I thought, where do I find the conductor? What if he doesn’t understand my accent? Now I ride the train often and I don’t mind asking the conductor to stop at all. It’s just a normal part of living here.
Environmentalism is a part of German culture. What do I mean by that? In general, many people in Germany care a lot about the environment. Obviously not every one has the same attitude, but it is a way of thinking that is a little more common here than in the U.S.A. The culture of environmentalism changes the way people act. For example, when I go to the grocery store, the cashier doesn’t give me any plastic bags. Instead, I have to bring my own reusable bag. Many Germans care about climate change, including children. Do you know about the Fridays for Future protests? Every Friday, students around Germany leave school and protest climate change. Of course, not all students do this.
This culture also changes the way people get around. Since driving cars and flying planes pollute the air, there are a lot of people trying to take more trains and to bike more. When I take the subway, I see ads that say “It’s great that you’re taking public transportation. Thanks for not using your car!”
Because people care a lot about the environment, the government has make a lot of laws to minimize pollution. For instance, the government made gasoline more expensive this year. They also made train tickets cheaper. These two laws, alone, will make more people take trains more often, and drive cars less.
