American infrastructure is terribly unsustainable.
As I’m sure everyone has noticed, I’ve been away from Vermont this semester, on the other side of the globe in Auckland, New Zealand.
During my first month in Auckland, I have noticed many differences, including incredibly low tuition fees, universal healthcare and an unfortunate lack of Red Dye 40.
Perhaps the biggest difference that I have noticed is small discrepancies in infrastructure choices. Despite New Zealand’s smaller size and smaller global impact than the U.S., I have observed several infrastructural designs that are more safe, clever and primarily environmentally conscious when compared to America.
I’ve noticed that many shopping malls and public spaces have motion-activated escalators so that they don’t just run all day long. One popular New Zealand escalator brand, Hitachi, comes equipped with an energy-saving mode, which uses less power during low-traffic times, according to the Denoova website.
Additionally, every single toilet I have come across gives you the option to flush using less water. I have seen this in America, but only on occasion. American toilets flush six litres of water on average, about twice as much as those in countries in Oceania, according to a Jan. 29 FoHome article.
Also, public restrooms often have toilet paper dispensers that mimic tissue boxes, encouraging less paper usage. An American uses an average of 634 miles of toilet paper in their lifetime, while a Kiwi uses 216 miles, according to an April 20, 2022 Vivid Maps article.
Moreover, Unilodge, the hall I am staying in, utilizes cards that scan you into the building and allow you to use your room’s electricity.
Without the card, the power in your room automatically shuts off, conserving the energy that would be wasted when forgetting to turn off a light switch or unplug electronics, and decreasing the likelihood of electric fires. My room also has a power switch for every outlet.
These cards also provide an extra level of safety, as they notify building staff when you check in and out of your room. If you have not scanned in for several days, someone will be sent up to ensure that you are alive and well.
A general care for the well-being of others is also noticeable through public architecture. I have failed to find anti-homeless benches in Auckland. Armrests only appear on the side of the bench closest to the road. I assume this is to prevent sleeping people from falling into oncoming traffic.
Alongside the pervasive anti-homeless architecture in America are policies against unhoused people. In August of 2025, Trump banned homeless encampments in Washington D.C., declaring unhoused individuals as a threat to public safety, according to an Aug. 27, 2025 Pledge 4 Peace article.
The U.S. holds a substantial influence over the rest of the world due to its social media, film and music presence.
Considering its global power, it is exceedingly important that the U.S. government adopts more humane and sustainable practices, rather than continuing to normalize environmental harm and discrimination.
Environmental movements continue to grow across the globe, in hopes of reversing the effects of climate change. Natural resource management and pollution control policies have become significantly more popular within the last couple of decades, according to a 2025 OECD study.
Considering its unsustainable practices, it is concerning that America’s largest exports include electric machinery, electric technology and fuel, according to a 2023 World’s Top Exports article.
The Trump administration has reversed Biden’s climate change policies, removed environmental funding, ceased greenhouse gas measurements and withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, according to a Feb. 18, 2025 American Physical Society article.
Although it is unlikely that our current administration will adopt more environmentally conscious practices, I hope that the future administrations will work to reverse some of the damage that Trump has done.
Until then, even if we Vermont students lack some of the infrastructural advances that the Kiwis have, continuing to avoid plastic water bottles with a fury and doing what we can to slow climate change is a good start.
