Impact of culture on energy consumption
I have lived in South Korea until this September, only having experienced Korean culture. Starting this energy journey, I realized culture also impacts on energy consumption in certain ways.
For example, I used to use one small towel for each shower and was taught to do so for hygiene. That’s why I was confused by the different kinds of towels the student residence provided. From the smallest one to the biggest one, I was given four towels. At first, I didn’t know the use of each towel and used the medium-sized towel only. After a while, I learned how to use each towel from my roommate’s lifestyle. Asking my friend, I realized the towels do not need to be washed every time they are used. Especially, the biggest towel for the body only needs to be put into the washing machine every two weeks! It was slightly shocking for me, but I thought using fewer towels was a good culture. It saves water to wash towels and energy to run the washing machine.
Besides electricity consumption, I could find cultural differences in terms of impact on the environment. Especially, in Korea, finding a student carrying a lunch box is not as easy as in Italy. I used to the student cafeteria or use the food delivery service. When I order food with my friends, various waste comes along with the food. However, by experiencing lunchtime here in Italy, I realized we do not need special food to have quality time with friends. Bringing lunch boxes not only reduces disposable waste but also enriches the experience of food.
Culture is made of each person’s perspective. And culture exists everywhere like in the bathroom or during lunchtime. Being collected together, those tiny moments create the society’s characteristics and have a huge impact on the environment. From a foreigner’s perspective, especially as a non-EU citizen, I could find small particles of Italian lifestyle culture. Through this journey, my perspective on Italian culture was based on energy consumption. I tried to be aware of how much energy I use day by day and how others use energy in their daily lives. What I realized is for social movements like reducing energy consumption to have a meaningful impact, changing people’s awareness should be the main goal. Unless people try to think differently, there will not be a meaningful result however hard the policies or regulations work. For this, reviewing different cultures and introducing each other’s culture can help people understand an alternative lifestyle. Social impact is realized when it touches the community’s mind!
