Thread: Being "Green" Used To Be Called "Waste Not-Want Not"

Being "Green" Used To Be Called "Waste Not-Want Not"




When I was growing up, there was a statement used a lot that was 'waste not, want not' and today the same thing is called being green. Living a green life is basically not wasting any of our resources. Back then, it was more on not wasting food, where today it is more on not wasting energy, but the principles are the same. 50 years ago there weren't nearly as many people, or nearly as many electronic gadgets. The need for gasoline or electricity is considerably more than it used to be. Common sense would tell you that there is a day coming when the supplies will run out.


There was a time when there wasn't any gasoline or electricity, so it is possible that new forms of energy are waiting to be developed, but that doesn't mean we should go on wasting the way the world has been doing. If millions of people driving their cars every day help cause pollution, then those same millions of people driving less would lessen pollution. Anything that has been done to contribute to the problem, could help solve the problem by no longer being done. If everybody in the world have their lights on causes an enormous use of electricity, think about the amount of electricity that could be saved by everyone turning their lights off.


Just because something is convenient, doesn't mean that it is good to do or should be done. Think about all of the fast food restaurants, where everything is either paper, plastic or Styrofoam, and it all gets thrown away to end up in landfills. There is very little thought about recycling the waste, or anything but get your food, eat it, throw away what is left, and get back to what you were doing. This is a daily occurrence for a whole lot of people, with very little end in sight. Think about how much energy is used to produce things that are used one-time and immediately thrown away.


Sometimes conservation doesn't happen, such as with fuel for our cars, until the price gets so high that we are forced to conserve. How many people never even consider saving on energy, until their bill gets so high that they can't afford it. You might only be one person, and you think anything that you could do wouldn't help much. It might be true, but together with others, things can change. All you need to do is simple things, like not driving so often, don't let your car idle for long periods of time, start recycling and don't buy things any more that can't be recycled.


Your life doesn't need to change that much to stop wasting energy. You don't need to take unnecessary trips in your car. You can find ways to use less water and electricity without affecting your life. All you need to do is slow down and simplify your life a little bit.