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  1. TopTop #1
    Sara S's Avatar
    Sara S
    Auntie Wacco

    the"green thing"

    Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't havethis '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 for future generations." The older lady said that she was right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day.

    The older lady went on to explain: 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 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 school books. 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 throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220volts. 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 "greenthing" 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 oldnewspapers 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 blade 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 in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the"green thing." 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?

    Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart ass young person. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.
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  3. TopTop #2
    Shandi's Avatar
    Shandi
     

    Re: the"green thing"

    This is really wonderful, and I will share it far and wide....with old and young friends who need to be reminded of these truths before the "green thing" was popular. Thank you!

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Sara S: View Post
    Checking out at the store, ...
    Last edited by Barry; 04-21-2015 at 01:50 PM.
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  4. TopTop #3

    Re: the"green thing"

    I love this. I've read it before but not for awhile so great to read it again. So thanks.

    I still wash out and store every glass jar that comes my way like my gramma taught me back before everything came in throw away plastic, use cardboard containers for seed starters, wash and reuse whatever plastic fork/spoon comes my way. What about you?

    Lilith

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Sara S: View Post
    Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't havethis '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 for future generations." The older lady said that she was right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day....
    Last edited by thedaughter; 04-21-2015 at 01:06 PM.
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  6. TopTop #4
    Shandi's Avatar
    Shandi
     

    Re: the"green thing"

    Lilith,

    My last job was with a woman in her late 80's, and she did what you do, but not only with glass containers, but every food container.and every box. She had lived in her last house about 25 years, and the garage was nearly stacked to the ceiling with these "recycled" containers. It was a challenge to get at other things, and not tip those precious containers over. I tried to organize them once, and received an angry reprimand. I wasn't even going to actually recycle them, but re-stack them in a way that they weren't so vulnerable to tipping and spilling over. The rooms in her house had "pathways" among other "saved" items.

    The counter space I had to prepare food, was only an area of about 15"x17". Her sister commented once, that she didn't know how I did it. It seems we all find a way around obstacles when necessary.

    Those who save like she did, need a place to "store" their recycling. Her home became a storage unit. She also ordered several of one item, rather than just one or even two, so there were boxes of vitamins and other items in "inventory". Since it was impossible to know what she had, she would just order more, since she was financially able to do this.

    For those seniors with these carry over habits, who now live in small apartments or rent a room, this habit can really be an undesirable way to live. And a real headache for those we leave behind. Eventually they will have to go.

    Either way can take us out of balance. How many containers can we actually use at one time? Our refrigerators have limited space, even if we have two. If we were able to bring our containers back for refills, that would be different. I love that Taylor Maid coffee has this system!

    So, let me ask, if I may, since you've been doing this for many years, and I'm assuming you're in your 70's or more, where do you store all these containers?


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by LRogers: View Post
    I love this. I've read it before but not for awhile so great to read it again. So thanks. I still wash out and store every glass jar that comes my way like my gramma taught me...
    Last edited by thedaughter; 04-21-2015 at 01:07 PM.
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