Things That Make You Go Hmm.
Being Green

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment f or ...future generations."
She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truely recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.

But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Oh, this brings back memories. I too remember the paper grocery bags as well as bringing re-usable nylon or cloth sacks to the grocery store for heavier items.

We re-used so many things when I was young (still do). Before the age of plastic, most products came in glass, metal, cardboard or paper packaging. Glass jars and bottles that contained condiments or products like shampoo, cardboard and metal canisters of food/beverage ingredients and even heavy paper wrapping all were reused to either store other products or were refilled with similar items. Some product containers were even designed for that purpose.

When we were kids, we either went home for lunch on foot or on our bikes to eat real food; or it was taken to school in a lunch box. Our boxed lunches usually consisted of a sandwich wrapped in wax paper, some fruit and maybe a home made cookie, along with a thermos of milk or juice. It was not a collection of overly packaged 'snack food' and sugar based drinks purchased from a supermarket, vending machine or a fast food outlet.

The interesting thing with all the re-cycling programs is that it actually costs more in fossil fuels and other resources to re-cycle most items than to produce them new.
There is a huge difference to our planet, our resources and our economies between re-using and re-cycling.

QUOTE: "Our biggest mistake is thinking that recycling saves energy. In actuality it increases energy use in transporting, sorting and cleaning. You cannot recycle without the latter mentioned uses of energy. It is a fact that it cost more to recycle a plastic water bottle than to produce a new one."
http://voices.yahoo.com/recycling-sc...520.html?cat=9

With love, Erika

Yes Erika, I agree with all you say, but remember, recycling is not to save money, but to save our world from more plastic bottles.

Thanks KK..soooo funny and so true.

In our area they don't recycle anymore. It all goes with the regular garbage. Not sure why that is but that's how it is here. We still reuse many things. We still use nylon or cloth bags when we get groceries and there are paper bags as well. The plastic bags we get we do reuse as well.

Think of all those throwaway diapers. We used cloth diapers, rinsed them good, washed them and hung them out or used the dryer. Not a problem as they were used over and over again and I never minded washing, drying and folding them. That's a long time ago now. Couldn't afford the throwaway kind anyway.

We also drink well water with no problem. We do not buy any water. We used to when we traveled so that we had the same kind of water. But that's awhile ago now too.

I take reusable bags to the grocery store. I use a water filter on my faucet so as to eliminate the plastic water bottles. Those two things are more for my ease and convenience, though. With my numb hands it's easier to carry those cloth bags that have the handles. It's also easier for me to hold a plastic cup than it is to hold a bottle or glass.

I've got 3 recycle bins that I can put out with the garbage. A separate truck comes to pick that up. I really can't see the benefit with another truck running around but I do put out cardboard boxes for them as they are so big and won't fit in the garbage container. The amount of household recycling I do doesn't add up to much......and certainly not worth a weekly pickup. I guess large families might have alot.

I guess I do what's easiest for me at this point in my life. I try not to waste things. I think I'm doing the most good by not driving a car and polluting the air.

Not having ever been a mother, I know I shouldn't address the diaper thing, but the fact is, a few generations ago both parents weren't usually required to work to make a living. One income was enough to run a household.

In recent years, however, both parents have to work--and women don't have the time or energy to wash stacks of diapers when they're also holding down a full-time job.

The same is true for a lot of the time-saving things we use now; a few decades ago, there was usually a parent home full-time to take care of things like cooking. Now, convenience has become worth it's weight in gold, whether it's in the form of disposable diapers or TV dinners.

It's not about progress; its about income not keeping up with inflation. It's about a high cost of living that makes it necessary for both parents to have a full-time job, in addition to parenting. Unfortunately, many of our modern-day "convenience" practices aren't good for the environment. Likewise, some of them (like fast food) aren't ultimately good for ourselves, either, regardless of how helpful--or tasty--they might be!

Both my parents worked full time on the farm. And my Mom did all the housework besides going to the barn, the field, baking, washing clothes, diapers, all the rest, etc. And of course all the clothes, diapers, sheets, etc. were hung outside on the clothesline. This was true even in the winter. I did my chores in the barn and the field as well from the time I was 12 years old. And that's a long time ago.

In my time I also had a full time job and did the housework, cooking (very seldom TV dinners and very seldom fast food) and the diaper washing and three kids. Now I don't know how I did it but I could, did and had to. Just how it was. I had to watch what I spent really close. Thank goodness CMT symptoms were not there yet.

Seriously, hats off to you, Kitt. A lot of people--including myself--couldn't have handled that kind of a work load, even if they had to! But I think it's admirable that you were able to keep your family going under such stressful, work-intensive conditions.

I am no martyr. My posting was not intended to come off that way. It is just how it was. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who had to do what they had to do and did it. You do find an inner strength and you just do it. When I think back on it all I really do not know how I did it. But
I am a survivor. I do thank you for your post.

Very much agree with you on that Kitt. Times and cercumstances were different...and most of us have evolved according to current times and circumstances.

Perhaps some things that allow greater convenience and time saving have been introduced as a matter of necessity; but I'm glad that some of the 'less impactful on the environment' ways of doing things have stood the test of time .

With love, Erika