The Green Thing

[momcat]

This is going around the office, definitely something to think about...

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He 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 were really recycled.

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

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 throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand new clothing. But the old 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 newspaper 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 plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled 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 street car or 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 2000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza 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?

[lizbud]

Amen sister. Something to think about.

[Taz_Zoee]

That's very cool! Never thought about all that.

[happylabs]

How very true.

I miss the good old days when life was simple. I had so much fun as a kid riding my bike, playing with my dog and just being a kid. I never got to watch what I wanted on our one TV because I had two older brothers.

[Medusa]

Love it and I'm going to share it.

[Asiel]

After reading this I realized just how true it is. Thinking back I can honestly say we were better at recycling than most people today and we didn't have the green thing back then. I can't remember seeing empty jars in the trash,our moms washed and sterilized them to use when they made preserves...today we wash them and throw them in the recycle box...lots of other things were reused also.

[Marigold2]

Yes times have changed.
How long I wonder will it take all the billions upon billions of poopy diapers water bottles, old Tubberwear and the millions of other plastic items we have sent to the land fills to finally break down.
Plastic is a marvel, a wonder, a lifesaver, a miracle and a very harmful thing to Mother Earth.

[Vette]

Im a bit young to remember those things my parents have mentioned whats been listed though. including people growing their own fruit an making their own jam like my grandma

but even at the age of 29 i notice some differences already. the word 'play' meant doing something outside back then. not sitting down in front of a computer or video game console. also back then Oreo cookies an soda pop of all kinds were available in the vending machines at school.

gasoline an etc. was a lot cheaper too

[Medusa]

back then Oreo cookies an soda pop of all kinds were available in the vending machines at school.

And there is one of the main differences. Vending machines in school? Never! We weren't allowed to eat anything, even chewing gum, except in the cafeteria (we still weren't allowed gum there either) but in elementary school, we were sent home for lunch. I don't know how much gasoline was when I was a kid but when I became a teenager it was around $.32 a gallon. Can you imagine?

[momcat]

Love it and I'm going to share it.

Please feel free to share this, Mary, and anyone else so inclined.

The reason I shared this with all of you is first of all it's spot on true and second it brought back memories of a happier time. I remember my Mom sending me to the store to return empty bottles and letting me keep the nickle deposit given back. My late grandmother did a lot of canning and always sent us home with absolutely delicious homemade jam, pickles, and fruits reminding us to bring the Mason jars back next trip up to see her. We kids lived on our bikes and sometimes pretended they were horses. TV time was strictly limited to after dinner and homework then Saturday morning cartoons. Childhood obesity wasn't a problem because we kids were outside in the fresh air playing ball, riding bikes, playing tag and how many outdoor games did we make up as we went along? As I recall, we were never bored!

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

[Karen]

Yes times have changed.
How long I wonder will it take all the billions upon billions of poopy diapers water bottles, old Tubberwear and the millions of other plastic items we have sent to the land fills to finally break down.
Plastic is a marvel, a wonder, a lifesaver, a miracle and a very harmful thing to Mother Earth.

It does, however, many kinds of plastic recycle well, burn well, and so places with 'waste to energy converters" (we used to call them incinerators) can take care of it that way ... and yes, there are scrubbers on their smokestacks, worry not. We recycle all our plastic bottles and nearly anything else we can.

[Vette]

And there is one of the main differences. Vending machines in school? Never! We weren't allowed to eat anything, even chewing gum, except in the cafeteria (we still weren't allowed gum there either) but in elementary school, we were sent home for lunch. I don't know how much gasoline was when I was a kid but when I became a teenager it was around $.32 a gallon. Can you imagine?

We too werent allowed to eat except for in the cafeteria. gum chewing was allowed except for in class an if the older kids lived close enough to walk or ride their bike an make it back before the class bell they could go off campus to get lunch or stay an eat the school food.

however i dont remember vending machines being there up until high school an also dont remember the gas prices but i cheated an used this site for an idea of thens an nows.

but wow $.32 a gallon... where has the time gone

[Vette]

Another thing thats true

[Lady's Human]

That's debatable.

Concensus, volume and mass media support do not equal fact.

[dab_20]

Love this. Not quite old enough to understand...

However, even though I'm 19, just the past 10 years have changed a lot with the things children do. It could also because I'm now living in a big city instead of the middle of nowhere... hehe. But I used to stay outside from the minute I woke up until dinner time, riding my bike, playing in the woods with my friends, going down to the river near my house. Now-a-days parents have to practically entertain their kids. Or they're sitting in front of the tv or computer all day. 8 years olds with cell phones? Are you KIDDING me?

My kids aren't going to be like that. I'll lock them out of the house if I have to. haha