Submitted by Samantha Halvorsen on the 2017 winter session program in Spain sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences…
The first thing, I noticed upon arrival in Spain was the lack of litter and even more so, the genuine effort towards minimizing the global footprint. Each day, we noticed more and more! At first it was the man sweeping the parking lot of the rest stop we visited on our way in to Zaragoza. Then, it was the limited amount of water in each toilet bowl, matched with separate flush button depending on the strength needed. We then noticed that the water in public restrooms only runs cold and they rarely offer paper towels. Probably, the most interesting was realized after our first night in the hotel. In order for the lights to remain on in the hotel room, the key must remain inserted in a slot by the door. If the key is removed, the lights turn off and the outlets lose their ability to generate power…aka we all woke up with our cell phones on very low battery. These innovations seem simplistic and obviously brilliant, yet we lack most of them in America. I am hopeful for the future, that with more global traveling, America will adopt the ways of other more sustainable countries.