I hope that you all enjoy this ridiculous picture of me. It was taken at Dublinia, a museum in downtown Dublin that chronicles the Viking and Medieval history of the city. I liked the museum because it was interactive and well organized. It was certainly intended for an audience younger than myself and Peter, but we love interactive museums and had a blast trying on the medieval costumes and playing with replicas of Viking weapons.
One of the cultural aspects of Ireland that I most admire is their environmental awareness. A few years ago the country passed a law that taxed plastic bags in grocery stores, so now you have to pay 0.23-0.30 euro to get a plastic bag. Some stores don't even have plastic bags to sell you. This means that everyone must carry some sort of grocery tote. Many use their backpacks, and there is no end to the canvas bags you see people carrying.
I had read about this law before I came and ordered a few Baggus for myself and Peter. A baggu is a ripstop nylon shopping bag that folds up into a little pouch. You can stow them in a purse or backpack and then whip it out when you need to go shopping. So useful! I don't know why I didn't invest in these earlier. I will certainly be using them all the time when I return to Wisconsin. I love the baggu because it's designed by a small-business designer, ethically made by workers who are well paid, environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and comes in cute colors. If you are curious and want to look into them (I think they make great gifts, I plan to give some for Christmas) go here.
Ireland is also constantly reminding people about their carbon footprint. There are posters everywhere - save energy, use a drying rack! Reduce gas emissions, take the bus! I like it - they're keeping Ireland green. Although I read last week in the Irish Times that Ireland is warming 10 times faster than the rest of the world. Ten times faster! I wonder why that is...perhaps it's the rapid increase in their population since the 1960s.
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