Are green lifestyles here the same as they are everywhere else in the world? The truth is, the lifestyles that we lead in the United States are quite different in comparison to lifestyles from other countries. The United States may have been the first country to really put a lot of emphasis on the practice of "going green", but now other countries around the globe are following suit and are looking for ways to recycle, reduce, reuse, learn about sustainability and otherwise alter the way they're thinking and living in order to be eco-friendly and green minded.
1. Environmental Performance Index
Based on EPI, which stands for Environmental Performance Index, the United States is not actually the top country when it comes to eco friendly living. The top performing nation in terms of EPI is actually Colombia, followed by Cuba, Austria, France, Mauritius, Norway, Sweden, Costa Rica Switzerland and Iceland. The EPI scores for these countries are 76.8, 78.1, 78.1, 78.2, 80.6, 81.1, 86.0, 86.4, 89.1 and 93.5 respectively. These countries are definitely setting the precedent for a greener and more eco-friendly world.
2. Colombia
With a score of 76.8 on the EPI, Colombia is one of the few countries in the Americas that are green enough to appear on the EPI list. The country is really beginning to turn things around when it comes to deforestation, showing that it is serious about undoing the negative labels that they have received due to illegal sale of coca, violence and political strife.
3. Cuba
Racking up 78.1 on the EPI, Cuba is slowly working on becoming more environmentally friendly. The communist government may not be ideal in that it demands complete and full control of individual conservation groups, but this stronghold is slowly weakening and the government is now focusing on transforming the country into something greener and more eco-friendly.
4. Austria
With an EPI score of 78.1, Austria does not have many problems pertaining to its environmental credentials, but it is finding unique ways all the same to make sure that the entire country is taking steps to go green and to become even more eco-conscious in the future.
5. France
France, with an EPI rank of 78.2, is quickly and effectively earning a reputation as an eco-friendly and green country. The president has recently been pushing for legislation which will conserve the environment as well as energy, and many existing buildings are going to be renovated in order to save on resources as well which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 20 percent by the year 2020.
These are just some examples of how other countries around the globe are changing their thinking when it comes to green living and green lifestyle. There are many ways that everyone can make improvements in eco-friendly living all over the world, but if every country takes steps to do its part on the biggest scale possible, then we can create a much greener, much more eco-friendly world.
How do you think your own eco-lifestyle might be viewed in other countries?
This guest post was written by Christina Jenkins. She can found on Twitter at: www.Twitter.com/OhJenkies
