Alyse Horn, Lions Abroad marketing intern, discusses ways New Zealand’s energy and water mindfulness can be implemented in the U.S.:

My life has been transformed by green living techniques, and New Zealand helped me improve those aspects of my life. I have always recycled and made sure lights were turned off when not in use, but that was about as far as it went.

After traveling to New Zealand and learning what the country does to promote sustainability, I hope that one day the U.S. can follow in its footsteps.

One of New Zealand’s energy-saving tools is in the design of electrical outlets. Adjacent to each outlet, a switch exists to turn off the flow of electricity to the outlet when it’s not being used. Outlets in the U.S. don’t have that option and are constantly on wasting energy. This means that if a lamp, computer or anything is plugged in but turned off, it is still using electricity and thus energy. A tip to save energy and money is to unplug appliances that aren’t in use.

Another way New Zealand saves energy and also water is their toilet flushing system. At first, I was extremely confused by the toilets because two flush buttons exist. After finally discussing the subject with some friends, I learned that one button serves as a half flush and the other is a full. Some U.S. universities, hotel chains and conference centers are introducing dual flushing toilets with the half or full flush selections. Hopefully more U.S. companies will continue transitioning to the eco-conscious model.

These initiatives are helping save water, energy and our planet. Please share comments on other nature friendly tools you’ve seen elsewhere in the world!