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Recycling Old Fashion Values
July 12, 2007

Green is all the rage these days – from tips, events, movies, and products to celebrity-backed actions – just think how many headlines Sheryl Crow’s call for a single square of toilet paper inspired. But if we take a step back, are these ideas really new and radical or simply some old fashion values with a green tag?

Take my in-laws as an example. They support local farms and merchants, never waste food, conserve energy, recycle and always find another home for things they no longer use – all actions lauded by environment supporters yet they are not necessarily green living advocates. For them, these are just life-long habits of two people who grew up during the depression, where plenty was scarce. For their generation, if you have food on your plate, you ate it. A piece of paper can be used front and back, then used to make a paper airplane for play and then as a liner for a pet cage. Clothes were worn and then used as scraps for quilts, material for children dress up clothes or as rags. Simple things for simple times.

Not that I want to turn back the clock or give up the many modern conveniences we have, but I worry about the disposable and often excessive habits of our society and how much longer we can continue down this path. My generation is starting to wake up and consider the consequences of our actions; ergo the current green trend. However, trends come and go and we can’t afford to allow environmental consciousness be just a fleeting trend and fodder for the non-believers.

I want my child to not only care about the environment but understand that most green actions stem from good values and not fashion trends. So rather than using the green lens, I asked my mother-in-law for some old-fashion ideas that reduces waste and excess. Here are some of my favorites:

– Have dinner in the yard or patio on warm evenings. It’s often cooler and avoids running fans or air conditioners.
– Use what’s in your refrigerator. Instead of buying seldom used condiments like tartar sauce (and letting it expire after non-use), make your own with mayonnaise, pickles and mustard.
– Water your plants with water used to wash produce and rice. The water contains extra nutrients that you can’t get from a hose.
– Reuse craft materials or scraps when doing projects. Rather than spending money on new materials, look around the house or thrift shops. Nice craft beads, for instance, can run $10 a strand but for $2, we found an old beaded scarf at the thrift shop, detached the beads and used those instead.
– Cut up some old torn t-shirts, braid it and it’s a perfect dog toy.
– Save used popsicle sticks to make a “log house” with the kids, at the end of summer.

None of them are earth shattering but all great actions that I have not yet tried or taught my child. So starting today, we will be saving popsicle sticks (and twigs) for our summer log house.

CindyC at Organicpicks

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