I came across this anonymous post and couldn’t resist sharing it here. It begins with a story that says a lot about how times have changed.

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 and explained, “We didn’t have this ‘green thing’ back in my earlier days.”

The young clerk shot back, "That’s our problem today. Your generation didn’t care enough to save our environment for future generations."

The older lady agreed they didn’t have the “green thing” in her day—but went on to explain.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles, and beer bottles to the store. They went back to the plant to be washed, sterilized, and reused. That was real recycling.

Grocery stores packed groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for household garbage or, more memorably, as book covers for schoolbooks. Public property was preserved under our doodles, and we personalized the covers ourselves.

But we didn’t have the “green thing.”

We walked upstairs because there wasn’t an escalator in every building. We walked to the grocery store instead of climbing into a 300-horsepower machine just to go two blocks.

We washed diapers because there were no disposables. We dried clothes on a line, powered by wind and sun. Kids wore hand-me-downs instead of brand-new wardrobes. But again, no “green thing.”

We had one TV or radio per household, not one in every room. And the screen? No bigger than a handkerchief.

In the kitchen we stirred and blended by hand, no electric machines for every task. When mailing fragile items, we cushioned them with wadded newspaper, not Styrofoam or bubble wrap.

We cut lawns with push mowers that ran on human power, and got exercise working—no gym memberships required. Still no “green thing.”

When thirsty, we drank from a fountain, not a plastic water bottle. We refilled pens with ink, replaced razor blades instead of tossing the whole razor, and used things until they wore out.

People took streetcars or buses. Kids rode bikes or walked to school, instead of turning their moms into a taxi service in $45,000 SUVs that now cost more than a house once did.

Back then, a room had one electrical outlet, not a bank of sockets to charge a dozen gadgets. We didn’t need a satellite signal from 23,000 miles in space to find the nearest burger joint.

But apparently, we lacked the “green thing.” 

We also didn’t have cell phones. If you weren’t home, the phone rang unanswered. If someone else was on the line, you got a busy signal.

Yet, people always called back if they really wanted to talk.

So yes, the young clerk was right: we didn’t have the “green thing” back then.

What we had was a way of living that used less, wasted less, and stretched every bit of energy, every item, every dollar. Without knowing it, we were green before green was a “thing.”

Isn’t it odd? Today’s generation laments how careless we were, while plugged into outlets, scrolling on phones, and sipping from single-use cups.

Maybe the “green thing” isn’t something you buy at the store or shame someone into using. Maybe it’s simply remembering what people once did as a matter of course—when common sense was the original renewable resource.

RAMONA JAN is the Founder and Director of Yarnslingers, a storytelling group that tells tales both fantastic and true. She is also the roving historian for Callicoon, NY and is often seen giving tours around town. You can email her at callicoonwalkingtours@gmail.com.