Re: Fw: THE GREEN THING!!!!

Listen, anonymous author, the current generation doesn't lament anything.  It's hard to define the group, let alone claim they/we all think the same way about anything, same as "the old generation," which was hoodwinked by the real wasters the same as the old generation.  I agree with many of the points of this e-mail, but to conclude with a divisive tone isn't helpful in my opinion--I think all generations have more in common than this forward's author would imply, and this just suggests that older folks ought to resent younger folks, instead of uniting with them against the greedy machine that is and has been accelerating the ruin of the planet since before any now-living person was born.

On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 7:42 AM, ... wrote:

SO TRUE!!!!! > THE GREEN THING > In the line at the store, the young 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 walked > 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? > WOW!!!!!!!!!!! >