We didn't have the "Green" thing back in my day.

no point to my post now

Thanks for that Bob!

Yes...in the old days some things may not have been as "green" or as environmentally friendly...but there were a TON of things that were a lot LESS wasteful (like was mentioned in your post).

- Nick

My dad sent that to me in an e-mail recently. Wonder how many people are willing to be that green.

I remember most of those and sadly will still take my amp hungry central air over the attic fan and centrally located gas grate heater any day.

One of my sister's still has the imprint of our centrally located gas grate floor heater on the bottom of her foot.

That was a great article.

bobtomay said:

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

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Hes obviously a rubbish clerk - a good one knows when to keep their mouth shut.

I probably would have been disciplined for saying that.

Kids these days are rude. Enjoy the heat smart-alec.

XJ-linux said:

Kids these days are rude.

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It looks like I'm not the only one who has noticed. I don't think most of them have been taught any manners.

Let's not forget that they are also the ones who led the charge to the way we do things now because all that was a pain in the rear. The soda companies don't want to recycle glass bottles anymore… it's cheaper to just make 'em plastic and toss 'em. Let someone else recycle those if they want. Never mind how germophobic people are today. People are inherently lazy and shortsighted. Maybe not lazy, but humans and creatures alike all favor the easy way out, consequences be ****ed. This is never going to change.

That's just nostalgia putting a shine on the past. Don't forget that back in the day, DDT was the repellent of choice

-Asbestos was used for car brakes, and insulation

-Oil drilling everywhere (this is the Venice Oil Fields in Southern California back in the day)

-Gas was leaded and there was no such thing as catalytic converters


Electronics were power hungry too. I bet that 1 TV and the lights in the house took as much power as all the TV's and Monitors in my house currently (Well maybe not the 60")

The article made some very valid points, there was plenty back in the day that was good and green, but lets not forget all the nastiness too.

I was going to say what Ivan noted - my generation (define "this generation") may do things a little differently but both treated the environment with disregard. I don't see this as a generational thing but rather as a set of cultural beliefs regarding the environment (mainly that it is ours to do with as we please) that haven't really changed since the Industrial Revolution.

What is greener by todays standards is housing its more insulated or at least they are
insulated as compared to yesteryear and automobiles get far better gas mileage while home electronics offer more with less consumption.

"Didn't have the Green thing back in the day." Two subjects:
Meat
Transportation
Those two things are worse for the environment tenfold over everything mentioned above, they did nothing.

"Didn't have the Green thing back in the day..." translates, to me at least, as they just hadn't realized that there was a terribly profitable market to be had in labeling items as green and selling green policy and lifestyle to consumers.

Good one bobtomay

A lot of us are trying to be green these days but back then things were like that for a different reason, as I am sure you know.

People didn't have money to waste, so a TV had to last 15 years, a car 10 years and a pen could outlive you.

I remember always being told to turn off lights and switch off things when not in use, not because by parents were eco pioneers, but as mum says "you can keep all the lights on when you are paying the bills". Its something I still do today - most of the time.

But as energy prices are now only going to go higher - then the old ways may return, and even those who deny global warming will need to preserve energy, because its going to get more precious.

It goes to show how much, most of us, have now compared to our parents - if we can afford to waste so much stuff. My parents were not poor, and provided well for me, but every penny counted and it was always clear to me that presents had been saved up for all year, and I suppose that made them seem just a little bit more special.

louishen said:

People didn't have money to waste, so a TV had to last 15 years, a car 10 years and a pen could outlive you.

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I guess this depends on when "back in my day" was (something that hasn't been defined here). If we're talking post-WW2 up through the 1960s, this isn't quite true. People were very comfortable financially during the economic boom post-WW2 in a significant part of the west (see here). If we're talking the 1980s, not so much (see here).

I seem to recall a thread similar to this some time back that ended badly. This one is heading that way already. My advice? Play friendly and don't be pushy about your views, they are yours, not the worlds. Pushing them on others will just make this end badly.

While it's true that previous generations were less wasteful in some ways, it's also undeniable that Baby Boomers have enjoyed amazing living conditions and now the younger generations have to pay for their retirement in an abysmal job market.