If we in the US magically changed all the technology from Europe's or Japan's rail system with ours, but not the people running them and their culture, in Europe and Japan they'd have their now crappy trains on crappy tracks to dilapidated stations running on time and the US would have its now super-advanced trains running late and missing stops. If we changed the people instead but not the equipment, the US would start running its trains on time and Europe's and Japan's would run late.
Think of that next time someone tries to solve a social problem like the environment with technology. If I had to pick one, I'd take a culture of stewardship over technological solutions any day. I'd rather have both, but regarding living sustainably, American culture needs fixing, not technology. Our technological innovations exacerbate our cultural problems because technology augments the values of the people and culture wielding it. In the US, that means waste.