That "green thing"!

[Moondog Wily]

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 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."

The older lady said that she was right our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day. The older lady went on toexplain: 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 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 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.

 

[Black Plaid]

This "older" person was not a boomer then, they had to be something like 95 years old. The boomers definitely started the plastic and gasoline machine boom. Their parents certainly had the experience related here, but they threw that all away with their advent of the disposable society.

Growing up I never saw a street car, or reusable bottles. TV's had giant power sucking vacuum tubes, even if the screen was the size of a hardback book.

I am sitting in my living room, a house built in 1969, the height of the boomer gen construction, there are no less than 10 double outlets in this room alone.

This "story" is so full of it.

 

[The Steady]

Feeling better?

 

[Tony M.]

"WE ARE DESTROYING THE PLANET!!!!!!!!"

Humans...

The monumental ego we humans have...

We are nothing.

Correct me if I am mistaken about this.
Every time a volcano erupts it spits more crap into
the air than all the cars on the planet do in a year.
Not a day goes by without a volcano spewing someplace on the planet.
The planet is doing fine and will someday decide to get rid of it's latest
annoying little skin rash.
That would be us.
"We are destroying the environment"
No.
We are screwing up OUR environment and may make life FOR US impossible.
Skin rash cured.
The planet will still be here and other life will bloom and flourish.
It has happened before.
It will happen again.
The planet is doing just fine thank you.
Ask the dinosaurs.

 

[AP515]

I'm especially leery of the Green crowd, when they fudge the temperature data in order to make it fit their own models, and then claim the world will be uninhabitable in the next 10 years. You hold no credibility after such "science".

 

[Moondog Wily]

Just to be clear, this post was not intended to spark a debate about environmental issues, it was meant to instill a respect that is often absent for individuals of another era. The original story has a young person throwing shade at an older person for not having her own grocery bags, claiming that her generation is part of a problem, when in reality, that person came from an era where a lot less damage was being done by humans to their host!

As a child, I did return the Diet Pepsi 8 pack glass bottles twice a week when I went to the store (2 blocks away that I walked to and they also would sell me the Salem 100 cigarettes for my mom) to get my mom a fresh 8 pack of diet Pepsi. The two houses I grew up in did have the single outlet per room syndrome (both of them built in the 1920's), and we had outlet splitters plugged into outlet splitters to give us enough receptacles for the devices we had at that time. I also worked in a bar at the age of 9 on Sat and Sun mornings cleaning up and restocking coolers, filling the return cases with the empty beer bottles, etc. I also as a child (and I am decades away from being 95), hung the laundry on the line to dry, and still do to this day (in part because I live in a climate that allows me to do so year round). And believe me when I say, I can afford a clothes dryer if I want one, but only miss it occasionally (when I want something dried quickly). I have been taking my own reusable straws (stainless steel or glass) to restaurants since 2014 before the turtles had their day in the cancellation movement simply because it was a small step I recognized I could take to reduce my carbon footprint. Just two nights ago, at my favorite local Mexican restaurant, the friend/bartender came out to the table with my second drink in a new glass. I said to her, "You are off your game today". She said "Oh, I forgot". What she forgot is I always ask them to reuse my glass. My 82 year old friend who I and my girlfriend were there with asked me why I wanted to reuse the glass. I explained to her that, there is no need to create the extra dishes. The extra dishes use extra energy to be cleaned and are a waste IMO. I am not a total tree huger, although I was arrested in the park when 17 for hugging a tree while tripping on mushrooms (in the park after hours was the charge) ;~)) I do believe however that small steps by humans could make our host a lot happier. I have owned Suburbans, a 1960 Cadillac, drive these days an Xterra that gets 17mpg, love my Harley Davidson's, etc. and am willing to take advantage of today's modern conveniences and luxuries, but try to take steps to reduce my footprint in many elements of my life (guitars are one of my exceptions). None of what I do is going to make a single iota of difference on a planetary level, but I feel better about my existence in taking those steps. And that is what my life is all about, making me happy!!!

That said, carry on! Hope it does not turn into a "24 hours in" thread ;~))

 

[Black Plaid]

As with all things, there *are* nuances, I was just frustrated by the holier-than-thou tone.

 

[Black Plaid]

Feeling better?

Not really, the world is on fire and we have no one but ourselves to blame.

 

[dogrocketp]

This "older" person was not a boomer then, they had to be something like 95 years old. The boomers definitely started the plastic and gasoline machine boom. Their parents certainly had the experience related here, but they threw that all away with their advent of the disposable society.

Growing up I never saw a street car, or reusable bottles. TV's had giant power sucking vacuum tubes, even if the screen was the size of a hardback book.

I am sitting in my living room, a house built in 1969, the height of the boomer gen construction, there are no less than 10 double outlets in this room alone.

This "story" is so full of it.

I am, like 70 years old, and everything in the story has been true in my lifetime. So I’m not 95, and we did live differently. And by the way, I live in our Nation’s Capitol, not some “backwater, podunk” town, so don’t go there either. Every house wasn’t built in the 60’s , and I still use public transportation.

 

[AP515]

I am, like 70 years old, and everything in the story has been true in my lifetime. So I’m not 95, and we did live differently. And by the way, I live in our Nation’s Capitol, not some “backwater, podunk” town, so don’t go there either. Every house wasn’t built in the 60’s , and I still use public transportation.

Hey, what's wrong with backwater podunk towns? "We still wave old glory down at the courthouse"...

 

[Deadloak]

I am, like 70 years old, and everything in the story has been true in my lifetime. So I’m not 95, and we did live differently. And by the way, I live in our Nation’s Capitol, not some “backwater, podunk” town, so don’t go there either. Every house wasn’t built in the 60’s , and I still use public transportation.

60 here, and remember no Central heating, and bathing in a metal tub in front of the open fire.
Windows used to ice up on the 'inside' of the house
Not all was great and green back, then, nor were we to blame.
Just consider the Victorians and the industrial revolution, that was the biggest catalyst for climate change.
It's very easy to target any generation after that, as the perpetrators of global warming, but that snowball was already heading down the hill.

If it wasn't for the Victorians we wouldn't have progressed enough for people to to jump on #ecobandwagons.
But due to global progress, it is time to balance things, and there is nothing new about paper bags and refilling containers.
My generation did it, and I'm after the baby boomers

 

[aphantomvaper]

PRS does a pretty good job of reusable waste. I think they are also close to zero emissions.

Had to throw some PRS content in there

 

[Bill SAS 513]

I, uh, just purchased land in a “backwater, podunk” town...retirement beckons...
and "We still wave old glory down at the courthouse"... (Love me some BP.)

 

[László]

This "older" person was not a boomer then, they had to be something like 95 years old. The boomers definitely started the plastic and gasoline machine boom. Their parents certainly had the experience related here, but they threw that all away with their advent of the disposable society.

Growing up I never saw a street car, or reusable bottles. TV's had giant power sucking vacuum tubes, even if the screen was the size of a hardback book.

I am sitting in my living room, a house built in 1969, the height of the boomer gen construction, there are no less than 10 double outlets in this room alone.

This "story" is so full of it.

Not disagreeing, but no one should be pointing fingers at each other, instead people ought to be cooperating to solve problems. I know this is your sentiment, too.

There are pros and cons to the boomer generation. On the one hand, we are wasteful. On the other hand, our kids are even more wasteful, largely for the very same reasons we were and are wasteful, despite the fact that we have been recycling since the '70s. So we've had recycling bins. Big deal. We also make mountains of other garbage.

I do remember streetcars; we had them in Detroit, but I was a little guy when they were taken out of service and replaced by diesel buses. However, they were bought by the City of Los Angeles and used for years!

I did walk about a mile to my elementary and middle schools. My parents didn't drive me. There were no school buses in Detroit then. I took a city bus to high school, a magnet school in Downtown Detroit, because it was probably ten miles away.

We had a milkman who left bottles of milk at our place and took the empties away, until probably the early '70s.

TVs were vacuum tube TVs, but there were TV repairmen to fix them when they broke, and people didn't throw theirs away. And we had exactly one TV in the house! Definitely less waste, in spite of the tubes.

But this was all when we were kids. We were different as adults. Why? Because we could afford more stuff. Two working parents? Not unusual for us. More disposable income? Certainly. Cheaper imported products? You bet, and we bought 'em up like candy and still do. So, I see, do my kids.

I don't feel like seeing my generation take too much blame.

The boomer generation ALSO started the Green Movement. 'Save the Whales' and all that stuff that's now a cliche.

I see a next generation that, if anything, is taking our wastefulness a step further. F'rinstance, boomers never felt it necessary to walk around with plastic water bottles. That concept simply never existed for us. Our kids do that. Constantly.

The boomer generation followed many of their parents and moved out of cities into suburbs. In my suburb - a trendy and expensive place to live, by the way - there were no sidewalks! There was no way for our kids to get to school except by school bus, and to safely visit their friends we had to drive them. It was dangerous to do otherwise, at least until they were old enough to ride their bikes to friends' homes.

However, the boomers who run my suburb are finally installing sidewalks, and there's construction in front of my place even as I write this to put them in.

Yes, my generation bought lots more TVs for their places because (a) they were cheap, and (b) two income families had more money to burn.

I built a house in 1980. We didn't know much about energy efficiency, and there was lots of glass, but also not many AC outlets. However, I don't see the next generation changing that at all. My daughter's new house has a staggering number of outlets. She needs them. She and her kids buy lots of TVs, computers, and other electric gadgets, and have (and need) tons of outlets in their new houses. They have more gadgets than I do. Their kids have more gadgets than I do, plus cell phones in elementary school (to reduce their parents' worries, but still), plus lots of things that seem downright crazy to me. Hell, I have a recording studio, and the kids have more gadgets! That's...I dunno...it seems typical.

Sure, they recycle. But they also drive their kids around in giant three-row SUVs that are quite a bit larger and heavier than any car I ever owned or would consider owning. One of my younger friends just bought one similar to it. I don't see too many people in the next generation wringing their hands over this, or changing behaviors.

Why do they get these giant, heavy trucks to drive car pools? Because the minivans built on lighter, compact car platforms that we boomers had aren't cool. Period. There's certainly no added functionality, at least for the young families I know. I did just see an article saying that minivans are making a comeback.

Yes, there are a few green people. There have always been a few. But most simply want the government to do something about it, and take no action themselves.

So it's on all of us. Not just boomers. I'm sitting here on a computer instead of publishing a book or writing letters. You are, too. I get my news online instead of in a recyclable newspaper. I see my kids having the TV on, not even paying attention to it, because their cellphones are in their hands and they stare at them constantly while they text friends or shop, or do whatever the hell they do. I don't know for sure because I don't look over their shoulders. Their kids are on devices. I have no idea what they do, either. We're communicating, via electronic devices, about electric guitars that require amplification, when most of the people here play by themselves in their basements or dens or bedrooms and don't even need anything more than an acoustic to make music.

Why? Because we can. So we do.

This is one hell of an electronic, throwaway culture, the next generation is far less successful at curbing waste than we were. It's amazing, really. It seems that we---most of us, not just older people --- never learn our lessons. It's always on the other guy.

So, let's just stop, look around, and think.

There's a problem. It's on all of us. Fingerpointing is not the way forward.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Well put, Les...
my 2 cents...actually, probably worth less than that...well, just 'cuz its me.

Everyone just needs to make an effort. Whether that's a BIG effort, or small effort is up to them, personally. Without the shaming and crap that some feel necessary to spew forth. Mine is, and actually always has been recycling.
Now I'm hearing that the entire recycling process is bad for the environment. Unfortunately, there will ALWAYS be someone to pi$$ on your cornflakes. If you really dig deep enough, you can usually find a fault with many of today's topics.
But...I'll continue to recycle, turn my lights off when I leave a room, and actually sit and talk to my family. When we eat, cell phones are turned off. Oh, there have been lengthy, loud discussions about the cell phone rule, and I honestly don't care.
Some of my favorite childhood memories are sitting down for dinner, and actually talking to my entire family. I am one of 6 kids, and my wife is one of seven, so we are die-hard "family-first" kind of people.

Oh, and my wife and I just purchased a 4WD gas truck for our property in the mountains, mostly out of necessity, but slightly for the fun of it. So I'm actually kinda breaking even with the recycling, I guess?????

And don't even get me started on where I think "music" is going... LOLOL

OXOXOX,
A Crankity old ba$tard. (57 years young)

 

[veinbuster]

I think the best way to be green is to wear stuff out.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I think the best way to be green is to wear stuff out.

Can you not be green by being naked?

 

[veinbuster]

Can you not be green by being naked?

Only after you’ve worn out all the clothes you already bought.

 

[László]

Can you not be green by being naked?

It's good to know that I shower green, then.

"Not if you're wasting water, and, by the way, is showering the only naked thing you still do at this point, geezer?"

"What, you're putting me on the spot in front of all these people?!?! What you're talking about is personal!"

 

[alantig]

Can you not be green by being naked?

You can. Especially when you’re like a struggling college - under-endowed.