Green Matters™
by Crissy Trask
Welcome to my blog where I share almost anything I think will help make greener living undeniable and simple. News, tips, insight and resources served up weekly. I also share my perspectives on others' perspectives and actions. Agree or disagree, I hope you will find them thought-provoking and a starting point for conversation.
Previous Post...Next Post...Information on Reprints...2010 Blog
FEBRUARY 22, 2009 The Unhappiest Generation
I wish I had a dime for every time some old-timer said to me, " I grew up with these so-called "green" values, and it was just how we did things back then." "The greatest generation" fixed things instead of replacing them. They used their land to raise some of their food. They dried laundry outside on a sunny, warm day. They lived in small houses. They used natural ingredients to clean their homes. They walked most places on a daily basis. They captured rainwater and
grey water for other chores. They used natural breezes and evaporation to cool their homes. And they were happy.
Shopping malls, easy credit, artificially cheap food, CC&Rs, self-importance, corporate marketing, the highway lobby, cheap water and urban expansion into the desert changed all that. Modernism has dramatically changed the way we live--in many ways, for the better--but we've gotten horribly caught up in trends and attitudes that are erroding our environment and our quality of life. Modernism at its worst isn't just a spectacular example of too much consuming, driving, building, burning, polluting, trashing and wasting…it's also making us less happy. Surveys have shown that our happiness peaked in 1957 when families had smaller homes, less debt and a simpler life.
2009 BLOG INDEX
Posts by Topic
Air Quality
6/8/09, Leaf Blowers:
An Environmental Nightmare
Cleaning
4/14/09, Don’t
Be So Quick to Blame the Low-Phosphate Detergent
Energy
7/6/09, It’s Summer
Time and the Livin’ is ‘Green’!
4/7/09, Window Films Can Lower Your
Cooling Bills and Your Tax Liability
3/14/09, Bundle Your
Gadgets
Food
10/27/09, Super
Freakonomics Authors Come Down Hard on Local Food
10/22/09, Hey Foodies, What
Are You Feeding Your Pets?
Green Terms
5/26/09, A Closer Look
at the Definition of “Recycled” and Some Other “Re”
Words
Plastic, and other Trash
7/13/09, Will a
Ban on Bottled Water Lad to Bad Beverage Choices?
4/22/09, Bottled Water
Gets Reinvented
3/2/09, Inefficient Packaging
Awards (No. 1)
Perspectives
9/14/09, Gullibility
is Derailing Progress
8/24/09, Check
Your Lifestyle Before Bragging About Recycling
8/19/09, Simple
Solutions Won’t Work Alone: Comprehensive is the True Agent
of Change
2/22/09, The Unhappiest Generation
2/12/09, Inauguration
Attendees Fail to Demonstrate Change
Reduce
8/5/09, Direct
Mail Marketers Want to Force Junk Mail on Us
3/21/09, Better
Yard Sales
1/25/09, Wasting Trees:
Why I Hate Junk Mail
Reuse
10/14/09, Wrapping
with Your Butcher
5/7/09, Craigslist
Buyers are A Flakey Bunch on the Whole
Recycling
6/22/09, Not
Separating Your Recyclables from Your Trash Can Hurt
3/4/09, Recycle Your
Water Filters
Transportation
6/15/09, Avoid
Hot Car Syndrome to Reduce Emissions…and Discomfort
Water
3/27/09,
Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a
Drop…
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