In the Good Ol' Days

What if they are right about Global Warming? Or, for that matter the Coming Ice Age. It isn't a question of who is right or wrong. Becoming aware of your environment and how much you waste is important to our future, regardless. The bottom line is that no matter how you look at it, it is going to cost you, one way or another.

I'm wondering about a lot of things. Exercise is essential to us all. Does going green imply that we should choose wisely, pulling the plugs that run electrical operations, and foot pedaling the old-fashioned way. How about walking? It is still free. Creating energy from our weight-loss endeavor, naturally, would be a two-way win that would surely motivate us in a positive way---perhaps, a solution.

During WWII, the coast of Maine blackened itself from lights, to keep the enemy from not easily finding the coast. Residents pulled shades and kept their establishments and homes dim. We have a new enemy now, and ENERGY Conservation is imperative.

I thought of ways to save, besides changing to more efficient light bulbs. Years prior, oil lamps and candles were used, as all by-products were consumed and that is where recycling is helpful. All that was great as it was all they had, yet safety demanded top efficiency. Did you ever consider using electricity only as needed? Do we really need to light every room or just the ones we are utilizing. Going to bed one hour earlier adds up to much when it catches on to family lifestyles coast to coast. Some leave lights on during the night, outdoors in particular. Would it be feasible to have lights that turn-on with approaching movement, instead? Solar lighting is not always useful in the winter months of the North East. How about using flashlights? I remember my grandmother always carried one to use, as necessary. The best person to make that determination is you. Everyone may not live under the same circumstances and it should be considered out of one's particular need.

Cooking less and eating foods that are in it's natural form is a winning situation for all. Or, cooking in larger batches, and putting up leftovers can save money and energy in the end. We have gadgets for all types of activity work, and pleasure. Some of them could be replaced manually. Why do we need electrically operated skylights and shades, for an example, a manual operation could replace this effort. I don't recall seeing any vehicles with the roll-down window capability, lately. Everything requires power. A handheld can opener is just as effective as an electric one. Are automatic doors really a requirement or a waste of energy? How about our activities, toys and large televisions?

One of my relatives just purchased, and wisely may I add, a generator for his home. Did you know that he and his family could not even get water without electricity, and in a storm, they would be completely out of everything except for the gas-log heating system in his fireplace, which could warm a room, if it doesn't require an electric spark to initiate it. Thinking back to my grandfather's day. They had terrible storms, but had a well which did not rely on electricity. Heat that came from either coal or wood driven pot-bellied stoves, concentrated heat for the living room or kitchen area. There were no bathrooms, and food was stored in root cellars, and grandma canned foods grown in her garden. Bread was homemade as well as all preserves and wine. The chicken coop provided for their morning eggs. There was little danger of salmonella poisoning from fresh eggs, and my dad used to make eggnog often. Grandma used to make homemade bread each Saturday for the week. Their work, sustained their lifestyle. They worked at home raising their kids and cooking, cleaning and caring for their family amongst a community that did the same. An environment of family, friends and neighbors all working and conserving together, caring for each other and sharing what they had. They were not like the people we have in our society today--demanding, wasteful and apathetic loners. The signs are there. We must be resilient and unfailing. We needed to act on this yesterday.

We have advanced and are in danger, especially when the weather causes outages leaving us in a cold dark home, with little or no food. The once running trolleys, which transported residents, having been replaced by expensive cars. Cars we are forced to own, unless we can walk to our out-of-town jobs. People were lucky to have one car, that they drove on the weekend to church and had "Sunday drives out for a pic-nic in the country." Some people today own as many as four cars for a much smaller family unit....They say we have come a long way. They say we are smarter with all our technology. But, where have we come to? Where does it lead us? Are we sustainable? How about our planet? Where do we go from here?