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Social Organization - Unfortunately, not everyone has a house, or a place to garden near their home. To remedy this, many cities and urban areas have segmented off plots of land where people can establish their own gardens. The spaces are either bought or rented, and then the owner can use the land however they see fit. Below is one such example, complete not only with a beautiful garden, but also a small house and a swing.

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Time - The German public transportation system is widespread and effective. There are few places you might want to go to that cannot be reached on a train. However, this more environmentally friendly method has a drawback, a rigid schedule. If you are traveling by train, be prepared to plan your day around those schedules.

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Environment - German people are very outdoorsy and love nature. Almost every German home has some kind of garden like this. Whether they are growing food for the family or just some nice flowers, Germans really do love their gardens and spend a good amount of their free time gardening.

Upon talking about it with my host mother, I found that she was very passionate about her gardens, both in the front and back yards. She loves to sit out in the back garden and enjoy the weather on nice days.

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Time - Foregoing our bulky washer-dryer combos, the German people opt to dry their clothes out on a line. This method of clothes drying requires more time, and one has to remember to take their clothes in before the end of the day. It might not be the most time effective, but it is certainly good for the environment. It's probably better for wrinkles too

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Language - This is a Flixbus, which we used to get from Dresden to Prague. Flixbus was started in Munich, but operates in many of Europe's major countries. This requires the company to operate in several different languages. Luckily they transcend these language barriers by focusing on an easy message: Cheap and Green!

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Social Organization - In America, we try to conserve energy by car pooling. In Germany, they do similar things on their bikes. Basically, someone rides on the handlebars or the back-rack. Just be sure to check the weight limit.

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Environment - This picture was taken from the wall of Koligstein Castle near Dresden. Even so far removed from the major city, many people are still doing their part to be environmentally friendly. This also shows that it is not just major government installations producing natural energy, much of it is produced at the private level.

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Context - In many parts of Germany, these multi-colored waste bins can be found. While this one is fairly straight forward (even an English speaker can figure out was Glas means), many only have the associated colors. For example, green means glass and blue means plastic.

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Environment - The German countryside as large spaces of open land. This provides ample room for the many wind turbines now occupying said space. A quick train ride to nearly anywhere in Germany will have travelers seeing at least ten wind turbines, but most likely even more. They are everywhere!

I talked with my host mother about her opinion on the vast amount of turbines in the German countryside. Her main reaction was that she does not travel outside of the city too often, so she rarely sees them. This does reinforce my point about them being in deserted areas though.

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Environment - Another difference between America and Germany is the use of Air-Conditioning. Many of the old German buildings still do not have any AC, and instead choose to open many of their windows. Their windows even open in different directions so that they can be kept open in the rain!

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Context - This set of recycling bins is special: it handles things not so easily recycled. Things like batteries and old electronics that do not belong in the standard bins should make their way here. Those looking to recycle these things must know where to find these bins, which, in this case, is in the local drug store.

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Non-Verbal - Another way German people help both the environment and their wallets is by biking everywhere. In many parts of the country, you are more likely to see bikes than cars. This also helps people stay in shape and stay healthy as they age.

I discussed the common use of bikes with my host family, and they basically told me that it does not make sense to use a car unless you are traveling very far. A bike is simpler and cheaper, and even faster in some cases.

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Environment - German people are highly encouraged to recycle many of their cans and bottles. This picture is of the entrance to a supermarket, where there is a machine that collects used cans and bottles. The machine weighs the containers and gives the user a receipt for the recycle value, which is much higher than in the United States.

My host family confirmed that there are many incentives to recycle and that people are much more active in it. My host mother keeps a separate can for recyclables and brings it in often to collect the returns.

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Context - One of the most incredible things about Wittenberg is how long most of these buildings have been standing. Even before the idea of historic conservation, the German people were aware of the significance of these places and preserved them over time. Below is a picture of the Schlosskirche ("Castle Church), where Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, being renovated. It is another great example of things being conserved and reused.

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Authority - This picture, taken from the top of the Reichstag (Germany's Parliament Building), shows both a beautiful view and an array of solar panels. It sets a good precedent for the people seeing their government take such a direct role in environmental efforts.