Checking out at the supermarket, the young cashier suggested to the much older woman, that
she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologised and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The young cashier responded, "That's our problem today – your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the 'green thing' in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, lemonade bottles and beer bottles to the shop.
The shop sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised 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.

Grocery shops bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we re-used for numerous things, most memorable
besides household bags for rubbish, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks.
This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school), was not defaced by our scribbling.
Then we were able to personalise our books on the brown paper bags.

But too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have a lift in every supermarket, shop and office building.
We walked to the local shop and didn't climb into a 300 horsepower machine every time we had to go hal a mile.

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

Back then, we washed the baby's Terry Towel nappies because we didn' have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 3 kilowatts wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days.
Kids had hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Back then, we had one radio or TV in the house - not a TV in every room and the TV had a small screen the size of a big handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Scotland 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 wadded up old newspapers 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 pushed the 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 or 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 bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their Mums into a 24-hour
taxi service in the family's 50,000 People Carrier which cost the same as a whole house did before the "green thing."
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 computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest Pub!

But isn't it sad that 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 smart *&%^$ young person...

We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to *&%^$ us off...especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smart who can't work out the change without the cash register telling them how much it is!

Roger

 
Nice one Roger

I'm 42, and I remember doing all these things... Old before my time?

Cheers, Timmo

Very funny and deceptively well thought out - and thought provoking.

I have been sitting here trying to work out who's generations fault it is.

I was born in 1947 and everything in Roger's post was true certainly up to at least about 1968. Apart from coal fires, disgusting dustbin management, and needing to scrape dogs what's-it off your shoes if you had walked on a pavement we were pretty green as Roger says. Even most people still had the good manners to die before they were 70. Mind you we were as poor as church mice so couldn't afford consumerism. My parents never did become consumers so they are off the hook. It was probably about 1973 before my wife and I had enough money for more than just the 10% mortgage, a transistor radio, and a rented TV. We still think kids with two laptops, wide screen TVs,  4x4 lifts to school, three continental holidays per year, four cars per drive, and throwing older siblings clothes away is ridiculous. But the kids don't earn money so it isn't their fault - yet.

So whoever's fault it is must be about 50 now I reckon.

It did make me laugh, but clearly the cashier was more of a naive fool than just the fact that they were young.

I'm 31 and still have a milkman deliver glass bottles, I use a hand powered lawnmower, walk to work to save money, walk my eldest to school.....plus more (but I don't think anyone wants me to list everything!) .  It seems both sides of the argument are flawed by generalising age. 

Still using glass milk bottles here too, and walking to the shops. This message is even coming to you via solar power!

In the 1970s though everyone had a newspaper - and thats a real environmental horror story that is going away.

Alan

Also, if you look at photographs from 50-60 years ago, have you noticed how clean the streets are? Absolutely no litter to be seen, and if there was any graffiti it was probably done in chalk. Today, there is so much litter in the streets you hardly register it any more. Hate it...

Chris

I see we're being even more 'green' by recycling the jokes again 

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=3993.msg45356#msg45356

Quote from: MikeDunn on March 11, 2014, 12:53:05 PM
I see we're being even more 'green' by recycling the jokes again 

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=3993.msg45356#msg45356

Sorry, but I haven't gone that far back on forum postings yet

I just posted 'this one' taken/borrowed from another unrelated forum

Quote from: Papyrus on March 11, 2014, 11:59:12 AM
Also, if you look at photographs from 50-60 years ago, have you noticed how clean the streets are? Absolutely no litter to be seen

They couldn't *afford* litter back then 

I'm sorry but I have to jump in here. I hate this whole inter-generational blame thing. It's our planet, our lives, our futures. Whatever age you are, you will have descendants (most likely) who will inherit whatever legacy we all leave. it is not the fault of any single generation. How far do you go back? Extinction of the dinosaurs? It all fell apart immediately after that, perhaps. Or maybe Watts and Savery for apparently inventing steam engines. Bill.

Quote from: Papyrus on March 11, 2014, 11:59:12 AM
Also, if you look at photographs from 50-60 years ago, have you noticed how clean the streets are? Absolutely no litter to be seen, and if there was any graffiti it was probably done in chalk. Today, there is so much litter in the streets you hardly register it any more. Hate it...

Chris

In the timespan you mention I was between 7 years old and 17 years old so old enough to remember. There was no graffiti because aerosol spraypaint hadn't been invented.

But clean streets were just for photographs. Dogs mess alone was wall to kerb on any street - and fag ends were everywhere because every real man and woman smoked like a chimney.