That Green Thing

mikling

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They didnt have Green in my day

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags werent good for the environment.. The woman apologized and explained, We didnt have the green thing back in my day.

The clerk responded, Thats our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment.

He was right, that generation didnt have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, pop 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 they didnt have the green thing back in that customers day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didnt have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didnt climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didnt have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the babys diapers because they didnt have the throw-away kind. They 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, they didnt have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they 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, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didnt have electric machines to do everything for you.
When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didnt fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didnt need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But shes right, they didnt have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didnt have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.

They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didnt 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.

So sad, they didnt have the green thing back then.




Read this in another forum and thought it interesting as refilling is green.
 

l_d_allan

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Agree, including keeping printers in service rather than treating as disposable (anybody tempted to stop by a college campus as finals are over to dumpster-dive for inkjets?).

OT?
Something I've wondered about ... the ratio of restaurant seats per capita from the 60's to now, including fast food. My parents were upper middle class (physician), and yet dining out with the whole family was a big deal ... not more than several times a year.

Class of '69 ... and not particularly proud of it.
 

stratman

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Good rant, Mikling.

Will email out.
 

ghwellsjr

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mikling said:
Read this in another forum and thought it interesting as refilling is green.
I thought we did refilling to save our "green".

Greenbacks, that is, USA dollar bills.
 

l_d_allan

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ghwellsjr said:
I thought we did refilling to save our "green".
:) +1

My experience is that it often works out to be mutually compatible. A low budget often results in a lower impact on the environment. Some of the more frugal people I know have the least trash set out on trash pickup day, the lowest utility bills, etc. It's a by-product that they "tread gently upon the Earth".
 

Redbrickman

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It's pity that more car users don't go green and buy cars that are more economic.

I get 55 miles per gallon out of my car, a VW Golf. I feel that's a good saving in my pocket and good for the environment. Fuel here is about 7 GBP per gallon!

When you see one person driving a 4 or 5 litre car that is limited to cruising at 55-65 mph you gotta wonder why that size of engine is needed?

Sorry, that's my ECO rant over for the day, but we can all do something more for the planet if we decide to.
 

websnail

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Had this from a customer not long ago... They were surprised that I was recommending that they keep their old C84 running if they could resolve the clogged printhead. The primary reason for their surprise was that I wouldn't get a sale out of it (they already had a cleaning solution and required tools)...

In essence that more or less nailed the reason why most of us here differ from the bog standard corporate viewpoint... Yes, ok those in business need to make a buck to pay the bills but in the main we don't force folks to buy a new printer, all new ink or whatever just to make sure we get our money in. Much better to give the information, let the customer make an informed choice and come back because the information was good, or simply tell their friends/family/colleagues and have them come see us instead. It's less measurable but it still works.

I do wonder whether Epson, Canon or HP would actually survive if their income were reliant more on product quality, customer service, etc. rather than the "buy our consumables or it won't work" blackmail we have at present... Food for thought.
 

stratman

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websnail:

That was how business was conducted for centuries - making customers for life.
 

websnail

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stratman said:
websnail:

That was how business was conducted for centuries - making customers for life.
I think you just called me old... :/


... but yes, I'd tend to agree, it's not about what the customer needs but what the company wants you to buy, and beggar the consequences.
 
P

pgobkac

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mikling,
In addition to learning a lot from your posts, today brought a chuckle.
 
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