1) America is so wasteful!
Here, if you go to the supermarket late at night, if the grapes you want are gone, they're gone. Supermarkets are very empty if you go late or even midday. I mean, I haven't made it in the morning (are you kidding me) but I'm assuming that there are more items at the start of the day. Also, there is no toilet paper provided in dorm bathrooms and paper towels are quite rare. The custodian will only remove one bag of trash for you and there are recycling bins everywhere, even on the streets. The shower in our flat has limited hot water. Things come in smaller packages. The heat is not on 24/7 and many shops close pretty early (think Williams hours) even though Edinburgh is a large city.
2) Scotland is far more environmentally conscious!
It is now enforced by law that people in Scotland must utilize only environmentally friendly lightbulbs. Each outlet has its own off/on switch. Chicken and beef are labeled as free range and hormone free. I was skeptical at first because those labels do not necessarily mean that cows are able to frolic to their hearts content in lush green fields as appropriately sized chickens contently cluck away. But, today I had a chat with my flatmate Michelle who comes from a Scottish farm. She was shocked to learn that many, many animals in America are subjected to harsh and inhumane conditions (think Food Inc.). Many food products are locally grown and sold. Additionally, many supermarkets do not supply plastic bags; customers simply bring their own totes!
America, I think you've got some work to do.
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| credit: google images |
All sounds good but limited hot water sounds kinda frightening. hahaha. I was not aware there was such a place where it's harder to buy things later in the day than at Williams! Yes, America is rather wasteful.
ReplyDeleteThat's what my flatmate told me but I haven't had to deal with freezing water yet!
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