As an American?

[berliner]

Because Americans do a better job of taking care of the outdoors and cleaning up our messes than anyone else on the planet? (Hoo boy now I've done it)

I did not say that they havent made any improvements.

And I am trying not to say EVERY american.

 

But fact is the "throw away culture" with fast food and all has its origin in the US.

Yes I know I eat that $h!t myself sometimes. Guilty. Supersize me.

There is millions of people in the world starving,

but if the 99 cent burger wasnt sold in 10 minutes it lands in the trash.

We do not have a food-shortage problem in this world, not at all.

Waste and distribution is an issue. Limited resources.

 

Now one has to consider the size of population and country as well, but still.

US 240, DE 80 and CH 20 Mil I think ... or thereabouts.

The germans have 7 or so different recycle bins, ths swiss have 17 different recycle stations.

They have seperate bins for paper and cardboard! I think that is overboard (pun intended).

 

Yes industry will always create pollution and yes since the 1970s a lot of new filters and what not

has been invented and implemented.

Only slowly do people realize how precious our environment is. Too slowly.

 

Nike - Truckstops have like nothing to with this I think?

I didnt say anyone was pristine, but If you like it clean go to Singapore ;-)

[berliner]

And I suppose that being "an American" could mean anyone from the Western Hemisphere (North and South America along with associated islands). Not that that helps DS's Indians, Kiwis, or Brits

 

[EDIT]On a slightly more serious note, the "A" in BSA stands for America. Another requirement states that you must recite the Pledge of Allegiance. That is many units' opening ceremony. DS, do you ask your "foreigners" to pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA? Are they required to know that?

 

As jblake said, "When in Rome". If a Scout born in the USA were to join Scouting in Japan (whatever that organization is named) he would be expected to know or learn their requirements; why shouldn't any member of the BSA -- no matter their birthplace?[/EDIT]

... and those countries probably dont have any BSA Units outside the embassy walls in the first place ...

 

BSA was/is out and about to win "hearts and minds" of the young people overseas (South Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy, ...)

 

There is a rule that BSA may not take any scout away from the local scout organisation, but in this international world it leads

to swedish, spanish, french, german and what not scouts in the BSA.

[NJCubScouter]

Because Americans do a better job of taking care of the outdoors and cleaning up our messes than anyone else on the planet? (Hoo boy now I've done it)

Berliner, you are correct that we still have a way to go on "cleaning up" in this country, but I have seen substantial progress in my lifetime. I can remember riding in the car with my parents on the New Jersey Turnpike and seeing the smoke from all the factories billowing into the air. (This was in the 60's.) You could see the smog hanging in the air. You don't see much of that anymore (and that's not just because a lot of factories are closed.) The same goes for the water, the bays and rivers in Northern New Jersey were basically chemical dumps. And they probably did catch on fire sometimes, they just never got the publicity that the river in Ohio got. Today many of the rivers are essentially pollution-free and the bays, well, you still wouldn't want to drink out of them but they are a lot cleaner.