Fresh off the plane, my roommates and I marched confidently into our local Dublin Lidl to do our grocery shopping. “What could go wrong?” we had thought. While walking up and down the aisles and picking out my weekly ingredients felt very familiar, it was what happened afterwards that will continue to stick with me throughout my time here.

Once we reached the registers to check out, we soon realized that there were no bags available. Nervous and frantic, we started packing all of our groceries into thin trash bags that we had happened to purchase, taking up three registers’ worth of space. We received stares from locals, tourists, and workers, all wondering what this group of seven girls was doing. We stood there filling bag by bag, even double bagging when necessary, because we ended up purchasing so much. Finally, when we had placed our last item in the bag, I felt a sense of relief.

We walked back to our housing, which was an 11-minute walk that somehow felt like 30 minutes. People were turning heads at our huge, clear bags filled with goods, and one group even commented, “Stupid Americans.” Instantly, I became so embarrassed and wished I could teleport back home. Coming from a Ukrainian-American background, I never fully identified as a true “American”, and yet this felt like a huge dig at my identity. I was thrilled to be in a new country, immersing myself in a new culture, but it felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. I was used to bringing reusable bags to stores in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but for some reason, it did not even cross my mind to check the policy in Dublin.

However, after this experience, I found myself more in tune with the environmentally friendly initiatives taking place in Dublin and Ireland as a whole, as well as the country’s “deep culture”. In Dublin, several innovative local projects stand out. Father Collins Park in Donaghmede is Ireland’s first wind-powered public park, integrating five turbines, wetlands, and native landscaping to model sustainable urban design. The Dublin Food Co-op in Kilmainham supports zero-waste lifestyles by offering organic, plastic-free goods while fostering community participation. Initiatives like Easy Treesie have mobilized schools and local groups to plant over half a million trees across the city. Major venues such as the Guinness Storehouse and Croke Park have adopted green practices, including renewable electricity use and zero-landfill waste management. On a more local level, greenways for cycling and walking, urban farms, community gardens, and zero-waste markets are reshaping how Irish residents interact with the environment. During my time here, it feels like I have seen more pedestrians and buses compared to cars, which is great!

In addition to these local and systematic efforts to make Ireland greener, it was very fascinating learning about the culture of conservation here as well. Two weekends ago, we took a trip to Kerry, which was so beautiful. However, the tour guide also informed us that the weather is only getting worse and worse, which is why conserving energy and looking out for the environment is so crucial. Who knew that my initial mistake would awaken a new passion of mine?