This semester, the undergraduate program at the Graduate Institute consists of only three students: me and two guys, one from Canada and the other from China. It was a laughable at first, but the small size has become convenient for excursions. We visited Montreux yesterday as our social outing, where we saw Château de Chillon. While Geneva is located on the western tip of Lac Leman, Montreux is located on the very opposite end. As the four of us strolled along the lake, the shoreline landscape unfolded before us, fantastical and magnificent. There was also a Freddie Mercury statue (Queen made recordings in Montreux from 1978 to 1995)!

It’s not necessarily impractical to travel throughout the entirety of Switzerland by public transport. Sure, you may have to transfer tracks a couple times, but public transport is generally accessible and extensive, particularly because its well-subsidized by the government. It also helps that Switzerland is geographically compact, so going from Geneva to Zurich will only take about three hours total. Getting to Montreux only took about an hour. Despite its size, the country is also highly diverse, so even a few short trips can reveal fresh landscapes that shift dramatically from one to next.

Like many European countries, Switzerland seems to vigorously prioritize sustainability. Outside my residence are around 15-20 large disposal containers with various labels ranging from paper and plastics to separately sorted glass according to color. Although it is unlike anything I’ve seen back in the States, it’s reminiscent of the garbage disposal system in South Korea. Recently, my already-sustainable residence also held an eco-housing campaign and had SIG agents install the following eco-friendly housing equipment in every room:

• 2 water-saving aerators: one for the kitchen tap and another for the bathroom tap, designed to control water flow and prevent excessive pressure
• 1 round “cold” thermometer to be placed in the refrigerator to monitor its temperature
• 1 power switch (also known as a “mouse” – see the picture attached), which is intended to prevent your devices from staying in standby mode while charging

It’s disheartening to consider the ramifications of the United States’ stagnation in environmental policy in contrast to the progressive action taken in other countries. The carbon footprint of my flight from Boston to Geneva was 0.84 metric tons of CO2. I’m sure there are plentiful ways to offset some of that carbon, but how much of it will result in tangible change? Are individual-level efforts in vain? It’s difficult to demarcate the responsibility of consumers from the responsibility of large corporations and businesses because both parties go hand in hand. In Geneva, it’s evident that people care about the environment and are intentional of their choices—more than policies and laws, a culture change is needed to facilitate meaningful change, it seems.