bigbambo Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 Tim Haynes July 9, 2018 Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment,. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days." The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." The older lady said that she was right our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day. The older lady went on toexplain: 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. Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize 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 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 our clothes back in our early days. Kids got 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 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 wadded up old newspapers 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 blade 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 in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what 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 computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger 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 smart ass young person. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much. 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clevfan4life Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 did anyone get through this cool cal story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldBrownsFan Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 8 minutes ago, Clevfan4life said: did anyone get through this cool cal story? I did...it made a lot of sense and brought back some memories at the same time. But I aint going back to no push lawnmower...no way...... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clevfan4life Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 21 minutes ago, OldBrownsFan said: But I aint going back to no push lawnmower...no way...... snowflake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clevfan4life Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 whst little i got through tho....i mean...the young girl wasnt wrong. All the most destructive technologies going today come from the period of the 30's to 50's. I recently saw early tv ads for plastic....revolutionary world changing technology!!!! this is the legacy of the boomers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldBrownsFan Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 Actually the article posted was only to show that many times in the past we re-used things instead of all the disposables we have today and the problem with plastic disposables are they do not break down easily when disposed of. I use the cloth bags at stores most of the time and keep them in the trunk of my car. It does appear we need to find something better than plastic especially when so much cheap plastic are used in items that end up in oceans and landfills. Right now though I haven't seen anything that would replace cheap plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Clevfan4life said: whst little i got through tho....i mean...the young girl wasnt wrong. All the most destructive technologies going today come from the period of the 30's to 50's. I recently saw early tv ads for plastic....revolutionary world changing technology!!!! this is the legacy of the boomers... So you would personally rather not have introduced Plastics into the modern world? WSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clevfan4life Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 1 minute ago, Westside Steve said: So you would personally rather not have introduced Plastics into the modern world? WSS dear god ofc. They knew at the time this shit didnt degrade, they just thought someone would figure it out later. Its too late now even if someone would...the amt of plastic nano particles that fish will be feeding on for centuries, cannot be collected. Its done already even if we stopped using plastics full stop tommorrow. But we wont, we all know that. All this "biodegradeable" movement is too little too late. Boomers bought into the primacy of smerican economics, get what u can and get it now...let the future generations figure it out....thats exactly what companies hsve been pitching for generations now. Dont curb the economy cause we're worried about future ramifications, we'll all be dead so who cares? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 2 hours ago, OldBrownsFan said: Actually the article posted was only to show that many times in the past we re-used things instead of all the disposables we have today and the problem with plastic disposables are they do not break down easily when disposed of. I use the cloth bags at stores most of the time and keep them in the trunk of my car. It does appear we need to find something better than plastic especially when so much cheap plastic are used in items that end up in oceans and landfills. Right now though I haven't seen anything that would replace cheap plastic. the problems are: irresponsible scumbucket people... and some plastics that are not re-moldable. styrofoam - is not good. not healthy. Never burn your styrofoam cups in a campfire...etc. https://healthfully.com/what-are-the-dangers-of-accidentally-burning-styrofoam-12522495.html https://storyofstuff.org/blog/styrofoam-bans-are-sweeping-across-the-nation/ thermoplastics, for instance, can be remelted/remolded into other products. thermoset plastics are created/molded just once - they harden and that is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Clevfan4life said: dear god ofc. They knew at the time this shit didnt degrade, they just thought someone would figure it out later. Its too late now even if someone would...the amt of plastic nano particles that fish will be feeding on for centuries, cannot be collected. Its done already even if we stopped using plastics full stop tommorrow. But we wont, we all know that. All this "biodegradeable" movement is too little too late. Boomers bought into the primacy of smerican economics, get what u can and get it now...let the future generations figure it out....thats exactly what companies hsve been pitching for generations now. Dont curb the economy cause we're worried about future ramifications, we'll all be dead so who cares? Biodegradable is fine but recycling should take a big bite out of sites like that. In the old days it was a nickel or a dime for a pop bottle and kids would collect them and get the money. I have no problem with putting a dollar or two on every glass bottle or plastic jug. I mean there will be a little bit of wringing of the hands about how it hurts the poor but once it's paid is paid and you just trade the shit in. WSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorka Posted July 20, 2019 Report Share Posted July 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Clevfan4life said: whst little i got through tho....i mean...the young girl wasnt wrong. All the most destructive technologies going today come from the period of the 30's to 50's. I recently saw early tv ads for plastic....revolutionary world changing technology!!!! this is the legacy of the boomers... I don't think this can be put on boomers no more than deaths by cars can be put on Henry Ford. With regards to plastic bags, as recent as 1985 paper bags still the preferred choice over plastic 75% to 25% in supermarkets. Weren't you guys all about "saving the trees" in the 80's??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemist Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 The gigantic LED TV sets used today probably only use a fraction of the electric a tube TV used at any point in the past Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clevfan4life Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 9 hours ago, Westside Steve said: Biodegradable is fine but recycling should take a big bite out of sites like that. That "site" is some remote island in the south pacific...and there's shit tons more. The amount of plastic on the beaches and now slowly decaying in the oceans is unfathomable. Recyling will do nothing. It would take every human on this planet working dillegently at it every week for a century or more...and that's if you could somehow get the plastic that has degraded enough to sink and become particles near the bottom of the ocean. Fish will be feeding on that crap for literally thousands of years. Probably long after we're gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 1 hour ago, Clevfan4life said: That "site" is some remote island in the south pacific...and there's shit tons more. The amount of plastic on the beaches and now slowly decaying in the oceans is unfathomable. Recyling will do nothing. It would take every human on this planet working dillegently at it every week for a century or more...and that's if you could somehow get the plastic that has degraded enough to sink and become particles near the bottom of the ocean. Fish will be feeding on that crap for literally thousands of years. Probably long after we're gone So recycling won't help or what? WSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 Y'all fucked up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorka Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 8 hours ago, Clevfan4life said: That "site" is some remote island in the south pacific...and there's shit tons more. The amount of plastic on the beaches and now slowly decaying in the oceans is unfathomable. Recyling will do nothing. It would take every human on this planet working dillegently at it every week for a century or more...and that's if you could somehow get the plastic that has degraded enough to sink and become particles near the bottom of the ocean. Fish will be feeding on that crap for literally thousands of years. Probably long after we're gone LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 21 hours ago, OldBrownsFan said: I did...it made a lot of sense and brought back some memories at the same time. But I aint going back to no push lawnmower...no way...... And one last thing. We didn't run up people's butts in our cars while texting on a "smart" phone (which actually did happen to me one day by a young lady who was also uninsured). Not really all that smart was it! I'm going over to get my grandson who wants to earn some money by pushing my lawnmower around. I'm sorely tempted to stop by an antique store and pick up a bladed push mower like I had to use starting at age 8 (he's 11).🤗😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/experts-say-cigarette-butts-not-plastic-straws-are-largest-human-caused-pollutant/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted July 21, 2019 Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 cigarette butts just laying all sorts of places. blech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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