A green Russia

I have a great interest in sustainability, and so I have been cataloging things that I see that are good ideas, and are green. While the imported, gas guzzling cars are the most obvious sign that people are not so interested in saving the environment in that way ($2.16 a gallon for premium might be the reason), I see plenty of other ways in which they work towards that goal. Lets start right here in the room that I am living in. While the building is built from concrete, it is incredibly warm. This is in part to the insulation (Styrofoam or fiberglass) between an inner and outer wall. This makes the building very unlikely to leak heat, which is a great start. In my room, although I think it is not that common, my windows are triple paned. This makes them much more efficient than single or even double paned windows.
Usually what I see are two separate windows with all of the seams taped to prevent the drafts from entering the room. I saw how benificial this was in my own home before leaving the USA. Maine is a cold state in the winter, and living in an old house, it was drafty. By blocking the draft from the windows, it made a significant difference in the temperature of the room. This was without really adding anything to boost the insulation of te room, just eliminating the leaks around the windows. Its the same idea with the tape around the windows here. It eliminates the leaks, making the heating systems not have to work as hard.
Another thing that I noticed in my apartment building is the instant hot water. You turn on the hot water, wait maybe 5-10 seconds, and its scorching hot. This saves water because there is no need to run the water endlessly to get it hot. Its really nice in the morning for a shower, as I can just climb in, its hot, and away we go.
The most obvious way that Russian in Moscow are helping to save the environment is by taking public transportation. While, yes, sometimes there are smelly, scary bums on the metro, for the most part, it is an incredibly efficient way to jet around the city. I have a feeling that it would be faster than car at just about any time. The also ride buses that run on electricity rather than gas, and if they were powered by clean power (unlikely) it would also be a great way to keep the air clean. I think that as the standard of living goes up in Moscow, the populace will demand more and more clean transportation, cleaner power generation, and cleaner air to breathe. Maybe I am just too much a product of American democracy where the people are allowed, and take every chance possible, to tell the government what they want, and that they are going to get it, or make life hell for whatever politician they have in their sights. Sadly, in Russia, the people do not have their voice yet. It does not help that there is not independent TV in Russia, as Putin has made all independent stations State-run TV. I think that change is on the way, however! These green ideas are just the start!!