Old folks didn't have the 'Green Thing' back in their day

**YellowDog** · 20th April 2011, 17:32

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologised 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 an recycled. But they didn't have the green thing back in 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 nappies 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 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 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 mums 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 computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But that old lady is right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day except for the 'water'

**slofox** · 20th April 2011, 17:45

Originally Posted by YellowDog

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.

Yeah...MY bloody human power in our household...

**Geeen** · 20th April 2011, 23:18

Originally Posted by YellowDog

a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space

Thats kinda close innit??

**Mully** · 21st April 2011, 09:35

Thank God we don't live in those Luddite times then, eh?

**superman** · 21st April 2011, 09:41

Lots of that sounds like my childhood and I'm still a teenager!

**avgas** · 21st April 2011, 10:10

Don't worry - if prices continue......we will see it all again soon

**AllanB** · 21st April 2011, 10:23

The last time I had 'the green thing' my doctor prescribed me some pills .....

**slofox** · 21st April 2011, 11:08

Originally Posted by Mully

Thank God we don't live in those Luddite times then, eh?

Welllll...I reckon that, in a way, we are more Luddite now than we were then.

Back then, science was king - it was going to be the salvation of the human race. Technology was hailed as the best thing since sliced bread - which, incidentally, hadn't been invented at the time.

Medical science was going to save the human race and all would be milk and honey.

It wasn't until the 60's and 70's that the mighty god of science was derailed somewhat with the coming of "alternative" thinking - y'know, crystals and that hippy stuff - back to nature, ohu's etc yaddayadda.

Which is not to say that science was abandoned, obviously. It just fell into the hands of the moneymakers is all. Pity, that...

**James Deuce** · 21st April 2011, 11:42

Originally Posted by Geeen

Thats kinda close innit??

No. That's at the low end of the MEO (Medium Earth Orbit). Then you have the different styles of orbit that mean some objects inhabit LEO, MEO, HEO at different points in their orbit.

Back to the OP, all that shit was done due to necessity, there was no thought given to it being a good thing. On the other hand, there was a massive amount of thought given to how to avoid all that shit. Once the thought finished the effort began. Now we are supposedly running out of oil and Polar Bears. Because people had to do the shit int he OP. Happenstance due to limited resources isn't kismet.

**Murray** · 21st April 2011, 12:22

Originally Posted by YellowDog

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologised to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

If I remember rightly back then in those days the supermarkets used to pack groceries in brown paper bags. So who changed that and where does the fault lay???