Two weeks ago, Recycla wrote about her eco travel tips and promised that she would write about her observations after she returned from England.
Did you know that gas is over $8/gallon in England? Recycla knew it was expensive but still nearly had a stroke the first time Mr. Recycla filled up the gas tank in their rental car, which they needed for six days of the vacation. This was a car that averaged 36 mpg, but a full tank of gas was still more than $100.
Because gas is so expensive in England, most of the cars one sees on the roads are fuel efficient. No gas guzzlin’ Hummers for the Brits; instead, they drove tiny little fuel efficient cars, some of which average 40 or ever 50 mpg. On the other hand, when Recycla (or, more accurately, her husband) noticed gas hogs, they tended to be luxury vehicles, such as Porches and Land Rovers, and presumably their owners are somewhat immune to high gas prices. Diesel gas is quite a bit more fuel efficient than regular gas — by about 30-40% — so diesel cars are much more common in England than they are in the U.S.
In general, the British are a nation of walkers and bikers, and Recycla saw many people choose their feet or their bikes for getting around. In Oxford in particular, bikes were everywhere — the streets around the university are not car-friendly. Mr. Recycla claims he saw many more people riding motorcycles, but since Recycla is blind to any hobby that could kill her husband, she refuses to verify the accuracy of this observation.
In London, there is a congestion fee that discourages drivers from coming into the more crowded parts of the city. Luckily, the Tube and buses are inexpensive and easy to use. Recycla’s daughters loved flagging down buses and their ride on a double-decker bus through Central London was a highlight of the trip. On the Tube, Recycla’s daughters rode free, which was nice, although they learned a great many, um, interesting things from the ads on the walls.
In the hotels and B&Bs that Recycla stayed in, she noticed several eco practices, including the use of fluorescent bulbs in lights, water-saving showers, and reusing towels instead of washing them daily. Every single hotel or B&B had small trashcans in the rooms, so as to encourage guests to recycle when possible. Instead of individual bars of soap and mini bottles of shampoo, bathrooms were stocked with refillable dispensers of liquid soap in the showers and by the sinks.
Another thing Recycla noticed was that all electric outlets had an on/off switch. Even when turned off and not in use, appliances and lights still use a little electricity, so turning off the power completely at each outlet saves more energy.
From what Recycla observed, the British seem to use less STUFF in general. Fewer plastic shopping bags, less packaging on products, etc. Recycla even learned about a campaign to cut back on food waste: Love Food Hate Waste. She saw recycling bins in a variety of locations, including Heathrow Airport and Royal Victoria Park in Bath.
Recycla feels certain that there was more, but this is what she personally noticed. While she doubts that each and every Briton is a committed Eco Hero, she suspects that, as a whole, the Brits are a little ahead of Americans in the crusade to save Planet Earth.
Recycla’s daughters on the top level of a double-decker bus.
