Now there are three main principles that begin “being green.” It seems these days that nearly everyone is now making an effort to be more “green” so that people can make their household look for environmentally, and be more friendly.
Now more than ever, many people try finding some new ways that can reduce the consumption of disabled goods. Now people also are more skilled about reusing, or recycling, products rather, than dumping them in the trash.
It was not until recently that most consumers have began to give much consideration to being the “green.” This is likely because the buzzword “green” is now new.
Certainly, people knew about this use being around for a long time. Green was actually used as a term of the environment, while many people have ignored it. Yet, this word later was an attraction to the people.
Some people tried to become in with everyone else. It is quite a compliment nowadays. All of this newfound interest in recycling and reusing goods is a source of some amusement to me, but a great idea, probably due to the time period in which I was raised.
See, I grew up when the United States was coming out of the Depression.
What does this time period have to do with recycling and being ‘green’? Quite a lot, actually. As anyone who grew up during that time can attest, both money and resources were scarce then.
Jobs were often difficult to find as well. This all meant that families were forced to be both practical and imaginative with the supplies and products we had on hand. Back then, people were gathering landfills. It was really a necessity.
For instance, if a wooden chair or table broke beyond repair, the wood was salvaged for scrap lumber or firewood and the metal parts (drawer pulls, screws, or other fasteners) were saved for a future to repair a project. Kitchen items were used and reused indefinitely. Flour sacks became aprons or other clothing items or window drapes, for instance.
We were rather “green” as well, treating our land with tremendous respect. We had to, or else our vegetables would not grow in the garden, which could mean that we would not have enough food cans for the winter. And actually, by today’s standards, our garden was organic.
When I was growing up, recycling and reusing goods was just second nature to everyone. It was also the neighborly thing to do. For instance, if someone needed a crib for his newborn child, nearby neighbors would make certain that the child got a crib somehow.
Someone might recycle a crib, giving the person one that their children no longer used. Or, all of the nearby neighbors would come together to help build one, bringing along any supplies they might have that could be reused for that purpose.
Of course, it does not matter that recycling is not a new idea, or that people have already been using goods for many years now. What matters is the fact that more and more people are becoming interested in becoming ecologically aware.
As a greater numbers of people decide to make more “green’’ each day, the effects of these choices on our planet, and our “world,” will begin to take root and save lives.
Improving our planet through ecological awareness will take time, but with looking at the past, it can be done.
This is Paul’s last column. The former editor of The Suburbanite is retiring.
