With neither Liz or I living in Canada anymore, we have both gotten to experience how other countries deal with environmental issues. Liz’s experiences in England have been mostly positive, however, for me in Thailand I am having trouble keeping it real with Mother Nature. Living in a country that is not characterized by the same economic status as Canada, I am not expecting hybrid buses, or door to door recycling pick up; the country operates within its limits. However, as an individual living here, it is definitely harder to do your part (unless I want to make the transition from partially motivated to fully motivated). Things that make it hard:
-Flights are dirt cheap and the travel opportunities are fabulous. I am flying to Singapore for a weekend soon.. oh the decadence! agh.
-drinking water in BKK is somewhat questionable.. therefor water bottles are bought in abundance. I do have water filtration at home (which is rare), but anytime I eat out (which is often) its bottled water for me. Plastic bottles also come with a layer of plastic over the top.. just to add to the plastic. Also, when you buy a bottle from 7 Eleven, they bag it and give you a straw.. that is inside plastic wrap.
-When I do not eat out, I get take-away. It is cheaper to buy food from street vendors than grocery shops. But this means plastic bags, styrofoam, etc. With the language barrier, it is hard to communicate that I do not need the extra plastic bag of chillis, or that I brought a bag from home
In a country where plastic is quite expensive, the extensive unnecessary use and consequential waste of plastic boggles my mind. However, I try my best to do my partially motivated bit.. like running out of the 7 Eleven before the clerk manages to bag and straw me.. or trying to reuse paper rather than throw it in the garbage.. sleep without the air con on.. and will continue to find other ways to do my wee little bit in a country that doesn’t place tree hugging as high priority.
