At a supermarket checkout an old lady asked for a plastic bag for the items just purchased. A young man behind her muttered about her lack of respect for the environment by addressing her as follows:  “My generation, Madam, cannot grasp the little understanding old people have for the environment. Young people will find it difficult because of what your generation has consumed.”

After a moment’s hesitation the old lady apologises to the young man by saying:

“So sorry, young man, but in my day the ecology movement didn’t even exist.”

The young man replies: “It’s exactly people like you, Madam, who have squandered all the earth’s resources to the extent of making our future uncertain.”

“It’s true -replies the old lady, slightly annoyed- but in my days there were only glass bottles which were returned.  They were sent to centres that washed and sterilised them and then returned them to the factory for re-use.  The bottles were recycled even though “ecology” was unknown.”

“Likewise, in my day, one climbed stairs on foot:  lifts and similarly escalators didn’t exist.  We didn’t get the car out to go a few kilometres or even a few hundred yards but we walked to go to the shops in the town centres.   But it’s true, there was no ecology movement.”

“We never had disposable nappies for babies either; our nappies were washed and re-washed.  We dried our washing on a line, not with a machine using 3000Watts.  Our power was wind and sun. And our clothes were passed on from one brother to the other, mended where necessary, never thrown away.

But you are right, we didn’t know about the importance of ecology.”

“At home we had one TV set, (if we had!) or one radio and certainly not one in each bedroom.  Moreover, the TV screens were small, not like today’s which are the size of sheets.  We had one alarm clock which was wound up daily and in the kitchen we didn’t have all the modern labour-saving electric gadgets that, certainly prevent hard work but  consume countless watts for those who supplies electricity at the expense no doubt of the environment.”

“And whenever we had to send fragile objects by post we used old newspaper or cellulose-based cotton wool removed from boxes. Polystyrene?  Never used as it wasn’t known as unknown was plastic.

Lawn mowers didn’t exist, so we used ‘elbow grease’.  We worked hard physically and didn’t have need to go round to the gym to run on those ‘moving platforms’ of today, which obviously are powered by electricity.

But you are right, we didn’t know about the importance of ecology.”

“We drank tap water when thirsty, not from plastic bottles that are discarded.

Pens were filled with ink from small bottles as there weren’t disposable cartridges.  The blades in razors were changed now and then but the razors weren’t thrown away like today.”

“But you are right, we didn’t know about the importance of ecology.”

“To get around, people took the bus or the train and their children went to school on foot or by bike, not dependant on their parents using the car as a taxi service: the same with after-school activities.

Pupils used the same school satchel for years and the same with exercise books not like today where there is a fashionable diary, pens or special rubbers.

But you are right, we didn’t know about the importance of ecology.”

“In each room there was one electric socket, not like now where you’d think you were inside a power station.

Thus the reply should be:  think before you speak”.

And you then, when you look at the marvels of Africa (PP Imagenes de Africa), ask yourself the question whether it’s others or rather we who have to change our way of life.