“The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags 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.  Your generation did not care enough to save our     environment.”

He was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

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.

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 the clothes.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not              always brand-new clothing. But that old 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 a wadded up old newspaper 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 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 streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. 

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 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 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 mouthed young person who has been taught to blame everyone else for the consequences of their own actions.

The Green Thing “

Read for yourself. 3x the garbage is what I took away from it at least. You?

Is this like “no drain tuna”… solving a problem that didn’t exist?

I’m a Canadian Male born in 1978. Canadian Males born in 1978 are predicted to cash in their chips in 2057. How do I know that? Right here: http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/HEALTH26-eng.htm

And how long do I have between now and then? Well, easy math is 2057-2011 = 46 years. Not good enough for you? You can plug in the dates here: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html I used my birthday. I come out to 46 years and 20 days, or 16,822 days.

You won’t live forever, (tempting though it is to believe it), but I have 16,822 to learn how to swim. Among other things….

http://www.mastersinpublicpolicy.com/25-interesting-facts-you-may-not-know-about-recycling/

One of the links from his article that I really liked explaining what the different #s on plastic means was this one:

http://www.bu.edu/recycling/facts.html#plas

Feedback? Let me know.

Tom.

It used to be that motorcycles and scooters were allowed to use the bus lane. My scooter has a 125cc engine, 6% of the average 2L car. Additionally, scooters are smaller and more agile than cars, and not really part of any problems with congestion and much LESS of a problem when it comes to the environment. Will you continue to allow scooters to bypass bridge traffic?

I’d like to continue to ride my scooter unimpeded by car congestion. It costs me 93 cents to ride the 14.2 KM to my office and return home at the end of the day compared to the $7.50 that a bus would cost.  It’s a dramatic savings. And as I said, scooters/motorcycles aren’t really part of the problem.

The large engines in cars and trucks are really designed to move the steel cage surrounding the driver. If you weigh 70kg and your truck/car weighs 1500 – 2000kg, your body weight is really fairly insignificant part of the equation.

Please continue to allow scooters and motorcycles to use the HOV lanes over Lions Gate. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for wallets.

Regards,

Thomas Goodall

What do you all think? The last time we did our FAQ up it was before the olympics so was pretty relevant information information at the time, but it’s been over 1 year. Here’s one of the best FAQ’s I’ve seen and I think I have FAQ envy!

What sorts of things would you like to see on MY FAQ if we rework it? What questions are you looking to have answered, tone of voice (I prefer casual and conversational, but you tell me), are you looking for resources, hints for clean-ups and estates…

What would you like to see?

In case you are wondering just how long things will run or last at your home, here’s what the experts say about the life expectancy of some products…

A wood deck should last 15 years, an asphalt driveway 10-12 years and a wood fence 12 years or so.  With gas furnaces, a central unit should last for 20 years while a sealed window unit will last only 10.

A typical roof lasts up to 20 years. Window systems last 20-25 years.  Exterior siding can last 35-45 years, while stucco may only last 15-20.

A clothes-dryer may dry for 14 years, while the washing machine may wash only 13.  Newer microwave ovens will last you about 10 years.  Ranges, both gas and electric, are designed to last longer — about 20 years; fridges and dishwashers not quite as long.  A water-heater will last 7-10 years on average.

An electrical service panel may last 40 years.  Typical water service entrance and perimeter drain tiles – about the same.

Smoke alarms should be replaced within 10 years; CO detectors within 5 years.

More durable things, natural wood floors and slate, flagstone, marble and ceramic tiles can be expected to last up to a lifetime.

Glenn Duxbury & Associates-Building Inspection and Consulting “Uncovering Tomorrow’s Surprises, TODAY !”  604 524-2502     http://www.glennduxbury-inspections.com/

Here’s a BC Govt webpage to get your kit ready: http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_preparedness/prepare_now/prepare.html

And here’s a cool app for your iPhone or iPod: http://quakeaware.org/

Let me know what you think of if you have different (better?) links.