Following the example of other nations is beneficial

Just recently the Group of 8 (G-8) met in L'Aquila, Italy to discuss global warming and the environment. As all countries start to work toward ways to make sure that future generations don't suffer because of the affects we have on the environment today, I wonder why we don't start small and follow in the examples of others.

Now I'm no expert on global warming, what's causing it and how to stop it. But saving energy and protecting the environment is important as well. And with all this talk of big plans and major changes needed to protect our planet, we need to realize that while the big planning goes on we should still be making small steps -- and learn by example from others.

I was in Ireland for 5 months and nothing they do will make a huge impact on the environment, but a small impact should not be something to ignore. When you can't change everything, changing something is better than changing nothing. To wit: In Ireland the supermarkets require you to buy plastic bags when you purchase your food. Otherwise they sell canvas bags for cheap that you can bring with you to place your food in. Not a bad system, because who wants to add more money to an already expensive grocery bill? Think about how many plastic bags your groceries go in, and feel that plastic -- not very biodegradable, is it? I actually brought back a few plastic bags after shopping here in Florida one week to have them repack my groceries in, and the bagger didn't seem to pleased about it. But it's so much less waste.

Also, in Ireland you can actually turn outlets and each individual heater off with the push of a button. This save so much energy quite easily. There's so many outlets in American houses that have electricity coursing through them that are rarely used. Such as the four in my room at home that is occupied about 20 days a year at most.

Ireland also saves water by having a hot water boost standard in most homes and apartments. Although I am a huge fan of long, luxurious showers, in Ireland these became a pleasure of the past. The hot water lasted about 15 minutes, and anyone else wanting a shower had to wait for it to heat up again. If you wanted to take a shower later on in the day (after everyone else had) you had to turn on the "boost" which would power the hot water back up in about a half hour. This saves on energy since the water isn't continuously heating up, and also because people are forced to take shorter showers.

And, when it comes down to it, some of these things aren't only helping the environment -- they're saving residents money on electricity bills. Plus, Ireland is very aware of the growing problems because of global warming and the excess of energy modern society uses.

These are small things America could consider doing in the future. Considering the size of our country they could make a big difference in energy use and waste.