Pause for thought

I read this on another place I visit, and decided it was too good to pass it by.

In the line at the supermarket, 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 checkout 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, pop bottles and beer bottles to the shop. The shop 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 grocers and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go half a mile.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's nappies 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 Wales .

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 petrol 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 tap when we were thirsty instead of 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 bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums 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 `older` person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person.,
well what do you think

Re: Pause for thought

Very good, and true. Out generation was probably green without realising it

Re: Pause for thought

Yes, very good Aitch

I'd like to know when are they going to bring back the good old paper bags...

Re: Pause for thought

I've seen this one before and its all sooo true

Re: Pause for thought

Oh yes Mags. I remember shopping for Mum in the greengrocers and everything was put in paper bags and twisted at the ends

Aitch - so very true! Also there was one car (if that) per family.

Re: Pause for thought

I've never read that before and, as everybody else has said, it's so true.

Our mums didn't have washing machines either, relying on the old dolly tub and posser stick, and then hand-mangled using a heavy piece of equipment.

Re: Pause for thought

This was a new one to me, loved it; so true!

Re: Pause for thought

I've never read this before either - good one and true....

Re: Pause for thought

Very true Aitch to name but a few 'savings'
Here are few more, very little was wasted when we were young.
..worn jumpers were darned or if too worn the wool was unravelled and used again to knit garments,
..socks were darned,
..old dresses were turned into aprons and patchwork,
..old clothes into rugs or polishing cloths,
..buttons and press studs were cut off old clothes and went in the button box,
..jamjars were used time and time again,
..shoes were mended by the cobbler,
..sheets were cut in half and the outer edge turned inwards,
..newspapers folded to make fire lighters.

Re: Pause for thought

My Dad used to mend all our shoes, stick rubber on the soles and hammer a Blakey into the heels...