Submitted by Mackenzie Young on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering…
During my first week in New Zealand, I definitely noticed some cultural differences, but nothing too extreme right away. After a couple of days in Christchurch, I began to notice how clean the city is. I also noticed a lack of garbage cans around the city. I thought it was a little weird that those things seemed to go hand in hand. Throughout the week, however, I realized that the cleanliness of the city has little to do with the city itself, but almost everything to do with the people in it.
I think it’s amazing how much the people who live in Christchurch care about the city’s environment. Coming from the United States, it really is so different to how we take care of our cities. Although, back at home, I see people trying to do things to help work toward a better environment, it doesn’t always help much. Being in New Zealand for only one week has made me realize that we won’t be able to create and maintain such a sustainable environment in the United States, if the people around us do not care. I’ve always known it’s important to take care of the land around us, and I know a lot of people who do as well, but there are a handful of people who don’t. I think in order for us to create cleaner and more sustainable environments back in the United States, one of the first things we should be doing is educating our population.
Everyone in this city knows how important keeping a clean environment is. I think it probably has to do with the fact that they are an island with a lot of greenery, so almost the entire population gets to see the nature and ecosystems that they are saving by being so green. If there was more education on our nature and ecosystems in the United States, and how our actions affect them, I think we would stand a better chance as a country in becoming as green as possible.