Let's Go... Green!

New York's contribution to global warming

One of the first things we noticed in New York is that people are not very environment-friendly, at least when compared to Belgium. Some examples:

1.
The first time I went to the supermarket, I started packing my groceries in a plastic bag (unaware at that time that there's an employee specialized in doing that for you). Here in the US, plastic bags are (still?) free unlike in Belgium - so no more frustration that, once again, I forgot to bring my pre-paid recycled bag to the supermarket and that, once again, I needed to buy a new one so that gradually the pile of prepaid recycled bags was taking over my kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I'm very "pro" saving the environment, I'm just not good in getting myself organized for the cause. The woman at the cash register looked at me, raised an eyebrow and muttered: "Are you sure you wanna do that?" Euhm, why yes, I prefer to take everything home in a bag rather than carrying it in a straw basket on my head. She must have seen my confusion and answered: "You should use two bags at once, I don't want you to have your bag ripped and your groceries all over the floor." Ok... so, each time we go grocery shopping here, the store employee puts everything in two plastic bags: an extra layer to make sure it holds.

And in the meanwhile, back in Belgium, people are struggling to fit everything in their pre-paid recycled bag (if they brought one) in order to save the environment. Hmm, let's do the math. Belgium: 10 million residents -> no plastig bags. US: 303 million residents -> double plastic bags. Well, at least, Belgium is contributing its part.

2.
So, I come home with my groceries in double plastic bags. What's the first thing I do? Open the windows... yes, even in the middle of winter. Our apartment (as the majority of apartments in New York) has central heating, which means that we cannot control the level of heating: you turn it off or on, that's it. As soon as cold weather is forecasted (which in New York is quite often in winter), a mysterious uncontrollable force turns the heating on higher - really high - so much so that the building feels like a sauna. As we cannot turn the heating off (it's freezing outside!), the only solution is to open the windows. So while the heating is on the highest level, all our windows are open to make it less hot - and that is our small contribution to global warming.

And I hear that in the summer, it doesn't get any better. For some reasons, Americans want to be "cool" at all times - which means that the airconditioning is set on the level "hell freezes over". Last year in Las Vegas, we got to experience that firsthand: outside you are boiling (close to 50°C), while inside you're freezing and need a jacket since the airco is set on 16°C...Especially big stores want to lure their customers in during summer by promising a cool environment. So how do they do that? Right, by setting the airco to "ice cold" and put the doors wide open.

In the meanwhile, back in Belgium, people are insulating their house and special government funded programs are set up to make sure energy is saved in every little corner. So, Belgium: about 3.5 million insulated homes (at least with closed windows). US: about 110 million homes multiplied with about an average of 6 open windows per home... you do the math.

3.
Once I've opened the windows and unpacked the groceries, I use one of the many plastic bags to take the trash out. The first week, I separated all the paper and the plastic bottles, only to find out that they all went in the same trash container. Many of our new friends in New York have the same problem: no recycling. There's also no tax on garbage bags.

In the meanwhile, back in Belgium, people have to buy specific garbage bags at the supermarket and depending on which city you live in, it can cost up to €1.50 - that makes you think twice about what you throw away. Furthermore, everything needs to be recycled and if your bag contains one not recycled item, the garbage men will leave it at your doorstep. Let's not do the math this time - it's getting too complicated (after all, I'm just a lawyer).

But to end on a positive note, I do have to say that New Yorkers are really conscious about cleaning up after their dogs (unlike in Belgium, where more than once a week we found a little present in front of our door)... but maybe that's because "it's the law".