And what has a green attitude to do with liberalism?? I grew up in a conservative household! It is amazing to me how black and white American politics are. What does recycling have to do with socialism and gay rights?? After world war II Germany was rebuilt on social-capitalism. So that's a basic like democracy. And by now all the major parties (conservative, labor, liberal and green) realized that saving resources ant protecting the environment is not a choice but a necessity.
Probably a year ago I read in a Christian magazine an article that "introduced" the idea that protecting the environment is a Christian thing to do and suggested practical steps to do that like unplugging machines while their are not used and switching of the water while brushing your teeth. I was in shock. REALLY! Why would that NOT be a Christian thing to do?? Just because Christians in the US are associated with the conservative party and therefore they can't embrace a so very "liberal" idea like recycling?
A couple of suggestions from an experienced "environmentalist" (no, I don't consider myself a tree-hugger or green peace activist) to speed up the development:
- stop giving out free bags period; people only learn when they have to pay
- put a higher deposit on bottles, the economy doesn't seem to be bad enough for people to recycle a bottle for 5 cents
- develop a more convenient system to return bottles and cans -the few places that take them back (at leat where we live) have ridiculous opening hours
- don't allow the car industry to develop cars that don't qualify for certain environmental standards
- start seeing the connection between our health and protecting the environment! Ever heard of the link between the air quality and asthma, allergies...?
- learn form cities that have a functioning effective public transport system! Do you really think the car pool lane changes anything (I thought it was a joke when I first learned about it)
- some things will only change if there are state regulations with a strict follow-through, sorry if that hurts the sense of independence of some conservatives who are haunted by the fear of socialism (which is not the same as communism by the way and also NOT the system Germany is run by as I mentioned earlier) but if everybody just does whatever pleases them the result will be anarchy
...
Read more on recycling in Germany:
http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/recycling.html
Alright, enough said. To end it on a lighter note please check out the following entry from the author of the blog "Nothing for Ungood-German Quirks from an American Perspective":
Little known fact: Germans are better Capitalists than Americans
April 29th, 2008Although Germans are accused of being socialists just because they pay 19% sales tax nationwide, 67.578% income tax, church tax, and the East Germany gets the good roads tax, as well as having to pay extra every single month for owning a TV, radio, car radio, and/or computer monitor, Germans are actually better capitalists than Americans. Yes, Germans pay something like $10 in tax per gallon of gasoline to drive to work, but German businesses have latched onto capitalism much better than American corporations.
One of the principles of capitalism is that resources that aren’t directly paid for by individuals are wasted. For example, when you go grocery shopping in the United States, you are generally given about 25 extra plastic bags, because the cashiers bag each item separately, but you don’t argue with them, because the bags are free. The cashier gives every customer extra bags to avoid the one odd customer who might complain that her eggs will break if bagged with the bread or something. Since neither the cashier nor the customer bears the cost of the plastic bags, they are wasted.
Not in Germany. In Germany you have to pay a few coins for a bag, so you either bring one with you when you shop or try to stuff one week’s worth of groceries into one bag. (Be careful not lose any coins in Europe. American coins are pretty much worthless, but Euro coins can actually buy you stuff, or at least let you get a grocery cart.)
In Germany nothing is free. Everything costs a little, whether that’s using a restroom or getting a little extra mayonnaise for your French fries. Although it is pretty annoying to be nickled and dimed every time you turn around, overall it is a more efficient allocation of resources.
Well done Germany. Except seriously, Soda costs next to nothing. Stop charging €4 for a tiny 0.2L cup of Coke with no ice and no free refills! (my comment: as I said earlier, people don't learn unless it hurts their budget. Soda is BAD for you!)
(http://nothingforungood.com/page/15/)
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