Always room for improvement

It is pretty easy to make fun of California -- it's, like, totally lala land, a plastic place full of plastic people. Well, that's what I thought, but I came back rather impressed.\nI spent several days visiting a friend just starting at the University of California, Davis. Being both largely college towns, I couldn't help but draw comparisons between Davis and Bloomington.\nYou'll be pleased to know, UCD campus isn't as picturesque as IU. It has its charm, but the architecture of many buildings made odd companions and there are puzzling egg-shaped sculptures dotting the campus. The student newspaper is also below par compared to more scholarly mid-western counterparts.\nBut, there are several areas in which Davis excels.\nBikes literally rule the place -- roads have special lanes for them, bike paths traverse much of town and many sidewalks are specifically designed extra-wide to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists. Coupled with a state law requiring vehicles to pass an emissions test, the air in Davis is visibly cleaner as a consequence.\nThen, in the grocery stores, it is common practice for shoppers to use their own shopping bags. In instances where they don't, store clerks at checkouts assume you prefer paper over plastic.\nAlso, on campus, UCD provides recycling bins adjacent to all garbage cans.\nTogether, these nuances equate to a community that can't help but be environmentally friendly.\nAdmittedly, many people in Bloomington do ride bikes to class, but there are many more who could that don't. I live within a reasonable ride of campus, yet I would never contemplate commuting by bike. Why? The way the roads are designed, I would be in fear of disappearing under the tires of an SUV. The alternative of riding on sidewalks is difficult considering many roads in Bloomington don't have any, and when they do, they are barely big enough for a pedestrian.\nAnd, sure, Davis has made an extensive commitment, over many years, to encourage people onto bikes. To reach a similar standard, Bloomington would have to conduct a serious overhaul of its roads. That said, I don't see why we couldn't at least begin by setting aside a bike lane on some of our wider roads (e.g., College Avenue and Walnut Street), or establish sidewalks wide enough for both bicycle and pedestrian traffic.\nAlso, how many times have you been forced to wind up your windows because of the fumes bellowing out of the exhaust of the car in front? Could we not implement a California-style emissions test or a law enabling police to cite vehicles producing excessive visible exhaust fumes (as in Australia)?\n IU might also follow UCD's example and provide more recycling bins around campus. There are some, but they are few.\nFinally, it is easy to say we need to change people's attitudes at store checkouts, but one way to actually facilitate this would be with a levy on plastic bags. Take Ireland as an example, a 15 cent levy has encouraged 90 percent of shoppers to switch to using their own bags. A 25 cent levy is currently being debated in Australia where it is estimated that 20 million people use six million plastic bags each year (consider there are 270 million people in America).\nDon't get me wrong, Bloomington is a wonderful place to live, but \nthere is always room for improvement -- right?