Spring Break
Become a partner in global education: study abroad
by Seth Werfel
Op-Ed | 1/13/09
Posted online at 11:33 PM EST on 1/12/09
/ Last updated at 12:25 AM EST on 1/12/09
I just returned from a semester abroad in London, and I think I'm suffering from reverse culture shock. But I'm not having trouble adjusting to life at home; I'm simply amazed by certain troubling shortcomings of American culture.
Right before I left in mid-September, I was prepared for anything. I read my handbooks, left all my "American clothing" at home, studied London slang, braced myself for the strong British pound and drafted responses to all possible forms of anti-Americanism that I could imagine. From the start, I was always on the defensive. I constantly apologized for our government, our scandals and our "holier than thou" attitude in world politics. So, naturally, I was surprised to hear from my British friends that instead of animosity, they felt adoration for our entertainment, bright lights and charismatic people. By election day, it seemed that I was the harshest critic of American culture around.
In many ways, London is ahead of America's urban centers in meeting the world's foremost environmental challenges. London's conservationist culture is ubiquitous. At grocery stores, cashiers always ask if you need a plastic bag instead of just giving them out. Some places in continental Europe even charge for these petroleum-based totes. On the way out of the store, there is often a tiny receptacle for unwanted receipts to save paper. There are very few garbage cans on the streets, primarily for national security reasons, yet most sidewalks are litter-free.
London has also perfected the art of mass public transportation. First, gas prices across the pond make driving in America seem cheap, providing incentives for Europeans to take the train to work. Second, London's congestion pricing scheme has successfully thinned traffic on its crowded city streets. Third, the tube stations are clean, service is punctual and efficient and coverage is exceptional, with stops all across the metro London area. All these factors work together to reduce carbon emissions in an urban metropolis already crowded with pedestrians. Small changes can have an enormous and compounding positive impact on the environment.
Right before I left in mid-September, I was prepared for anything. I read my handbooks, left all my "American clothing" at home, studied London slang, braced myself for the strong British pound and drafted responses to all possible forms of anti-Americanism that I could imagine. From the start, I was always on the defensive. I constantly apologized for our government, our scandals and our "holier than thou" attitude in world politics. So, naturally, I was surprised to hear from my British friends that instead of animosity, they felt adoration for our entertainment, bright lights and charismatic people. By election day, it seemed that I was the harshest critic of American culture around.
In many ways, London is ahead of America's urban centers in meeting the world's foremost environmental challenges. London's conservationist culture is ubiquitous. At grocery stores, cashiers always ask if you need a plastic bag instead of just giving them out. Some places in continental Europe even charge for these petroleum-based totes. On the way out of the store, there is often a tiny receptacle for unwanted receipts to save paper. There are very few garbage cans on the streets, primarily for national security reasons, yet most sidewalks are litter-free.
London has also perfected the art of mass public transportation. First, gas prices across the pond make driving in America seem cheap, providing incentives for Europeans to take the train to work. Second, London's congestion pricing scheme has successfully thinned traffic on its crowded city streets. Third, the tube stations are clean, service is punctual and efficient and coverage is exceptional, with stops all across the metro London area. All these factors work together to reduce carbon emissions in an urban metropolis already crowded with pedestrians. Small changes can have an enormous and compounding positive impact on the environment.
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