I am in California and I am astounded by local practices;
1. San Francisco requires paper bags instead of plastic grocery bags and cardboard containers instead of styrofoam takeout containers.
2. Wealthy Piedmont citizens drive Toyota Priuses and the most fuel efficient versions (and least ostentatious) of Mercedes Benz cars.
3. Reusing is common practice. For example, chic residents go to Urban Ore to find high-quality, beautiful doors that others who have recently remodeled do not need.
American citizens have made cigarette smoking unacceptable in polite company. We can use positive peer pressure to help others (and ourselves) make better decisions regarding environmental issues as well.
I do not think we can (or have to) sustain a “go without” lifestyle in resource-rich America, but we can make using resources wisely cool and in vogue.
The local common practices in San Francisco are not amazing, they are essential!
Americans lead the world in modeling the next big trend – let’s model this for the world!