I have a Green Thumb

The situation with our natural resources.....
Not trying to get all green on you, but we face a dangerous problem. The amount of waste that this country produces is phenomenal in comparison to other parts of the world. I am now suddenly noticing the changes because of my recent trip abroad. The differences are small but significant.
Essentially it comes down to the fact that Americans have luxuries that are not offered anywhere else. With all these luxuries, we are spoiled and the little things are taken for granted. This holds true, for instance, in restaurants. In america, you have all the amenities you need right there at the counter. Water is free and the condiments are unlimited. I had little to no appreciation for this until my trip a few weeks ago. There wasn't a restaurant in site that wouldn't make you pay for water or the extras. Sure, it was irritating to know that if i wanted water with my dinner, it would mean paying $2 Euro ($3.50 USD) for a bottle. Thats unheard of where i come from. But then you have to stop and think, how much water are we wasting when everyone who sits down for a meal is offered a free glass of water. Then you have the environmentalists saying that they want people to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, take shorter showers, install low flow this and that. Why not start by taking aim at restaurants who could benefit greatly from charging for water and help the environment all at the same time. Think about all those ketchup packets that you have sitting around your home and office. Those are going to end up as more waste. In Europe, they charge you for those extras.
In the big picture of it all, it makes sense. I may not be around when our natural resources are all tapped out, and landfill can't fill anymore, but when they say that they little things make a big difference, thats what the hell they mean. Just because we feel that we are owed those amenities, do we really have to take advantage of them at the expense of the environment.
Don't even get me started on the monster cars that we feel the need to drive.