I’ll share what I’ve learned from spending time in Sydney. Here are the differences between Oz and the US:

1) When you get take out or fast food, you get 1 napkin down under. In the US, you get a pile of napkins enough for a whole family.
2) Recyclable shopping bags are very trendy down under. Even when you’re just walking around Sydney, you’ll see people carrying their stuff in the green Coles bag. I go to Whole Foods here in the States and I hardly see anyone bringing their own bag (and Coles is just a regular grocery store, while Whole Foods is of course organic).
3) Healthy Fast Food – Oz has a lot more of it. In fact, even before the whole organic food craze, Aussies have always been into healthy food. BTW, they don’t feed their kids pizzas and junk food in school.
3) Forget about the comparisons to California. Sydney is easy going, while California is a Rat Race.
4) Petrol is $1.50 Australian dollars per LITRE.
5) You can go to Manly beach in the middle of the week and find throngs of people hanging out!
6) “Drink driving”, speeding, and cellphone use while driving are all taken seriously in Australia.
7) The Lifestyle. Oh, the lifestyle. Life in Oz is much more balanced than America, with Quality time (with friends and family) outside work being more readily available and encouraged.

I’m believe in the “leaving a small footprint” lifestyle, so I love that about Oz. And the #1, #2, & #4 differences are a microcosm of why the US uses so much of the world’s resources.