Consuming in Excess

I am not quite sure exactly when it hit me but at some point this weekend in Paris it hit me that we do everything in excess. From our homes to running water to electricity to toilets to food. Its all in excess and we consume so much. I realized how Europw is tackling their problems head on and how we dodge around half of ours while the other half we don't even view as a problem. Let's see..Europe is very energy efficient. Lights are off when no one is in that room, toilet water levels are lower- hell there are even two kinds of flushes. Dishwashers and laundry are not done until complete loads and I even noticed the washer spouting short bursts of water innermittantly instead of filling up half a bath tub like ours. I see people walking and exercising and riding bikes and public transportation. This prevents obesity with which we lead worldwide and also people are not as dependent on petroleum. Cars are small yet efficient. Hybrids and elecricity are all helping. For the US to be able to stand on its own feet its going to have to reduce its dependency on oil. Its like a crutch you can't live without. And the progression of solving this issue is so slow that it'll never get done. I think its going to take a government mandate with a deadline to improve efficiency and find other fuel alternatives. And the flex fuel is a joke. It may be cleaner granted, but it crushes your MPG and it takes a whole lot more energy to make. Furthermore its depleting the supply of corn which is driving up demand and I am still paying out of my pocket. Windmills for energy.. I see them everywhere. Solar panels, etc.. There is even a deposit to get back for glass. These are all good incentives. All of this has just really opened my eyes and all I see back home is a country in excess and a country that wastes. Am I a part of this country? Yes. Do I still call it home? Yes. But do I see some changes that really need to occur sooner then later? Absolutely. This new found awareness has opened my eyes and I hope I can contribute with a positive influence when I get back home. I wish we could all have our eyes opened every once in a while.