Sustainability in Europe

Not only is Europe faraway from Rochester (and the rest of the U.S.) in distance, but in terms of sustainability. Europe’s longstanding focus on sustainable transportation methods and its more recent strides toward creating more sustainable jobs, may give the U.S. a run for its money.

 
European public transportation is often efficient and convenient enough, that fewer people rely on private cars to go to the office. As of the early 2000s, only 40% of Europeans drove to work, as opposed to the U.S., where that number reaches 90%. Also, for short trips, it’s common for Europeans to bike or walk, even in the colder weather. However, it is a bit easier for Europeans to ride bicycles because many parts of Europe are well equipped to handle them, with plenty of parking spaces for bicycles, and even traffic controls to help people bike through the busier streets.

 
In more recent sustainability news, this past fall, the President of the European Commission announced that he wanted to see three million more green jobs created by 2020. While this is a difficult goal, Europe seems to be making the strides to reach it. Europe has already seen a 7% increase in green jobs per year since 2000, well before the announcement was even made. If Europe continues its long history of working toward sustainable transportation, and creates these green jobs, the grass may really be greener on the other side (of the ocean ).