Posted on 07/27/2011 7:01:13 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
Sent with nostalgia...
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 really were 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 that 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 a 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 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 2,000 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?
Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person.
Me either. :)
Now I wish I had bought more bundles. I learned something about white towels. Since they don’t have any dye in the cotton, they absorb more moisture than colored towels.
Panty hose make great garden ties.
I used to play with my Grandmothers button tin. I loved those buttons! The fun stopped when I “served” my sister a glass of them and she actually swallowed one. She choked, of course. I wasn’t allowed buttons again. Now honestly! Was it MY fault that my older sister “drank” one? ;-)
Yes, the EV whackos are bamming plastic bags in Austin. I hope Cedar Park and Leander don’t follow that trend.
That’s a good point, bgill! I guess they stretch as well. I may use that idea this Summer... I’ll put out some fishnets to get the neighbors talking, too! LOL!!
bamming = banning
I saw a special years ago about using landfills to make gas from trash. That’s true innovation. But that’s not what the greens are into. They want to break down society and control. If they can break businesses with regulations they can usher in socialism.
My Mom was nutz. I’m only a little crazy. :-)
That’s interesting. I prefer white so that I can see that they are clean.
I hear you. :)
Cantaloupe is a whole different ball game though. lol
We freeze meat in zip locks. I rinse them and reuse them for the litter box cleaning.
I like cantaloupe. I’m not crazy about honeydew, though will eat it once in a while.
I had a metal lunch box that had a little thermos in the top for hot or cold drinks. It eventually broke and I got a plastic one, but it got run over when I left it on my pickup bumper. I still pack my lunch every 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 recycled.”
And for the people who did throw their soda bottles out the car window, kids would come along, collect them, and turn them in for spending money.
I suppose it depends on the “old” person.
My MIL is absolutely the biggest waste of everything including space.
I won’t buy anything but cantaloupe.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.