Environmental awareness is on the rise in the United States, so as a traveler I wondered if this trend is occurring in other parts of the world.  As we all know, environmentalism needs to be a global effort, so it is important to consider the attitude toward the environment in other countries.

During my visit to Argentina I discussed my job at Tech Go Green with the locals and received positive reactions and often elaborate explanations of local environmental problems they are aware of.  Even though the people I talked to all were concerned with many environmental problems, they were unconvinced the situation could change and unsure of any positive impact they could have.

Some examples broken down by category:

WASTE

While walking around the streets in Buenos Aires I found myself dodging the messy piles of small trash bags which I later learned were left on the sidewalk for pickup by waste disposable services.  We passed by one street where many people had collected massive piles of plastic bags and boxes filled with trash.  My friend I was staying with noted that these people go through the trash left out to collect reusable items and recyclable materials.  My friend and I experienced a bittersweet example of this practice.  When she was moving out of the city we left a bag of clothes next to the trash which was removed from the other waste within a few hours time.

There are various recycle bins and wastebaskets provided, but it was difficult to tell the extent in which they were used.  I saw people littering more often than I was used to and this seemed to be the accepted norm.

FOOD

Argentina consumes more beef per capita than any other nation and it is easy to see why.  I meet two former vegetarians who started eating meat when they moved to Argentina because they said it was extremely difficult to find enough vegetarian options.  Beef is relatively inexpensive and of much better quality than anywhere I have been.  The beef is raised in a more organic fashion since the cows are grass-fed and free ranging, but I still wonder if the methane emissions from beef are known by the general population.  I was unable to find any reference to this issue when I was in the country.

The fruits and vegetables were nearly all in season which indicated it was grown locally.  The people I stayed with mentioned that out of season or foreign produce was rarely available and expensive.  We went to four markets that didn’t have cucumbers even though we remembered seeing them there the day before.  This reminded me of how luxurious and wasteful transporting produce to provide daily variety in U.S. grocery stores is.

TRANSPORTATION

After living in Los Angeles for six years I am often annoyed by the bad traffic, but in Buenos Aires I was actually scared.  I resolved that I could not drive in Buenos Aires and am surprised so many do.  Luckily the public transportation was adequate and the streets were crowded enough that I felt safe walking.  The trains and buses are packed full even though they come often.  I was told that only the wealthy could afford to drive in the city.

Buses were more popular than planes for long distance travel even though the trips are long (I took one that was about 20 hours long).  This is good because full buses emit less energy than planes.  The locals preferred long bus rides for several reasons: they are cheaper, more comfortable and have a more reliable schedule.

In conclusion, from this writer’s perspective the attitude of Argentineans about the environment mirrored their frustration with but apathy towards changing the government, poverty and other social problems.  They are aware and would like to see a change, but lack the motivation to seek sustainability in their every day lives.  In addition, the most environmentally sound practices I observed (local in season food, regular use of public transportation, recycling waste) could be mostly a result of necessity rather than conscious decisions.

9 de Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires has eight lanes on each side.  It resembles a parking lot when the lights are red.

When I discussed environmentalism the locals often expressed their concern with deforestation.  This is a tree farm outside of Iguassu in northern Argentina.

Some examples of different types of waste bins in Iguassu Falls National Park.  Buenos Aires also had recycling bins along the street in crowded areas.