It’s All Greek to Me: A Recent Trip Reminds Me Just How Far Behind Americans Are
September 8, 2008
The trip was billed “The Journeys of Paul.” Many in the tour group came hungry to learn about the great Apostle while others simply wanted some sightseeing, relaxation and a Mediterranean cruise. I was probably somewhere in the middle, but the real experience I took home had nothing to do with either one.
When I landed in Athens airport, I immediately noticed that there were recycling bins everywhere. Some were marked for glass, others for plastic, others still for aluminum. Leaving the airport, I walked under the overhead electric wires used to power the gasless city buses ala San Francisco. (And people here actually ride the public transportation because cars are regulated so that they are not needlessly wasting gas.) If this were not enough, almost every house in the city of Athens is fitted with rooftop solar panels.
When I arrived in my hotel room, I noticed that even the recessed lighting made use of CFLs and the hotel was clear that they wouldn’t be washing your sheets every day to conserve water unless you specifically requested. In fact, a permanent sign in the bathroom noted that water was a “precious commodity, so please do your best to conserve it.” When I left the room, I had to remove my card from a slot near the door that turned off all the lights and appliances.
Stumbling and swaying as we sailed the Aegean Sea, I noticed that sparse islands were replete with energy-capturing windmills. When we ported in Turkey one day, our tour guide shared with us that the country has many hydro-electricity fields from which they harvest energy. As a result, the average cost of all household utilities in Turkey is around $40 US. I could go on and on, but I will save you the labor of reading it all (not to mention, I lost my notes on the flight back).
I felt enough like a foreigner being in a strange country where I can’t read the street signs and few people speak English, but I was shocked how out of place I—a creation care advocate—felt in a country that truly does its part to protect the planet.
In America, we go to Wal-Mart and buy our “Seventh Generation” paper towels and organic milk, load it up into our amenity-wrought Prius and head down to our homeowner’s association to brag to all our neighbors about how we’ve “gone green.” But when you put it in perspective, when you see firsthand how other people are altering the very way they live in the race to sustainability, it can knock the wind right out of you. At least, it did me.
For me, my trip to Greece was more than a relaxing vacation, although it was that. And it was more than a time for spiritual reflection, although I reflected often. My trip to Greece was a subtle reminder that the historically Christian Western world must do a better job of stepping outside of our self-gratifying, en vogue, light-green lifestyles and making tough decisions that will protect the God-glorifying creation we have been charged with keeping.
Jonathan Merritt is a faith and culture writer and National Spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. His opinions have appeared in outlets such as TIME, The Washington Post, ABC World News and Relevant Magazine. You can connect with him at www.jonathanmerritt.com.
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