The green thing

[802maple]

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should
bring her own grocery bag 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. The former generation did
not care enough to save our environment." He was right, that generation
didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their 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 they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer's 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 was 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 handkerchief, 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 a wadded up
old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam 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 their
writing 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 or a bus 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 the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks
were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

[tuckermtn]

amen brother...

[3rdgen.maple]

Thats about the best little story I hae read about The Green Age. If you hear a knock on your door dont answer it, Al Gore might of sent his goons over.

[KenWP]

I am pretty sure the garbage man thinks nobody lives at my place.We never have garbage that often.If it gets put out at the road once every two months it's in the summer when it's hot.

[TapME]

Nice 802 I remember those days. now one on penny candy would make my day better.

[Mapleman(Greg)]

I like the story and would like to use it is it copywrited
Greg

[markcasper]

Nice article, unfortunately they can say the same thing about us maple producers though, throwing away adaptors and check valves after one use.

[GramaCindy]

and the "NEW GENERATION" thinks they have it all figured out! HA…so much to learn from the older folks!

[802maple]

I like the story and would like to use it is it copywrited
Greg

I don't know it was sent to me through my e-mail.

[802maple]

Nice article, unfortunately they can say the same thing about us maple producers though, throwing away adaptors and check valves after one use.

Our older sugarmakers could definately say it, they used buckets over and over, cloth pre filters, and wool felts, just washed them and used them again year after year and so on and so on.

[Ausable]

Hi 802 - Kind of strange reading your post as it is about my generation. Growing up I thought I was living in the modern era - but - in many ways it was. One of my Grandmothers still made her own soap and cooked using pinches and hands full to measure with. My other Grandmother was a cook in Ontario and Michigan Logging camps. One of my Grandfathers ran and owned a General Store and the other Grandfather was a Printer setting type by hand and I thought they were very interesting people - but - old fashioned - Strange how they thought they grew up in a modern and enlightened era too. -----Ha---- The Green Movement -- Near as I can figure - it is a bunch of Hucksters moving our green to their pockets and nothing else.........

[802maple]

I remember when I first got old enough to work in the sugarbush ( today I would be much to young at 6 years old) around 48 years ago. We were tapping 3500 buckets, gathering with horses, boiling with wood without forced air, making somewhere around 800 gallons a year. We cut our 40 to 45 cords of wood with a old Terril chainsaw and split it by hand. We didn't have time to be tired and didn't need to go to the gym either. Now I complain about a hard days work of pulling on levers, pushing buttons and running pipeline looking for leaks. God, I wish I had the old days back.

[adk1]

interesting thread for sure. I was watching a documentary the other night about this couple who lived in the suburbs. no kids. they had a beautiful house, two new cars, two large wardrobes and all the gadgets you could think of that was out there they had. Then one lost their job and they were living on one income, albeit a six figure income. Rather than going back out to find that second six figure income in order to afford all of their luxeries, they decided to liquidate the luxeries and live a simplier life. It was interesting. From all of that, they ended up moving into the city to a smaller home (ride bike to work) and ended up with one economy car. No more cell phones, a simple wardrobe. In the end they "said" that they were much happier then before even though they had everything thing that anyone could possibly want.