I am of the Baby Boomer generation, and when I was growing up we did not have the throw away society like of today. I remember when we went to the grocery store when the clerk check us out he put our groceries in a box that can goods were shipped in. Then we used that box to put our garbage in. Paper bags were used to carry lunches, and news papers were used for everything. Glass jars were used drinking glasses.The old match set of jelly jar glasses. Now there are collectables.    The small and large appliances we had were often repaired. Not to far from us was a small appliance repair shop. He fixes everything from mixers to lamps. Vacuum cleaner repair was very common and motor rewinding. In fact the toaster I grew up with just gave up the ghost in 2006. It was about 60 years old.  I had and old fridge in our barn that my parents bought in 1948 that died three years ago. I still use it to store my animal feed in. My Dad I guess was a champion recycler. We owned a mailing and printing company and if he needed to build something he would use the pallets and skids that the paper was shipped on. Many times on Saturday we would tear apart the pallets. Not just for the wood but he would have us save the nails and straighten them out. I still have book a case and some tables he built from that salvaged wood. My Mom in her own way was up there with my Dad. We had clothes dryer, but we also had a clothes line and on a good day she hung everything out to dry. This would be strange to some people, we had floor furnaces and in the winter time you see Dutch oven sitting on it. Most times to keep the food hot waiting for Dad to get home. “I have large space heater in my home, and I put potatoes and small loaf pans on the ledge during the winter. I get the most from gas heat!”  Our family repaired, reused as much as we could. Being raised as I was has helped me to become a more Greener Person. I have found by reusing, I am not only cutting the waste, but saving money as well. One of the things my parent would say is; “Cut the light out! You’re burning money!”I now say: “How can I cut it out and save money and our planet.”