Over 40% of Korean men smoke. And this is the good news. Before the recent wellbeing trend, the number was almost 60%. Smoking seems less common among Korean women.

2. When you eat cow you call it cow. Give yourself 1 point.

Koreans love meat and the don’t mince words when talking about it. You’re not eating “steak” and “prosciutto;” you’re eating “cow” and “pig.” Especially popular are variations on galbi, which ranges from Korean BBQ to stir-fried meat and hot peppers. There are, however, a modicum of vegetarian and even vegan restaurants in Korea.

3. You ride the bus and the train, but you still love Hyundai. Give yourself 2 points.

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For another part, the common people don’t have the conscience or awareness of “not littering.” They throw anything out the window of their cars, as the laws won’t fine them money. Nevertheless, the people adore nature, because it´s beautiful, and they like to enjoy it, only that very few take care that it continues to be beautiful.Some people see [environmentalists] as hypocrites for calling themselves ecologists while continuing to consume pollutedly in their daily lives. Others applaud them, but continue with the course of their lives.

[I don't consider myself an environmentalist] because apart from trying to be, I continue to pollute in one form or another.

Michael Hudson: Environmentalism in Venezuela | I see the Venezuelan’s stance towards the environment as identical to that of the U.S. There is the odd practicing environmentalist who walks, bicycles or climbs into a packed tram, minibus, or subway just in principal. However the majority are mostly talk. Just like in the U.S., people here complain constantly about pollution, and the environment is always at the front line when they don´t want something to happen, but very few are willing to consume less packaged goods or drive less.

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Here is something that might surprise you though: Singaporeans don’t recycle. Or if they do, it’s not as blatantly apparent as in the United States. Occasionally, you’ll see a receptacle on the street that is divvied up into plastics/metals, paper and waste, but for the most part, everything gets tossed into one big trash can. Trash shoots aren’t sorted into blue recyclables and black everything-else-goes here. I remember once during the summer, I was sorting trash while at work when my boss came up to me and asked what I was doing. Apparently it’s all just trash over there — nothing specific about it.

Lately, however, there has been a growing concern in the country, due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. Over recent months, the government has been giving the country a massive developmental face lift, introducing towering high-rise apartments and chicly designed shopping plazas to rival those of Paris, Tokyo and New York City. There are more plans to introduce casinos (”integrated resorts”) and a Formula One race track — all for the sake of drawing more tourists to Singapore and boosting the country’s economy.

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But in 1989, one brave woman who we now know as Wangari Maathai, dared the then Daniel arap Moi government at the same park and took a heavy beating, spending time in hospital. Then and now, Uhuru Park, has been the darling of environmentalists and politicians in Nairobi alike. For politicians, it is where declarations on Grand Marches to Freedom have been made to the people; for environmentalists, Nairobi’s only serene recreational public park with an artificial pond, is too valuable for just being a talkshop. It is where Freedom for the Planet, ala Wangari Maathai, began. She almost single handedly stopped the Moi regime from putting up a 60 story business complex as a gift to the ruling KANU party and the world noticed her work that started in 1977 with the formation of the Green Belt Movement, a grassroots environmental non profit.

The Face of Environmentalism in Africa
Maathai is the face of environmentalism in Africa. No other African environmental activist has won as many accolades, including the Goldman Environmental Prize, as she has and when she in 2004 bagged the Nobel Peace Prize for her lifetime struggles and achievements for a greener Africa and the world her countrymen and women thought one of their own had finally been recognized by the global community. Shalini Ramanathan, a clean energy advocate, writing in Grist calls her “outspoken, accomplished and passionate” about the environment and what she stands for. The British Broadcasting Corporation has called her a leading campaigner on social matters.

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In the first week of February, we explored and compared methods of public transportation around the world.

This week, from February 18-24, we’d like to introduce a topic that’s a little more personal. How do people in different nations view the environment and environmentalists?

To help answer this question, our correspondents around the world will shed light on four areas:

• traditional cultural views: how different cultures see nature and the environment
• attitudes on the street: what the average person has to say about environmentalists
• levels of activism: how environmentally active people are in a particular country
• motivation: what local environmental issues are making people talk

Hopefully, over the course of the week, we will have a better appreciation of the emerging environmental consciousness around the world.

We also hope to bring you, our reader, eye to eye with people of many nationalities to explore what environmental issues motivate each of us to care and inspire us to take action.

As always, please freely contribute your thoughts and observations as we explore attitudes toward the environment and environmentalists around the world.