CLOTH BAGS WON’T SAVE THE PLANET

Are you impressed when you see someone in the checkout line with reusable cloth bags? I am. It means the person is conscientious and thoughtful. They know that our oceans are clogged up with plastic, and it’s destroying the planet. My problem is forgetting to bring the numerous cloth bags in my trunk into the supermarket. The only time I have the foresight to bring them inside is when I shop at Aldi’s. And that’s because it’s the thing to do there. My brain is primed to remember cloth bags because I don’t want to have to pay for plastic ones at that store. But when I get home and look around my house, I wonder how much difference we’re really making. Plastic is everywhere. I’m afraid cloth bags won’t save the planet.

Those same people who remember to bring cloth bags to Kroger are probably serving on some charitable committee that furnishes needy moms with disposable diapers. Or their club organizes a free Christmas present giveaway, with piles of plastic toys for poor children. Or else they’re volunteering at a food bank, where bottles of milk, juice, condiments and other edibles are packed in plastic. They might volunteer at a soup kitchen which serves food on styrofoam dishes with plastic utensils. And last but not least, trash bags. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t use plastic trash bags.

Back in the 60’s, we didn’t use much plastic for any of the above. The grocery store provided paper bags, which were then reused to carry out the trash. And the trash cans weren’t made of plastic. We provided our own metal trash cans, picked up by hand each week by the trash collector. In our house, we wrapped our wet garbage in newspapers. It was my brother’s chore to carry out the drippy garbage every night after dinner. If you got a baby doll for Christmas, it was a rubber dolly with no clothes. A more upscale doll would have a porcelain head and cloth body. Other toys were made of tin. . Many were wooden. . My first two children wore cloth diapers. I did a lot of laundry, but that was the only expense involved after the initial purchase. So we didn’t have to feel sorry for women who couldn’t afford disposable diapers lined with plastic, because no one had even heard of them.

Will cloth grocery bags save the planet? I don’t think so. But there’s hope on the horizon. Scientists have recently discovered a way to recycle plastics into diesel fuel.. That’s good news, because I don’t think we’re ever going to stop using plastic bags.

April 24, 2020April 24, 2020

Recycling: We called it Making Do

As children coming of age in the forties, we had never heard the word “recycling”. For most families emerging from the great depression, and going into into World War II, we called it “making do.”

For instance, Tupperware was invented in 1946, but it wasn’t until the fifties and sixties that it became popular. Before that, we reused grocery store food containers to store leftovers: Cottage cheese buckets, margarine bowls—anything that could be washed and dried. Tupperware parties were all the rage, but it was expensive. It didn’t cost a penny to re purpose sturdy containers. And most of us did.

Cloth diapers were still used, With two babies in diapers, I spent a lot of time washing and folding them. But I didn’t have to spend money on plastic diapers.

Cloth dishtowels are environmentally friendly, and save money. They’re more absorbent, and feel softer. I use paper towels only for draining fried foods–maybe one roll per year.

Yes, I’ve succumbed to paper napkins. But I have fond memories of using cloth napkins as a child. My mother painted clothes pins with each siblings names to keep them straight. And the napkins were washed every week.

Computers, wireless phones, or others electronic devices weren’t available, so there was nothing to recycle. As a result, our main source of free home entertainment was television. No one paid for Netflix, HBO, or streaming services. If we wanted more entertainment, we went to the movies , a concert or live theater performance.

Hand me down clothes were welcomed. If they didn’t fit, they could be altered. As the youngest of three girls, I seldom had a “new” outfit except maybe at Easter time, when we all dressed alike. However, even my older sisters wore hand me downs. We had 2nd cousins all over the Midwest. Every year, they sent boxes of their outgrown sweaters and dresses, and we were thrilled to receive them.

Flower seeds were cheap, and started plants from nurseries were considered a luxury. Cuttings and starts from other gardeners cost nothing. My husband lived on a farm, and his mother generously shared her wide variety of plants and flowers, Consequently, even a poor person could have a beautiful garden, if they had the time and energy.

Darning socks. Yes, people still did that , even in the fifties. There was something called a “darning needle.” My husband’s grandmother was shocked when I said I would never darn a sock. And I never did. I guess I was ahead of my time.

Brown paper sacks from grocery stores could be repurposed to wrap packages for mailing. Or storing things in the basement or attic. Because brown paper bags are recyclable, they don’t fill up landfills with plastic.

In the early 20th century, women repurposed feed sacks for dresses. We called it making do. — Recycling: we called it making do.when women made dresses from feed sacks.

Farm wives repurposed feed sacks to sew men’s shirts , women’s dresses, towels, and other household necessities. If you lived in the city, you got the sacks from your country cousins or friends. Those pretty cotton materials were soft to the touch,,and immensely comfortable.

It looks like the Coronavirus pandemic is going to throw us into a recession. Hopefully not a depression. Perhaps we should take some lessons from the past, and recycle the old fashioned way by Making Do.

October 21, 2019October 21, 2019

WHY SHOULDN’T YOU BUY A HALLOWEEN COSTUME?

As a kid growing up in the forties, we had never heard of “store bought” Halloween costumes. Making your own costume was half the fun of Halloween, and the ultimate recycling project. Why shouldn’t you buy a Halloween costume? Because, with a little imagination, you don’t have to.

Recycling an old sheet made a good ghost costume in the old days — In the old days, people used to recycle old sheets instead of buying a ghost costume

The most popular :homemade costume at that time was a ghost. Take an old sheet(most people had white sheets then), drape it over your head, cut out a hole for eyes. Then take a black crayon or ink and draw a mouth and nose. Boo!

Second in popularity and ease of construction was a witch. Again, an old sheet or tablecloth dyed black (Black dye cost a dime). With scissors and safety pins you could make some sleeves. Then, a belt around the waist.. Or ,you might wear some grown-up’s black dress. A pointy hat was the most important, , made by. rolling up some black poster paper, with the aid of glue and scotch tape, Mom’s makeup for the face:. Mascara around the eyes. A gaudy red mouth with lipstick. . Eyebrow pencil lines and wrinkles drawn over your forehead. There was no end to where a little imagination would lead. All you had to do was cackle.

Cowboys were also popular. They still sold cap guns and cowboy hats at Woolworths’, and most every kid had some. Black masks cost a nickel. Put on one of your dad’s old shirts, a pair of jeans, a red bandana across your face, and there you had it. The Lone Ranger!

No one had ever heard of Disney Princess Costumes from Walmart. If you wanted to be a princess, there was usually an old taffeta dress or skirt in your mom or big sister’s clothes closet. Someone who could sew might help make a few ruffles or sew on some sequins . You could make a crown by stapling a strip of cardboard into a circle and decorating it with broken costume jewelry or sequins. Ballet slippers completed the costume. Cinderella!

By the time I had children, you could buy cheap, flimsy, throwaway Halloween costumes at every discount store. . a minimalist nightmare. The industry itself is worth 9.8 billion dollars. The average person spends $86 on Halloween. What a waste of material and creativity!

That’s why you shouldn’t buy a Halloween costume.