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 for 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 truly 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 scribbling. 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?
Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for 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 truly 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 scribbling. 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?
Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.
__________________
"What one believes they are, they will become!
What do you believe"?
**********
Cate,
ReplyDeleteAs I alluded to in "that other forum", this is a great testament and reminder that we should always consider all perspectives when forming opinions about "the other guys".
Thanks again for sharing this,
Scott
Dear Scott,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment on this post. I think this is a good read (with ironic/humor) for anyone, young and old alike. I hope more people see this and respond. As we are in a world were we get so much flack from groups like Greenpeace etc. everything we touch must be with "green" intent now. To me, it's kind of like a "Save the whales, but abort the babies", mentality.
Cate,
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought, it's hard to imagine whales, or even baby seals as more adorable to the modern conscience than the the human variety.
Thanks Again,
Scott
This was an interesting read, people really were more conservative back then.
ReplyDeleteI think solar energy is a good thing and it's slowly increasing in popularity there are small communities here that operate on just solar. Solar energy will break the monopoly of oil eventually.
Just give it time.
I agree, we rode bicycles or walked everywhere we went. Most families only had one car. When I was growing up we didn't have a bath tub, so we would fill up pans with water and warm them on the stove, and then all of us kids would take turns having a bath in a portable metal tub, with the same water.
ReplyDeleteBut we didn't have the green thing back then.
Thanks, fun story, great memories!
Jim
Funny you should mention about the bath tub. When Scott and I first got together, he lived on a 27 acre property without running water. So we had to fill up the turkey fryer kettle with water and heat them on the turkey fryer burner and add cold water from the spring for the balance. We also took turns but being's that I was the woman, I always got to go first. This was also a daily ordeal, but it really wasn't bad. We seem to be so accustomed to having the easy life, that anything less, is considered of an ignorant person. Between you , me and the fence post, we our parents and Grandparents, are the one's who made America great. I don't think when we started the recycling process, that it was properly used. Now there are things that cannot seem to be recycled. Thanks for the comments Jim, they are always greatly appreciated. If you have any other questions, I intend to put up a comments and queries only section as well in the future.
ReplyDeleteAlways,
Cate
Cool piece here, Cate, with a lot of good, solid points.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can point out is that your rhythem get's thrown off from time to time. Sometimes detail derailed it, other times you deviated from the topic.
But all in all very enjoyable.
here's the review ...
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...
WRONG PLACE FOR THAT KIND OF THING! FIRE THAT CHICK! WHOA, SORRY, GUT REACTION, LET'S SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT...
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 for future generations."
AND... FIRE THAT CHICK!
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 scribbling. 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.
PICKED UP STEAM EARLY BUT LOST SOME TWICE. THE FIRST TIME CAME WHEN YOU WENT INTO DETAIL ABOUT WHY YOU COVERED THE BOOKS AND HOW YOU COULD CUSTOMIZE THEM. WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WAS THIS:
... TO USE BROWN PAPER BAGS AS SCHOOL BOOKS TO ENSURE THEY WEREN'T DEFACED BY OUR SCRIBBLINGS.
JUST MY OPINION, BUT THE EXPLANATION INTERRUPTS THE FLOW OF A VERY GOOD POINT.
TRUE, CERTAIN PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW WHY SOMEONE WOULD DO THAT WITH A BOOK, THE REND THESE DAYS HAS BEEN TO OUTRIGHT BUY THE BOOK. BUT I THINK MOST PEOPLE WILL STILL GET THE MESSAGE, THAT PEOPLE WASTED LESS IN THOSE DAYS. AT LEAST IN THAT WAY.
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.
I COULD SEE WHY YOU'D HATE TO LOSE THAT GREAT LINE ABOUT WIND AND SOLAR POWER REALLY DOING THE DRYING. BUT AGAIN, I RECOMMEND KEEPING IT PUNCHY.
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. I'D KEEP IT AT ONE TV AND ONE RADIO,
I'D LOSE THE BITS ABOUT "NOT A TV IN EVERYONE ROOM" AND "REMEMBER HOW SMALL THE SCREEN WAS?" THE FORMER POINT WAS ALREADY MADE IN THE ONE TV AND ONE RADIO SENTENCE. ( GREAT POINT BY THE WAY.)
THE FORMER IS SOMETHING I'M TORN ON. ON ONE HAND I'D PERSONALLY LEAVE IT OUT. ON THE OTHER? IT ADDS A WARM AND FRIENDLY VOICE TO THE PIECE.
BUT I'D LOSE THE 'SIZE OF MONTANA LINE BECAUSE IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, TODAY'S TV'S USE LESS ELECTRICITY DESPITE THE SCREEN SIZE.
Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.
STRONG FINISH.
Sorry Rooster,
ReplyDeleteI didn't write this, only posted an anonymous piece that was given to me by my daughter. It's only to show others that there is another side to this "green thing" and that we didn't (our generation) make the mess of things that new age'rs claim we did.
Always, and thanks for the review anyway.
Cate
And...I have more to add. Just little fun Christian things.
ReplyDelete