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.
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