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Go Back, to go green

How Old time hints, tips, and methods can help you live a greener life.

By Bob ParkerPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Go Green, Save the environment, look for alternative energy, Organic, All the buzz words and phrases that make Environmentalism seem to NOW. But perhaps we should look BACK as much as FORWARD, to go green in our lives.

The younger generations are blaming the last and previous generations for the state of the planet, and with fair reasons. In the past, we, as a species, lived closer to nature and it is only in recent history, very recent history, that we have pushed conspicuous consumption too far.

We do not have to go back so far to see communities that lived greener, and healthier lives. Take a look at Photographs of people from the 1950s and 60s, In almost every case it is unusual to see overweight or obese people. Take a look at how much traffic is on the roads. How little litter.

It starts in the home.

How many of you have a shopping back such as we used to have. A cloth bag, or old string bag, reusable, and capable of holding your shopping from the day. No plastic bags, no paper bags, just the one bag, used every shopping expedition.

We have allowed BIG superstores to mould us into shopping for items we do not need. And expecting uniform, colourful, identical produce, which means that hundreds of Tonnes of slightly disfigured produce is discarded.

Think on this. As late as the 1990s my wife and I used to do our weekly shop on a local avenue, we first went to the grocers or fruitier, where we bought our potatoes by the pound, these were taken straight from the scales and poured into the bottom of the shopping bag. A piece of old newspaper was then put over these and the Carrots, Colliflour, and cabbage were put on top. Next wrapped in a newspaper to keep them together came the peas, podded. From here we went to the Butchers for our cuts of meat and sausages. All weighed out, then wraped in a piece of white paper to be placed in the bag. Any cleaning products we needed were carried in a seperate bag, again cloth and reusable. Here we fell down on the green bit, we went to a local what would now be called a minimart. Here we purchased Flour, eggs, soupstock, Gravy salts, all into the shopping bag. And YES it got heavy. so we often did two trips, or more a week. On foot, not in the car, and we were healthier for it.

Potatoes were peeled, Peas were podded, Carrots peeled and cut, the waste was not wasted, it went into the compost heap in the garden. We grew our own herbs and some vegetables to supplement our diet.

Cold in autumn? put on warm clothes. Hot in summer ( we wish, this is England) sit by an open window for the breeze or go for a walk in the shade.

The thing is, we need to learn what worked. We need to get away from the idea that our produce has to be bought all in one place. Go to the little shops, frequent the local butcher, use a cloth shopping bag. Who cares if that onion, or potato, or carrot is not uniform in shape? You are going to cut it up to serve are you not?

At home. Learn to cook, not only are some simple recipes easy, they are healthier, less salt, less sugar, Fewer additives. And if you are fortunate to have a yard, or garden, The first taste of fruit and vegetables you grow for yourself will astonish you. And the seeds? Well Tomatoes are mainly seed, Peas are a seed, The pits on the outside of strawberries are seeds, Garlic cloves are SEEDS, the top of a carrot can be regrown to produce another carrot!, Potatoes, plant one about a foot down in well-composted soil, and later, pounds of potatoes from one plant.

Once you start to grow your own, shop-bought forced veg and fruit will taste bland. And you can grow herbs and peas in a window box! Take a look on youtube, or online. there are hundreds of hints and tips and help for all this.

So, yes. for a green future, we can all help. By remembering a greener past. Not with rose-tinted glasses, but with a clear examination of what will still work.

Go back to go green, to go forward sustainably.

Historical
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