The Green Thing

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."

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 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?

Ain't it the truth

Its all about the money. All trails go back to the almighty dollar.

When I was growing up in the 50's, all the talk was how future modern appliances would make life so eay, how automation of major manufacturing facilities would ease the load of workers.

Great, ain't it. The problem is, people have to work, at real jobs, making real things, making real money. Every time you see one of those shows on the Discovery Channel where there are Robots doing everything, ask yourself, "where are the people"? If we are not careful, Audous Huxley's Brave New World will be here much sooner than you think.

You think it is bad now? In Huxley's book, the Alpha Pluse's were at the top of the food chain. The Epsilon Minus Semi-Morons were at the bottom. Which do you think you will be as we shine each other's shoes and flip each others burgers.

You see, most of these "greenpeople", such as Al Gore and his ilk, see themselves at the top, where life would be good. Just like in the old Soviet Union where the system worked great for the few at the top. But there are few places at the top.

Get out your shine rag and your spatula.

When I was growing up in the 50's, all the talk was how future modern appliances would make life so eay, how automation of major manufacturing facilities would ease the load of workers.

Great, ain't it. The problem is, people have to work, at real jobs, making real things, making real money. Every time you see one of those shows on the Discovery Channel where there are Robots doing everything, ask yourself, "where are the people"? If we are not careful, Audous Huxley's Brave New World will be here much sooner than you think.

You think it is bad now? In Huxley's book, the Alpha Pluse's were at the top of the food chain. The Epsilon Minus Semi-Morons were at the bottom. Which do you think you will be as we shine each other's shoes and flip each others burgers.

You see, most of these "greenpeople", such as Al Gore and his ilk, see themselves at the top, where life would be good. Just like in the old Soviet Union where the system worked great for the few at the top. But there are few places at the top.

Get out your shine rag and your spatula. Originally Posted by Jackie S

I see a lot of automation and must point out one very big point. Without it, the few manufacturing jobs left in the US would already be in MX or PRC, it's that simple. The whole "green" movement is nothing but a marketing scam that's largely run it's course, these "causes" can only be popular when people aren't worried about how they're going to pay for their next IPad.

Wonderful post CC!

I can certainly relate to those days.

Remember reading/hearing somewhere that history doesn't remember a consumer society.

A study by researchers at the University of Arizona found that most reusable shopping bags harbor multiple harmful bacteria. E.coli was found in over 12 percent of the tested bags. Reusable bags are good for the environment but not so good for your family's health and safety. In a quick survey at a grocery store, 97 percent of shoppers admit that they have never washed their reusable bags.
Cross-contamination happens when meats, produce and pre-cooked foods are placed in soiled bags. And, if you use the bags on occasion as a diaper bag or gym bag, even more bacteria enters the food chain. Here are some tips on proper use of the bags:

• Shopping bags should be laundered after every use when carrying food just as you would launder a kitchen towel.
• Have more than one bag and label them as Meat, Produce, Dairy, Cleaning Supplies. Double bag any items that may leak.
• Use these bags only for carrying food - no gym clothes, diapers, chemicals or gardening supplies.
• Do not leave unwashed bags in your car. The heat is a perfect incubator for bacteria to multiply.

How to Launder Reusable Bags

Some bags have labels with instructions on how to launder. For those that do not, if the bag is a woven canvas bag launder in hot water with your usual detergent. These can be line dried or put into the dryer.
For bags that are made of composite man-made fibers like nonwoven polypropylene and recycled PET, hand wash or launder on the gentle cycle. When washing, turn them inside out and pay special attention to the nooks and crannies around the seams. These bags should never be put in the dryer on high heat. Allow them to air dry. Nylon bags should be laundered the same way.