One of the most shocking aspects of my time abroad wasn’t seen in a classroom, it was on the sides of roads. During my time in India, I made a conscious effort to observe how the environment was treated. Sustainability or the lack of it quickly emerged as an issue I couldn’t ignore. I became increasingly aware of how common pollution was in everyday public spaces. Trash was everywhere.
Despite the infrastructure present like public trash cans, waste blanketed the streets and hillsides. One moment in particular stuck with me. I was walking behind a woman, and after finishing her drink, she casually tossed the empty container onto the street. She didn’t slow down. Didn’t glance around. Didn’t hesitate. It was as if her action was second nature. I looked around and saw a trash can maybe four meters away. This wasn’t about access, it was about habit and mindset. This was about what people had become used to doing. Here and most places in India, there was a normalization of littering, almost an ingrained ignorance to where waste ends up or how it affects the shared environment.
Pittsburgh isn’t perfect. Litter exists there too. But there’s a stronger cultural emphasis on personal responsibility and environmental awareness. In many parts of the city, especially on campus, littering is socially frowned upon and sustainability initiatives are heavily advertised. Recycling bins are everywhere, students are encouraged to carry reusable water bottles and community cleanup days aren’t uncommon. However, in India, these efforts were barely visible. Recycling bins were rare. While there were public signs encouraging waste reduction and environmental protection, no one noticed them. While the U.S and Pittsburgh specifically is far from solving our sustainability issues, the differences revealed what our society prioritizes.
This raised a bigger question for me. What happens when the initiatives, infrastructure and policies are there, but the culture doesn’t support it? And more importantly how do we create that feeling of responsibility in a societal way?
