GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings

Garden Time

7/28/2024

Not just Summer, but Spring, and Fall gardens too!

Over the years I have posted several Going True Green blogs about the food gardens I grow. Hoping to encourage more people to grow food in their backyards, rooftops, and windowsills, this year is not any different.

Planting crops in the small space I have is a challenge, but then again, I always love a good challenge. This year I am more acutely aware of the seasons, and planting times, so that I can increase my harvest, save more money, and enjoy fresh picked organic food!

Below is my breakdown for 2024, and I hope this is useful for many readers of GoingTrueGreen blogs. Note how some items can be planted twice in one year, while others are growing once for all three seasons:

SPRING PLANTING

Spinach
Lettuce
Onions
Artichokes
Peppers
Carrots
Eggplant
Green Beans
Sweet Peas
Cauliflower

SUMMER PLANTING

Carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Lettuce

FALL PLANTING

Spinach
Onions
Broccoli
Cauliflower

ALL THREE SEASONS

Herbs / Green Squash / Yellow Squash / Blueberries / Grapes / Tomatoes / Cucumbers / Strawberries / Beets

Also as part of the GoingTrueGreen membership, you can email us specific questions on gardening anytime.
Happy planting !

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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This Summer Accomplish Something Big

7/7/2024

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This summer accomplish saving money, saving energy, saving health, and saving Earth.

You can enjoy the fact that you make a difference by doing any or all of the solutions below, and didn't add to the problems.

First start with your own home, next, bring these solutions to work with you. Then volunteer. Here are a few solutions and actions presented over the years by Going True Green:

STOP BUYING WATER IN PLASTIC BOTTLES

KEEP A LARGE DEFAULT TOWEL IN YOUR CLOTHES DRYER

REDUCE WASTE PRODUCTION

WIPE OUR MOUTHS WITH CLOTH

REAL CHRISTMAS TREE VS PLASTIC TREE

CHANGE ALL YOUR LIGHT BULBS

Look into volunteering with family and friends at communities, clubs, organizations, and townships.

Volunteer to pick up litter by joining a team scheduled to clean up a town park or beach. Just 100 volunteers will collect over 400 pounds of trash in a few hours.

Townships along seashores should have programs to seed their harbors with native sea life, such as oysters and clams. These programs that place approximately 12 million claim and oyster seedlings bolster the local economy and improve water quality.

Actions like the above, actually accomplish real solutions. Those who truly make a difference, don't throw paint on anything. We "use" intelligence to solve, and we are not "used" by the elitists that make money and power from creating fear by not presenting all the facts. A. K. A.: Lying through the process of omission.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Home Garbage Reduction

4/23/2024

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GoingTrueGreen.com recently received an email from a GTG member asking for more information about how I reduced the amount of garbage that I put out for collection. For the overall majority of the year, I put out 1 garbage can per week, while comparable neighbors put our two garbage cans, twice a week. This GTG blog will try to break down how I accomplish reducing the amount of garbage on a weekly basis.

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One Garbage Pail, Once A Week

 VS

Garbage, pails, garbage pails, recycle, waste, waste management, household garbage, going true green, goingtruegreen, garbage collection, garbage reduction

Two Garbage Pails, Twice A Week

I estimate about a 40% reduction from being more acutely aware of Recyclables:

Recycle all cardboard by flatten and tie up boxes ranging from deliveries to tissue boxes.
Recycle those cardboard paper towel tubes, cardboard backings to paper pads, and even your cardboard toilet paper rolls.
Recycle Milk and OJ containers along with the juice packs.
Buy eggs in the cardboard cartons, not in plastic containers that may or may not be recyclable.
Then use the cardboard egg cartons to plant seeds in the springtime so you can start growing your own food on that window shelf, backyard, or rooftop.
Recycle all electronics with E-Waste collection days, including lights bulbs.
Recycle paint cans, and unused medicines, with Hazard Waste collection days.

Fresh Made Compost !

I estimate about a 20% reduction by Composting the following:

Scraps and remains of fruits.
Scraps and remains of vegetables.
Add trimmed plant life, but NO diseased plants or flowering weeds.
Add grass clippings like the way you use salt and pepper, use very little, yet grass is not necessary.
Add leaves every now and then, but avoid twigs from tree branches.
Coffee grinds and paper coffee filters are great to add into the mix each day.
Never compost Meat, Dairy, Fish, Bones, Cheese, Oil, Fats, Diseased Plants, Coal, Cat Litter, Plastics, Ash and Paper with Ink or print.
Have a grass lawn, try mulching with a mulching lawn mower! Thus, no yard waste to put out and no plastic bags.

Homemade Hat Rack From Reused Items

I estimate another 15% reduction in garbage by Reducing and Reusing:

Reduce garbage by using cloth napkins and reusable towels instead of paper.
Reduce by using Soap Sheets for washing clothing instead of liquid soap in a large plastic jug.
Buy olives, tuna, and juice in recyclable glass jars, and bottles. Glass does not put contaminates into food or drink.
Do Not buy a "bill of goods" aka, Water in plastic bottles or jugs. Buy a counter top Water Distiller.
Sweep floors and put the dirt collected back outside in the dirt where it came from.
Avoid using plastic and plastic bags as much as possible.
Take an extra netted bag or cloth bag to the supermarket for your fruit and veggies. Don't use the plastic bags and stop buying products in plastic containers. Most of which are not recyclable.

Reuse brown paper lunch bags or buy reusable lunch boxes / bags.
Donate old clothes, and furniture, to your church or an organization.
Sell items no longer needed online.
Use glasses for drinking at home and steel containers for your Distilled water going out with you.
Use dishes that you wash, avoid plastic dishes of all types.
Do not buy paper or plastic dishes and cups. If you have a party and need to - do not buy plastic, buy paper dishes and cups.
Reuse hangers, and old shoes in creative ways, such as garden planters, and making hat racks.
Old eye glasses, sunglasses, and eyeglass cases, drop in collection box at Pearl Vision Centers for those in need.

I hope and trust this information is helpful, and at least a good start to cutting back on the amount of garbage produced. Thank you.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Jesus, Christ, Jesus Christ, Shroud, Shroud of Turin, Sindone, burial cloth of Jesus, The Way, Upper Room, L. J. Williams, Upper Room The Way, BBV Publishing, Son of God, historical novels, apostles, Mary mother of God

Easter 2024, the Historical Novel, Upper Room, The Way: 33 AD to 57 AD will be available in Hardcover, paperback, and digital. This new edition has all the scientific data, history, and most probable events for Jesus' burial cloth, known as the Shroud of Turin. The fascinating adventure starts with clicking the image Link above to walk with the apostles in the streets of Jerusalem, cry for their pain, and rejoice with them.

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Why Do We Tie Up Our Garbage In Plastic Bags?

3/7/2024

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Plastic, plastic bags, garbage, garbage bags, recycle, microplastic, going true green, sustainability

Beach Clean Up: Compostable Bags or Plastic?

Easy answer... To facilitate easy transportation from indoors to outdoors, and to keep garbage cans more sanitized.

Now I must ask, what was done in yesteryear? There was no such thing as a plastic bag.

In the "Old Days" garbage was tossed in a small pail with a handle, then carried outside to a large garbage can that was put out to the curb on collection days. Every now and then, those pails were washed out. However, plastic bags changed all that, so to avoid using plastic bags today, we need to look into Compostable Bags and taking some additional action.

Households were not zero waste back in yesteryear, nor is zero waste an easy task to accomplish today. First action is to reduce, recycle, and reuse. I put out one garbage can a week, while most of my neighbors with the same situation as me, put out two garbage cans twice a week. All with their garbage tied up nice and tight in a plastic bag. I am also guilty for using plastic bags, but that is mostly because the municipality and unions, do not want their collection agents picking up garbage cans filled with loose debris, and turning the cans upside down to dump out all that garbage. Spillage, when that occurs is a mess, germs can spread, and town / city employees risk back injuries. So most townships and cities want garbage to be bagged.

Nevertheless, still using plastic bags, will cause long term issues in landfills. One such issue I learned about on my first job out of college. I was working as a Specialist Level 2 environmental scientist at a newly designed garbage recycling plant. There I learned the plastic bags when burned, give off dioxins, and dioxin like compounds. That is the same stuff used in agent orange during the Vietnam war.

So another action I took was to search out Compostable Bags. There are many types available on the market today, and a lot easier to find compared to years ago. Try to buy compostable bags with plant-based content, and this will help keep plastic out of our landfills and microplastic particles out of our environment, and us!

Some compostable bags with good reviews are ProGreen, and UNNI ASTM. Both are available at Walmart.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Distilling Water

2/5/2024

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water, water distiller, water filters, drinking water, water fountains, carbon filters, distillers, water pollution, going green, going true green, GTG

Counter Top Water Distiller

I have been speaking and writing about using a Water Distiller for decades now. When compared to buying bottled water in plastic, having your own Water Distiller makes complete sense. Saving money, energy, and health are individual benefits. Helping to save our environment is a benefit for the world and our children. For details about distilling your own water and all the savings, just use the SEARCH box at the top of this page or click on WATER in the Category list on the right side of this page.

The number one concern I hear about distilling your own water is the loss of all those healthy nutrients and electrolytes in water. I have a hard time being concerned for several facts and reasons. One reason is the fact that our main supply of nutrients, electrolytes and minerals, come from fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. The minerals in water are not sufficient to enhance our Recommended Daily Allowance, (RDA). On average, to get our RDA of calcium we would need to drink 600 glasses of water per day. To acquire our RDA of iron, that would cause us to drink 800 glasses of water a day. How about our RDA for magnesium? Only 1,800 glasses of water for that, and for our phosphorus RDA, just 160,000 glasses per day. We Do Not get our daily nutrients from drinking water.

So, over the years the best water distiller to buy has changed... No I am not writing about this because I am getting a kick-back or have stock in the company. I am just sharing information and research that I have done over all the years.

The counter top Vevor water distiller, as of today, is the best deal.

Better Features:
Lighter Copper outside
Two switches on and off
Double line marker inside locating maximum water fill
Electric cords have extra length
Stainless steel nozzle to hold carbon filter
Stainless steel shield over steam intake hole inside top section to prevent particulates from drafting up into cooling coil
Easy lift handle for the top section
Extra high drip guard for the 1 gallon glass jug
Stainless steel, not plastic top cover for the glass jug
Silicone padded wrap to protect the bottom of the glass jug
A citric concentrate to clean the distiller - Done by putting 4 teaspoons in hot water that is filled up above the dirt line in the distiller. Then plug-in without the top section cover, and bring to a boil. After 15 minutes shut off with OFF button and wash out.
The grip handle for the glass jug, better design
Vent spacing in top section is larger, so easier to clean any dust or lint buildup
Cooling fan blades are made of aluminum, not plastic, so there is far less dirt build up on blades
Faster and quieter: Far less noise, One hour faster in making the gallon of water!
Best price is around $111.00
Electrical operating cost to make one gallon is around 42 cents for the highest electrical rates in the United States. The Vevor unit costs about 9 cents more than other models that use around 70 watts less, but are on 1 hour longer to make a gallon of water. Either way, compared to buying bottled water - no contest. You get a gallon of purified water for 42 cents compared to one 16 ounce plastic bottle of water that will range from $1.50 to $3.75 depending on your buying location.

Drawbacks:
I am very disappointed that this is made in China, thus shipping halfway around the world wipes out some of the environmental savings we obtain.

The charcoal filters are very dense and after a dozen rinses they still leached a heavy black charcoal film. I suggest the carbon filters from Nutriteam. You can buy 12 packs for a good price at Nutriteam.com. They are slightly smaller in size and fit better in the Drip Nozzle. Bottom line, you can rinse them in a bowl of distilled water about three times to get out the excess carbon.

General Rules:
In regard to changing the carbon filter and cleaning out the inside of the distiller, my rule has been determined from distilling water for over 35 years. I clean out the distiller with organic white vinegar by pouring in one gallon and letting the vinegar sit overnight. The citric concentrate, Vevor provides with their distillers, does work better when following their directions. How often I change and clean is based on this rule: Every 100 gallons made or three months, whichever comes first.

As for the dust build up in the vent spacing on the top section and the cooling coil, I use Q-Tips to clean out the dust and lint at least once a year.

THE SOLUTION IS NOT BOTTLED WATER… THE SOLUTION IS US AND THE KNOWLEDGE WE SHARE!
CONSIDER TAKING GTG's WATER WORKSHOP, IF NOT FOR OURSELF OR THE WORLD,
AT LEAST FOR OUR GREAT GRAND KIDS.

Visit our Lifetime GTG Membership program for details, online class about water is available to all members.
Please use the GTG Membership Link above. Thank you.

You will not be tested by me, but life may test our grandchildren.
Can you teach them what they need to know?

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Energy Saving Report Card

1/26/2024

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This is not rocket science, this is using real facts, and technology that we already have. Knowledge that seems to be unknown or avoided by our leaders, media, celebrities, and conglomerates that run on greed. Yet, all the actions I have accomplished save money, energy, our environment, our health, and our children's future. Just in the area of heating my home and making hot water you can see below is one piece of proof showing my success. Success that is 48% BETTER than Efficient homes equivalent to mine in size and features:

efficient homes, saving energy, energy savings, going true green, oil heat, gas heat, environmental studies, saving money, health savings, children's future

We must realize "Going True Green" is not accomplished by just purchasing a few LED light bulbs nor is this achieved by someone yelling we must all change yesterday because the world is doomed. That is someone just trying to get 15 minutes of fame based on speculations and predictions that may or may not occur. No one can say what will exactly happen and when. However, facts do show that we have serious issues and no company or person should RISK our future.

Saving a great deal of money, living healthier and all without sacrificing the life you know is accomplished by each one of us when we have all the data. For example: The previous owner of my house use over 1,000 gallons of oil a year and I reduced consumption to 250 gallons! When you have the trade secrets and privilege information, that makes the difference. Today, I no longer use oil and I am close to getting off the grid without sacrificing a single thing. Due to actions like this that are done by individuals around our country, EPA reports Greenhouse gases have decreased by 2.3% between 2014 and 2015. Also reported was a total of 11.5% since 2005. We the People are making a difference.

As a responsible individual we are the solution to a better tomorrow. By living a more "sustainable life" we will save Money, Health, Energy, and Earth without making any sacrifices! But we MUST work as a Team toward good Environmental Stewardship! I have no electric bill and what I have done is not rocket science. Facts, trade secrets and encouraging support, is what the world needs.The Blame game must end. We must stop looking for a solution from a politician, corporation, political party, organization or celebrity and make the difference ourselves!
How? By reading, and I will be honored if you start with my Going True Green blogs.
Use the SEARCH BOX at the top of this page to lookup any specific topic or Categories and Archives on the right side of this page. Thank you.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

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Invasion Of Nanoplastics (New Research Results)

1/13/2024

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Nanoplastics, Microplastic, particles, goingtruegreen,, water, bottled water, filtered water, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Plastic Microfiber being ingested by an Amoeba, which fish eat, we eat fish. Image by Dr. Kirby

Nanoplastics or Microplastic particles are among us and have been for decades. I have posted several Going True Green blogs - www.goingtruegreen.com/apps/search?q=plastic - on the subject with actions we can all take over the years. Sadly, new research now shows that the invasion of microscopic plastic particles is a full scale personal assault on each one of us. First, let us review what are nanoplastics.

Plastic is made from oil, plastic does not decay or biodegrade like an apple core (which you can actual eat) or leaf. Plastic breaks apart into a smaller piece, and then another smaller piece, and smaller, and smaller. How small is small?

One strand of human hair is around 80 microns wide. A micron is a unit of length in the International System of Units, which is one millionth of a meter. Nano is equivalent to one thousandth of a micrometer, one millionth of a millimeter or one billionth of a meter.

Researchers from Rutgers and Columbia Universities provided results from tests done with lasers called Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) microscopy. Some 240,000 plastic particles were detected in a liter bottle of water. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

After I spoke with doctors in the medical field, I was told about the chemical makeup of different plastic and the known toxins within, that have shown to be related to cancer. Nanoplastic particles, when inside the human body, can be considered more dangerous than microplastics. According to Dr. Wei Min, a professor of chemistry at Columbia and co-author of the study said, “the smaller it goes, the easier for it to be misidentified as the natural component of the cell.”

With the detected plastic in a bottle of water, 90 percent was nanoplastic, and 10 percent was micro, we can in theory say that some of this plastic is coming from the manufacturing of the plastic bottle and also the plastic parts on water filters that are used. Reverse Osmosis systems also have plastic parts, even Water Distillers which I have recommended for over 30 years had plastic parts. The water distiller I used today has the plastic nozzle (the only plastic part in contact with the water I make) lined with glass. Remember from my previous Going True Green blogs – Only 3 things Do Not put carcinogens into our food and drink: Glass, Porcelain, and Waxpaper.

Now while I still recommend a Water Distiller and reusable protected glass or steel containers, some early testing shows less nanoplastic in tap water, than bottled. Obviously, many different pros and cons have to be evaluated.

The last important factor to acknowledge is that while the media screams about predictions on warming, the plastic pollution in our oceans has shown that this is a Real Issue manifesting damage to our Ocean's Prochlorococcus organisms. Prochlorococcus make up our invisible green forest in our oceans. These microscopic marine cyanobacteria are probably the most abundant organism on Earth. For millions of years they have made our oxygen. Plastic is killing them and they are our main source of oxygen.

Everything is connected.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

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Unwrapping A Real Issue

12/28/2023

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All the gifts have been opened, the wrapping paper recycled, and we are eliminating the plastic decorations outside that are worn down by nature's weathering.

Yet, non-biodegradable and unrecyclable plastic remains. Plastic that will continue to reduce in size, and enter our environment via our air, our water, and our soil. Thus enter into our body's organs.
[More details here]

Additionally, these plastic particles end up in our oceans. Plastic pollution in our oceans has shown that this is a Real Issue manifesting damage to our Ocean's Prochlorococcus organisms. Prochlorococcus make up our invisible green forest in our oceans. These microscopic marine cyanobacteria are probably the most abundant organism on Earth. For millions of years they have made our oxygen. The Rain Forests has been labeled "the lungs of Earth" by those without all the facts. The truth really is that our oceans provide the support to our Prochlorococcus organisms that are really Earth's lungs. Ironically, our oceans that lack oxygen to support our living capabilities under water, actually provide us with the majority of our oxygen that we need to live on land.

We already know Prochlorococcus are being damaged by plastic pollution in our oceans, so perhaps a closer look is needed by all of us to see the small amounts of plastic around us. Plastic that will only become smaller and microscopic. Plastic such as:

Christmas, wrapping paper, plastic glitter, sparkles, wrapping paper, recycled, plastic decorations, weathering, non-biodegradable, unrecyclable, Plastic, environment, air, water, soil,

Click Image to Enlarge

From colorful decorative plastic wraps on the ends of toothpicks to sparkling Glitter found on wrapping paper, cards, and decorations. Also glitter is sold for art and crafts by the thousands in a small plastic tube. Each and every plastic piece of glitter is notorious!

They get everywhere, and are not easy to clean up! Blow up the photo and take a closer look at what you may breathing, eating, or drinking!

This is a real issue without any predictions for a day of doom or a morning of sunshine. This is just science stating facts so we can make a difference. So we can be part of a team taking action like the way it use to be in the seventies and eighties of the last century. No panic, just action, no plots to get 15 minutes of fame or to make money. Just people, coming together to fix and end an issue about pollution. Just like that commercial I saw so many years ago when I was young... Click Here

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

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WHY DIGITAL ELECTRIC METERS?

12/13/2023

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electric meters, digital meters, electric meter, going true green, sustainability, saving energy, saving electricity, meter readers, electromagnetic field, saving money

Old Electric Meter

Nationwide utility companies have been changing their  “workhorse – never-fail” electric meters to digital ones.

Why? Two reasons: To prevent the loss of money and to save money.

Personally, I do not appreciate “money” being in the equation for reasons. Yet, money is the only reason for this change over. Why else would power companies change out American made, never-fail, electric meters to digital units made - where?

First fact was that too many people with very high electric bills blamed the meter instead of being accountable for their own consumption of power. I remember one energy audit I was doing for a homeowner who wanted me to provide proof that his electric “workhorse – never-fail” meter was defective and spinning faster to increase his electric bill. The year was 1988, there was no extra data on this homeowner collected through social media or Amazon purchases. None of that existed yet. Nevertheless, I was able to know from experience, and the story went pretty much like this:

            I arrived at the homeowner’s house, and parked as close to the curb as possible, despite the accumulated snow in the street. The homeowner met me on his driveway and after introductions, I followed him to the electric meter mounted on the outside of his house.

            “Excellent!” The homeowner exclaimed. “Look at that wheel on the meter spin! And there isn’t anything on inside. Not one lightbulb nor TV. I’m telling you, as these meters get old and worn out, the gears within spin faster.”

            “Actually, the opposite is true,” I politely said to inform the homeowner. “As dust and dirt build up inside the meter over the decades, the gears slow down, thus lowering your electric bill from what the real cost should be. If you demand the power company to change out this meter to a new one, they will be happy to do so, and your electric bill will increase. Not by much, but it will be higher. You said your house and meter were almost 40 years old, well the power company is losing money on you. Then add up all the old slow running meters out there and the power company is losing a small fortune.”

            The homeowner was ready to fire me on the spot as he stared at me in disbelief. “That can’t be true! Why is my meter spinning so fast when I’m not using any electricity inside?”

            “I would say from the speed of the spinning wheel on your meter that you have an inefficient refrigerator and freezer with side by side doors operation right now in your kitchen and an extra Box freezer also running in your basement.”

            The homeowner’s mouth dropped-open as his eyes widened, and then demanded, “how the hell do you know that? “You have never been inside my house!”

            Sure enough, both appliances existed as I described and confirmed in the locations I cited, when we entered the house. Additionally, both appliances were running. After they stopped, I brought the homeowner outside to see his meter turning slowly. He then asked me what was consuming electricity now to have the wheel still turn, even at a slow rate? I listed for him the following:

“Your clock on the kitchen stove.
The clock on your coffee maker.
The clock on your microwave oven.
Your alarm clock or clocks plugged into an outlet.
A possible nightlight left on.
The timer for your table lamp in the living room for security reasons.
Did you shut off your lawn sprinkler timer?
Each Television plugged into an outlet is drawing ‘stand-by’ power.
Most of your entertainment equipment will also pull some power for ‘stand-by’ power. Equipment such as your stereo and video game box.”
(Use this LINK to learn more about ‘stand-by’ power)

            “Additionally,” I said, “your heating system perhaps just came on, and the zone calling for heat activated the electric pump to send the heated water through your pipes and along your hot-water baseboards to heat that area of the house. Especially, since you had left the front door open since I arrived and only have the screen door closed.

Needless to say, I spent three more hours with that homeowner teaching him have to save without sacrificing.

So, with that loss of income for power companies and the second fact that they longed for saving all the salaries of meter readers. These two “money” reasons had the utilities look forward to digital meters. Meters that could be read by one person sitting in a car and reading every meter on the block electronically in a fraction of the time wirelessly.

As far as, the consumer, we are billed more accurately constantly and perhaps, depending on where the digital meter is located, such as outside a bedroom window with a bed by that window, a person may be exposed to extra electromagnetic fields? To know the truth about this and risks for young children, we need to search out studies published on this topic in peer reviewed scientific journals. Never trust what a politician says or a millionaire talking head on a cable or news channel network. They sensationalize to stay in office, sell more commercials, and make more money with higher ratings.

The moral to this blog is that we must be aware and accountable for our actions and consumption. We must stop blaming others or old dirt-filled electric meters. No one else is going to save you money and your health nor the world’s future for our children. All that is up to us and it starts in our own house or apartment.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

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BLAME OUR OLD FOLKS, THEN GIVE THANKS

11/13/2023

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With Thanksgiving soon to arrive, we all need to spend some time being thankful for the complete picture, all the information, aka the truth, so we can keep things real. Sadly today, that complete picture and truth is not presented nor spoken much. Our young adults today are misled to the point where they just automatically blame someone else, especially when they talk about our environment on just one issue and fail to realize the multitude of issues. Few realize how everything is connected and how everything we do has an impact on our environment.

Over the years I have been pulled into conversations where the above is so apparent and relative. This is one reason why I try to maintain my Going True Green blogs with various central themes and have them connect one way or another. I also have kept notes and thoughts, so now with the above situation stated, I will combine different examples and stories into one conglomerate blog to make my point. I will use a visit with my Aunt, who represents our old folks very stalwartly. She is 102 with a walker, but she still has all her faculties.

We were sitting together and I was getting ready to leave after having some time sharing stories and memories. There were two Pignoli cookies left over from the five I brought to share with my aunt. (Yes, these are expensive cookies, thus only five.) Nevertheless, my aunt saw one of the young ladies that works at her assisted living and asked her for a small plastic bag to put the two cookies in. She wanted to take them up to her room. I had already recycled the cardboard box the cookies came in and the remaining two were on a small cardboard circle that acted like a tray.

After a few minutes, the young lady came back with a small brown paper lunch bag and said, “I brought you a paper bag instead of a plastic bag.”

“Oh, I prefer a paper bag. Thank you,” my aunt replied.

“Well I wished you preferred paper bags when you were younger, perhaps then my generation wouldn’t have environment problems that will destroy the world in ten years,” the employee snapped back.

“Wow,” I said and immediately saw my aunt put her hand up toward me in a jester that she didn’t need my help.

“Can you imagine?” My aunt said softly and then as if someone handed her a microphone, she started her verbal dissertation. “When I was young we only used paper bags. There were no plastic bags at all and we reused all our paper over and over. We made and protected our school text books with left-over paper bags from the grocery store. We lined our kitchen garbage pail with them, we made hats to play with and made signs on the brown paper for selling lemonade at the wooden stand our fathers made for us. We even reused newspaper to wrapped fish in at the fish market and protect things being mailed. We didn’t have or use your plastic bubble wrap.

“When I was young, we all had milk delivered to us every few mornings in glass bottles. Bottles that were returned, washed, and reused over and over. We really recycled all glass bottles, because they all went back to be washed and refilled. Soda, beer and…

“And we never purchase water in plastic bottles! We were blessed with clean water coming out of a fountain or the faucet in our kitchen for a fraction of the cost. Much better than what my grandmother did every day when she carried several heavy clay pots to the town well in order to fill them with that day’s water supply for her family.

“I walked everywhere or took the trolley and then a bus after that replaced the trolley. We didn’t have a car. And when we did, we still walked to anywhere within five miles. Stairs, oh yes, stairs. No such thing as escalators in every building. Do not think… I mean, I am thankful for elevators now, because with my walker I can no longer take stairs.”

“But you took stairs until you needed that walker at 98 years old!” I quickly injected. “Tell her how you helped take care of the whole family as the oldest after your father died while he helped with the World War Two effort state side.”

“Oh yes, Pop. Pop was killed loading a supply ship bound to Europe for our troops. They said it was an accident. Mom needed my help with my four younger brothers. Two already in the military, the army and Airforce. One more to join the Navy when he turned 18 within two years. Thank God all my brothers came home, but many other boys we knew… I never married, so I helped mom and the family all I could.”

“My aunt is being modest. She was a professional woman, despite not having any chance to go to high school. She earned the money that helped to support the family. My grandmother didn’t have a paying job…” I stopped talking when my aunt looked at me and laughed a little.

“There was no such thing as a professional woman back then.”

“True,” I replied.

“A man would have your job right here and now, back in those years." My aunt said to the young lady. "You would be getting married or as in my case helping the war effort.” My aunt turned in her seat, and I now knew she was going to let everything fly.

“As far as my generation, causing your generation’s problems… Well, I am thankful for elevators, because with my walker I can no longer take stairs. I took stairs, I washed cloth diapers to be reused over and over. No plastic throw-away diapers. The sun dried our clothes on a clothes line, no electrical powered drying machine.”

“That is real solar energy,” I injected.

“William, let me speak. Don’t interrupt… I took the stairs all the time, but I am thankful for elevators, because with my walker I can no longer take stairs. Look at all these Television sets here. We had one Television for the whole family and that was only after I purchased, with my money, RCA’s first entertainment center with color TV, stereo, record player, and radio in 1960. If you wanted to see a big screen feature, we went to the movie theaters that had air conditioned environments. We didn’t have our own air conditioner in every room throughout the apartment. We used no electricity when mixing food like flour or eggs, we mixed with our hand powered kitchen tools. We sharpened pencils by hand, we would wind-up our alarm clocks, we opened food cans with a can opener by hand, we swept the floors and carpets by hand, we planted gardens anywhere we could, we raked up leaves and composted them instead of stuffing them into plastic bags, we added up numbers on paper, not on a computer, we washed dishes by hand, we read books by the window on a Sunday afternoon, we went around the house shutting lights off and opening curtains, we washed every night with the bowl by the sink and took a bath twice or three times a week, we donated what we no longer needed to the church, we knew the difference between what we needed and what we wanted, we took lunch with us to work and school in a reusable metal lunch box, never used a zip-lock plastic bag, we ate together, we prayed together and we had time, valuable time, together. I’m 102, those valuable times are just memories for me now. I am blessed to have them.”

Before walking away, the young girl said with a tear in her eye, “I am sorry. I didn’t know.”

As for me, I have little patience for elitist people who want to scare our kids with lies through the process of omission. Sending kids around the world to scream in fear instead of realizing all that has been done to help make a difference. Yes, I am acutely aware about how generations before polluted our waterways and air, but I am also aware of what each generation has done to fix environmental damage and problems. Throughout my generation I witnessed massive improvements and solutions implemented. Along with current efforts, we are doing seriously better than the way pollution was in the 1950s and 60s. Too many of today’s generation fail to realize all that has changed and what has been fixed. Just believing topics like electric cars are the solution, when they are just a transition at best, is proof that just googling knowledge - Does Not Work. Just believing what is spoken and not realizing the damage to people and our environment with the use of electric car fleets everywhere. Not knowing the facts behind Hydrogen Fuel Cells, so we do not get suckered into monthly bills when the solution can be Free to the world. Instead of being happy about facts and news that are positive, they blame others and refuse to realize that they didn’t do their homework and were duped.

If you have not read the following as of yet, then this is homework for reading this Thanksgiving:

https://www.goingtruegreen.com/gtg-blog/want-not-waste-not

https://www.goingtruegreen.com/gtg-blog/treat-but-there-is-a-trick

https://www.goingtruegreen.com/gtg-blog/solution-for-flints-water

To my aunt, I say thank you! Thank you for all you didn’t do to hurt the environment and thank you for being part of my equation that had me go out around the world always learning, but also to teach, educate, and make a difference.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and peace to all as we know the real truths.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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