They Didnt Have the Green Thing........:D

[thatsMRSc2u]

They did not have the green thing
In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
That's right; they didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But they didn't have the green thing back 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's right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

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 – 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 day.
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 pizza dish, 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 wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not story foam or plastic bubble wrap.

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 then.
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 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 then.
Back then, people took the streetcar 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.

But isn't it sad that they didn't have the green thing back then?

                                     ~~ldfrederickblog

[Roma Jean Turner]

Great post.  That pretty much says it all about the Green thing.

[Diane Amberg]

I remember those days too.The younger ones don't because those conspicuous consumption things were always there and the commercials tell you you "deserve"it. Parents always wanted their children to have more than they did. But they may learn very soon. When China finishes taking over our economy the old days will seem pretty good. But then again, disabled people were stuck inside and couldn't go anywhere where there were steps, including church. Diseases could be shared from public water fountains and supposedly it's cheaper to use plastic bottles than it is to wash and reuse glass ones.( I much prefer glass)...so who knows? I'd miss some of the convenience stuff but I don't have a lot of it as it is.

[twirldoggy]

I recently bought a cornbread mix that had a front lable of Easy Bake.  I was amazed that it contained a plastic bag to mix the egg, milk and dry mix.  After squeezing the bag, the contents were to be poured into a paper container that came in the box and then baked.  The idea of it was that the cook did not have to wash anything.   Wonder if this fits the green mentality?  

[Teresa]

I recently bought a cornbread mix that had a front lable of Easy Bake.  I was amazed that it contained a plastic bag to mix the egg, milk and dry mix.  After squeezing the bag, the contents were to be poured into a paper container that came in the box and then baked.  The idea of it was that the cook did not have to wash anything.   Wonder if this fits the green mentality? 

I wonder how many people actually put all of that stuff in a stupid bag and then try to squeeze it all out .. what a mess and the time it would take...... faster to make it all yourself and wash up the bowl..

[Diane Amberg]

Perhaps for camping? I remember thinking it was fun to pour the milk into the little individual cereal boxes and eat breakfast out under the apple trees in the spring.

[larryJ]

When my son and I went traveling and camping, his favorite was watching me slap a griddle pan on the old Coleman campstove and frying up some bacon and eggs at the same time.  He just loved the good ol' greasy eggs.  Life just didn't get much better than that for him.

Larryj

[Mom70x7]

Talked to a student the other day who thought baking from scratch meant cooking with the box mixes as opposed to buying the cake already baked from the store.     

[Diane Amberg]

And I had to beat the batter so many strokes with a spoon, no mixer. Weren't we abused?

[thatsMRSc2u]

  Lol, I still DO use a whisk to beat my cakes and a spoon to mix everything else even bread....I still use a clothesline...I wash my dishes by hand...I cook meals,  always have whether I was workin or not.....

 I love cookin on a fire Larry...best coffee in the world comes off a campfire!