The "Green thing"

[bogydave]

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag 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 dayâ€. The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.


It was called "reality" in those "olden" conservation days of the 50's, 60's and 70's

Back then, they returned their 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 recycled.

"But they didn't have the green thing back in the her day".

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

But she was right. “They didn't have the green thing in her dayâ€.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine
burning up 220 volts of 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 that old lady is right. “They didn't have the green thing back in her dayâ€.

Back then, they 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, not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you.

When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Brown grocery bags were saved. The brown wrapping to mail a package was the back side of the paper bags used to bring home the groceries. The brown paper bag had other uses. It was used as construction paper and other needs. Hardly anyone purchased "brown paper"

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right. “They didn't have the green thing back thenâ€.

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

“But they didn't have the green thing back thenâ€.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24 hour taxi service.

They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

Most people did not have air conditioning in houses, offices, or cars. Millions of kilowatt's Saved.

But she's right, "they didn't have the green thing back then" but they used less energy and went through less raw materials than the green thinking people will ever do.

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

 

[PapaDave]

One TV, in the living room. Black and white, then color somewhere around '65.
Before my time, one radio, in the living room. I did get a "transistor" radio when I was 12.
One telephone, sometimes a "party line". I had to ask to use ours. Rotary, then a few years later, push button.
So many things have changed, and will continue to do so.
I wonder if someone will tell that young man, in 40-50 years that his generation didn't do enough to prevent some "thing" deemed bad in 2050-2060?
Good post Dave.

 

[benjamin]

In those days agriculture, forestry and manufacturing were far more wasteful than they are now.

Now we're so responsible that we have all of that stuff done much more efficiently by some poor asian, so we're free to do things like... check out groceries! (and lecture old ladies?!?)

 

[Thistle]

Excellent post,bogydave.

 

[yooperdave]

bogy-we must be getting the same e-mails! saw that one just a bit ago...liked it...

 

[Adios Pantalones]

(stir, stir, stir)
Immense "Black Blizzards" rolled across the plains- at one point reaching east coast cities. 75% of the topsoil in some regions just "blew elsewhere". Hundreds of thousands were displaced and starved in large part because of old farming practices.

Oil was dumped in storm drains.
Industries polluted unchecked.
Love Canal lost that romantic spark.
Channels were cut across the Everglades, parts were drained and overworked.
Lead paint was used as a rule.
Animals were hunted to extinction, or darned close without regulation.
etc.
etc.

Let's face the fact that they were doing a lot of stuff that we really are paying for now. When a more wasteful way of doing things became available for less money, I think that former generations quickly embraced just about all of them.

The good old days are good because we remember the best parts!

edit: that's not to say that we do everything well now. Just that their motivations were practical and financial; they weren't living some lifestyle in harmony with nature.

 

[BrotherBart]

So driving that 1973 Pinto was all for nothing. Damn!

 

[bogydave]

So driving that 1973 Pinto was all for nothing. Damn!

Not for nothing, you helped start several fires with their exploding gas tanks.

 

[Thistle]

So driving that 1973 Pinto was all for nothing. Damn!

Not for nothing, you helped start several fires with their exploding gas tanks.

My oldest brother owned 2 of them at different times first was 1971 that was his first brand new car,2nd was a'73 I think that he grabbed as a beater/cheap transport to work in early '80's.First one he was hit 2 different times while stopped at stop sign at intersection.Amazingly neither time did it catch fire.We were all surprised he bought a 2nd one after the near misses,especially since all that info was just getting reported lol

 

[BrotherBart]

I totaled it when a young steel bellied home wrecker ran a red light going across an intersection and I T-boned her Buick. Only thing that wasn't hurt on the car was the gas tank. Replaced it with an 80 Pinto station wagon. Which we drove out here from Texas in 1985. And shipped the other car.

 

[midwestcoast]

Shoot, here I have to ask NOT to get a plastic bag at a store. Have to be quick to catch the cashier too. Doesn't matter what it is I'm buying either: a couple little do-dads? in a bag. A box with handles? in a bag. Even a bag goes in a bag if you don't say anything.

I agree though, the whole "green thing" is about making old ladies feel bad at the store & not about "reality" %-P Based on a sample-size of one fictional sanctimonious cashier of course.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I'll buy Doritos or something and request no bag. They say "Oh- OK" and I remind them "It already is a bag"

 

[btuser]

In those days agriculture, forestry and manufacturing were far more wasteful than they are now.

Now we're so responsible that we have all of that stuff done much more efficiently by some poor asian, so we're free to do things like... check out groceries! (and lecture old ladies?!?)

Industry became more efficient to survive. It's going to have to happen to the consumer as well, but that doesn't bode well for GDP.