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Makes you think!

In the line at the supermarket, 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 her 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."

She was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soft drink bottles and beer

bottles to the shop. The shop sent them back to the factory to be washed and

sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.

They 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 nappies because they didn't have the

throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in a 220 volt energy

gobbling machine - 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 a cricket pitch. 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. They

didn't have air conditioning or electric stoves with self cleaning ovens.

They didn't have battery operated toys, computers, or telephones.

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn fuel just to cut the lawn.

They used a push mower that ran on human power. They used hand operated

clippers to trim the shrubs. 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 glass filled from the tap when they were thirsty instead

of using 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 walked or took the bus 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 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?

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I don't know about being 'green' in those but I know we didn't waste a thing! I suppose they'd call it recycling nowadays but then, when we'd finished with something we'd think of some other way to use it, even if it was turned into dusters! I know sheets were cut in half and sewn back together, sides to middle.

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It's not really 'Our generation' (By 'Our' I mean folks aged around 45 and over ) that have caused to problems in the world , it's the modern 'Throw away , disposable society' that sprung up in the 80s . Every thing suddenly went from recyclable (Whether you wanted to or not) to just use it and throw it away.

For example, I remember up till around 1980, taking shoes to a cobblers to have them 'soled and heeled' my Dad still had a pair of shoes (In around 1975) that he bought for his wedding in 1953 !! It suddenly became cheaper (Through the advent of 'sweat shops in the far east) to just buy new ones, I've just bought my self a pair for 9 quid !! (Leather uppers too) our local cobblers charges £12.50 for a sole and heel job < No brainer really is it ?

Our Charlotte gets through a pair of shoes each term !!

But on the other hand we can blame older generations for a lot of other mistakes in the world. Pollution immediately springs to mind.!!

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We spent time in the electrical shop each morning before we hit the road repairing electric kettles, toasters, hair dryers etc. Now its just a case of toss 'em and get another one from China. We have become a throw away society and then they claim we are not "Green"!

There are times I'd like to kick some "Green" butt!

Better yet I could shake my ears and growl at 'em.

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The Coop Building & Engineering Dept at Abbey Street where I worked 68-75 had a domestic applience repair workshop, by a man called Kieth Gunn. I think you took your faulty appliences in to Coop stores and collected them when done?

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Next to me right now is a little pile of the kids toys (Saying pile there's actually just one at the moment !) Which SWMBO alwayys tends to want to just throw away. I just say "Gee it ere" and have a session every now and then with my little screwdrivers and super glue !!

Our Charlotte is most impressed with me at the moment , as I managed to fix her Spanish type fan. (Super glue and a slither of paper to hold it together !)

Nowt gets thrown out here if I can avoid it. !

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To expand my 'green credentials'. Husband has a favourite denim shirt that had a badly frayed collar and I unpicked the collar and turned it and stitched it back on. Just looks a bit strange now cos the collar isn`t faded to the same fade.

My (older) sister in law was disgusted. "Sad! I`d be ashamed! Couldn`t you afford a new one?" she sneered.

About built-in obsolescence though. We had a new lavatory recently (I may have posted this before) It has a different flushing system apparently, and the plumber (No 1 son) said that after five years or so the gasket would want replacing. I said, "Oh, we can get a new gasket can we?"

"No - you can`t just get spare gaskets."

"You mean we`d have to get a whole new mechanism?"

"No - they don`t come as spares."

"Not a whole new cistern!"

"No, probably a new lavatory. You have to get the set"

I don`t think he was pulling my leg. Might have been using his 'plumber-speak' instead of his 'son-sspeak' though.

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Re returning pop and beer bottles, the "offy" did pay you though, used to be one on Zulu Rd sold nothing but beer and pop plus the only available crisps (with bag of salt) who stored his empties in the back yard, local kids would then recycle them again! till caught out after he marked them! (not me honest gov, got an alibi, was out of country at time) A similar Beer Off existed corner of Archer St/Noel St, he had beer pumps and you could take a jug (or bucket) to be filled, probably hundreds others thus too? but remember those as no sweets! :angry:

As regards pollution I reckon the oldies had right idea! never heard of skin cancer back then, kids would be out dawn till dusk with no sun tan oil and never get sunburnt! protected by the smog,lol yet a week at mablethorpe and you'd come home a different colour

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Re the loo... he's pulling your chain?

1960s? No bottles required... Can you remember "wine from the wood"

I suspect cheap port type wine from the barrel where you took your own bottle to the off licence to be filled?

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To expand my 'green credentials'. Husband has a favourite denim shirt that had a badly frayed collar and I unpicked the collar and turned it and stitched it back on. Just looks a bit strange now cos the collar isn`t faded to the same fade.

My (older) sister in law was disgusted. "Sad! I`d be ashamed! Couldn`t you afford a new one?" she sneered.

About built-in obsolescence though. We had a new lavatory recently (I may have posted this before) It has a different flushing system apparently, and the plumber (No 1 son) said that after five years or so the gasket would want replacing. I said, "Oh, we can get a new gasket can we?"

"No - you can`t just get spare gaskets."

"You mean we`d have to get a whole new mechanism?"

"No - they don`t come as spares."

"Not a whole new cistern!"

"No, probably a new lavatory. You have to get the set"

I don`t think he was pulling my leg. Might have been using his 'plumber-speak' instead of his 'son-sspeak' though.

The gasket went on mine so i made one from an old plastic milk carton. It's still working and that was over 5 years ago.

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Probably better than the original gasket

An old guy showed me to make a gasket out of cardboard mid 70s.

Place a sheet of cardboard on the item to be joined.

Gently hammer (with a hammer) arround the shape of it.

It will take on the shap of the item and you will be able to remove the unwanted portions leaving a perfectly shaped gasket.

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a week at mablethorpe and you'd come home a different colour

That's 'cause you'd been in the sea and had a wash , ya mucky bogger.

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