My Parents did it...it's not really new is it?

[sandybeachCA]

I  was thinking about how my kids and I discuss easy ways to go green on a regular basis.  I'm sitting here in the morning sunshine reflecting on my life and the things I have done so far to help the enviroment; when it dawns on me that I was raised by a Grandmother and parents who were Earth conservationist!  Probably like many of your Grandmothers, I remember her making lye soap, growing her own garden, washing her clothes in very little water, hanging them to dry etc.

Now you have to understand that I grew up in the early 60's, but my Mother was 36 and Father was 47 when I was born.  They were from a very different generation.  They grew up and came from the a "war" generation in Europe, maybe that had something to do with their perspective on life and conservation of energy!  I guess when they were growing up it was simpler life and they grew up learning to make ends meet with what they had, to live off the land so to speek.  So when they came to this country they carried that over with them and applied it to everyday life even though they did not have to.  It was a waste not mentality.

My mother would use warm vinegar water with newpaper to clean the mirrors and windows.  Plain warm water everyday to wash the floors. We never had a strong chlorine smell in our home, and our clothes were hung out to dry.  She would cut up the napkins so they would last longer - that was before paper towels too, and we used rags to dust and clean the house!   Then later when baggies came out, she would wash them and reuse them.  (that irritated the heck out of me as a teenager!)

Growing up in California, we always had drought conditions so we had to conserve water, and we grew up washing our teeth without letting the water run.  I remember my father putting a brick into all the toilet  tanks.  He was a simple man, however he was constantly writting to the legislators about ways to reroute the water systems from the north and coming up with ways we could save water.

  In Europe they still do a lot of this simple living.  You walk down the street and everyone is using their own net bags to carry groceries home.  Granted now we are so very busy and that has demanded that we have our products packaged ready to use and more functional.  We need less stress in the fast paced, polluted world we live in. Now I think many of us are now trying to find the balance between the two and  I think everybody needs to find that answer for themselves, to see what will work best for their family.  However, the back to a more simple perspective of our life just maybe the answer to navigating thru this complex "going green" lifestyle we are trying to embrace.

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[Lizby]

Oct. 8, 2007 at 8:04 AM So Going Green isn't really all that new or original!  I agree.  I was raised by my parents to be environmentally conscious.  Although, to them it was more about being frugal.  I think now they have evolved and are more likey to throw things out, etc and I realize it's because they have more money these days.  They were broke when I was a kid.  LOL:)  It's funny because with credit card dependency these days, people don't acknowledge their lack of funds. I have friends that are broke but you wouldn't know it, because it doesn't change their habits or lifestyle.  Living a simpler life is also about living an honest life.  Living within your means.  Wasting money on convience foods and products is part of the big American lie.