, too, not to leave my laptop or cell phone charging longer than necessary. I think I have picked up a lot of these English energy conservation habits not just because I am environmentally-conscious but because I was so broke in England that I needed them to save my money!