Having spent the past 3 weeks in Italy, I’ve had an opportunity to compare how a country with a long history has adjusted to environmental challenges. The first impression is that the Italians, and probably Europeans generally, live a far more sustainable lifestyle than Americans.  Average car size is tiny, translating to far better MPG. Homes are smaller, and single family homes are few. Cities are much more conducive to walking, and public transportation is widely available. Use of electricity for “luxuries” like air conditioning is far less. Even trash cans, while plentiful, are of a size that discourages waste. Public bathrooms are almost always outfitted with a non-paper drying mechanism. And bath/showers essentially force conservation of water.

At the same time, I experienced plenty of examples of eco-waste. The “system” and all of its inefficiencies undoubtedly takes an unnecessary toll on the environment. But more specifically, restaurants often times use excessive amounts of paper.  Bottles, whether glass or plastic, are of small size. And recycling opportunities are fewer than I had expected.

It’s clear that Italy’s eco-efforts are very much a result of longstanding realities. For example, the small high-MPG vehicles are largely a reaction to pre-automobile streets. Similarly, the lack of natural resources has forced Italians to consume according to their needs rather than to their wants.  So while I did not see evidence of a keen awareness of our environmental challenges, I saw a people who have spent many decades arriving at a sustainable lifestyle.  Ultimately, while America has exported McDonald’s and consumerism to the old world over the past 50 years, I expect that during the next 50 years America will need to import a lot of learning from our old world brothers across the Atlantic.