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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." He 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? Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smarty pants young person. |
You got it!!!!!
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love it love it
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Wow, that is so true. My sister lived in a "modern" housing development where she was told "you cannot hang out wash here on a clothesline" I am afraid that many of the younger generation haven't a clue how to live frugally. One more note; most of our stuff was made here in the USA, not over packaged and shipped across an ocean. How green is that!
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You said it so well. We were greener back then than they can ever think of being today.
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Someone needs to tell the cashier that bringing your own bags isn't sanitary unless you wash them with every use, then the water use negates the savings to the environment. I need the plastic bags for picking up after dogs and various other non food uses, so mine are reused.
BTW, I see a lot more people of a mature age people trying to save the environment than younger ones around here. It bugs me to see anyone throw away aluminum cans, etc. |
Fantastic. I love it!
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Originally Posted by irishrose
Someone needs to tell the cashier that bringing your own bags isn't sanitary unless you wash them with every use, then the water use negates the savings to the environment. I need the plastic bags for picking up after dogs and various other non food uses, so mine are reused.
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:thumbup:
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I wish I lived close to his store. I would print out a copy of your outstanding comments and take it to this person and hold it in front of his eyes. How rude can some people be? :roll:
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Wonderful - I'm a young person... but I get it.
Also - so what about plastic bags? I use the ones from the store (which are usually made out of recycled plastic) and use them as garbage bags! |
Originally Posted by Keaghank
Wonderful - I'm a young person... but I get it.
Also - so what about plastic bags? I use the ones from the store (which are usually made out of recycled plastic) and use them as garbage bags! |
I get 3 cents back for each bag I reuse, so you bet I am bringing my own. I don't buy meat so they stay clean.
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That was a very rude sales clerk. I would not have been so polite.
mltquilt |
Oh so true!! Even now when I recycle and reuse my grand nephews and nieces think I'm too "fussy"!! I'm printing this post out and giving it to them.:):)
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thanks
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Loved this article ,every word very true, we just didn't think about it as it was and still is natural for us still to do a lot of these things.
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Dad saved coffee cans and used them to repair mufflers and rust holes on the car.Our cloths made the rounds -a month before school started all the Aunts got together to swap hand-me-downs Our fruits and veggies were grown and canned at home in re-usable jars.If you didn't have enough canvas bags for your groceries you used paper bags which became book covers,wrapping paper,and all kinds of art work.The only battery operated things were the car and flashlights.Everything we ate was home made from scratch -no boxes or pouches.Done dishes by hand and our laundry was washed in a wringer washer.The only electric being used between 9pm and 6am was the fridge. And we were a 1 car family,We had a 5gal metal garbage can that was taken to the dump once a month.The foot print we left as a generation is less than minimal
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How very true!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Originally Posted by emmah
Wow, that is so true. My sister lived in a "modern" housing development where she was told "you cannot hang out wash here on a clothesline" I am afraid that many of the younger generation haven't a clue how to live frugally. One more note; most of our stuff was made here in the USA, not over packaged and shipped across an ocean. How green is that!
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:thumbup: So True! :thumbup:
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Regardless of who is right or wrong, the checker is in a position of providing customer service.....not pushing his superior attitude on the customers...i'm afraid I would have giving him a piece of my mind. (poo customer service is a pet pev of mine)
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YOU GO GIRL
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YOU GO GIRL
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AMEN SISTERS!!!
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WOW!! everything your said was true. I am going to print it our and give it to a few people I know.
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Originally Posted by virtualbernie
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." He 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? Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smarty pants young person. |
I hope you told all that to the cashier...or at least go post a copy on the store's bulletin board.
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That is so very true. Brought back a lot of memories for me. I do recycle, I do like my modern appliances - but I don't think I use them to extreme. (and on the light side) - I do use my appliances so I have more time to make quilts.
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I think I would have been very tempted to leave all the items I had planned to purchase sitting right at the cash register and either walked to the manager's office or out the door.
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I don't care what any one says, those were the good old days.
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AMEN
I also compost whatever I can. |
Totally correct.
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Amen to everything! I think the best thing we're getting from China is their little girls!
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This is so true and I am only 45. I remember a lot of that when I was growing up and going to my grand parents and great grand parents houses. Thanks for posting this I really love it!
Oh yeah remember canning your own fruits, veggies, pickles, and jelly? We always reused the mason jar only replacing the center of the lid if the rubber ring was worn. Then there was hardly any waste of food because if you had a bumper crop of tomatoes or time to clean out the freezer you always shared with your neighbors. But it does seems like everything old is new again and these younger folk think it is earth shattering news. My wife and I are fixing to move to our vacation home permanently and it is completely off the grid with solar power, water recovery system for the non potable water, well water for the drinkable water and it cost us less than $1200 to run it per year including the taxes. I am all for simplifying things and getting back to the basics and wish that things could be like it was back in the day. Yes I do own a lot of gadgets and things that eat up electricity but I do not own a sewing machine that is electric! :D Billy |
love it and its soooo true. The greenies have a postal stamp, only 12 to a page! Means they used more glue and more paper for a stamp that tells you to be GREEN.
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I really wonder why folks need to go to China to adopt children? Don't we have enough children in the USA that need homes? We also need Congress and businesses to keep the jobs in the US.
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well said.
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One reason people go to foreign countries to adopt is that so many of our children are being aborted rather than carried to term. The number of abortions since Roe s Wade is sad. Recently I heard the 1 in 4 white pregnancies and 1 in 3 Hispanic, 1 in 2 of African American pregnancies end in abortion. What sad statistics.
What is law is not always just nor moral. Just my opinion! |
my mom didn't waste a thing, even before they heard of composting we had to throw orange rinds or any kind of food into her pit as we called it. my dad would dig holes and when they were full cover and dig another one for her. we lived by the beach and she always had a garden going even though the dirt was sand. we also had peach, orange,lemon,plum trees. also plants galore. she really had a green thumb. also the grocery bags were paper could be thrown in there too they would rot away. we also had crocheted or fabric bags that folded up into your purse from europe she always had on her since they could hang off her bicylce handles.
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