The Old New Green

I came across this comment on a site I occasionally contribute to. I thought it was very interesting - liked the connections. Haven't been able to figure out how to link directly to him but I will.

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day....

That's right, they didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn't have the green thing back her day......

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she's right. They didn't have the green thing in her day......

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts, "wind and solar power" really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day......

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.....

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then......

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn't have the green thing back then......

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint......

But that old lady is right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day.......

Baby with latest US gov employment numbers

Some new numbers on employment in the US. My opinion?

Grammy winners

Congrats to Arcade Fire for the grammy - still my fav - makes me homesick for Montreal:

Good versus bad customer service

Kudos to Rogers. I know we all like to complain about our internet providers but I had a good experience with Rogers this weekend. My internet suddenly died so first contacted Rogers. The person I talked to was in Nova Scotia (recognized the accent) and that person was helpful, smart and amiable. With his help, discovered that the issue was not the Rogers connection but probably an issue with my router. Once I told him what type of router I had, he had a number for me to call.

Then called the the number for my wireless router company. Because of language issues, I think this person may have been somewhere outside of North American. In addition, he was condescending and rude. I finally hung up on him and reset my router (which the Roger's person suggested might help).

I think it is important to complain about bad customer service but also important to let companies know when you receive great customer service.

LSE + TSE = ?

Woke up this morning to the news that the Toronto and London stock exchanges might be merging. I'm not sure what to make of it so far. FT.com did point out that both exchanges have been losing market share over the past few years, mostly due to tech trading companies.

I don't really like businessinsider but they offer an explanation that seems reasonable:

Why Are The London And Toronto Stock Exchange Groups Merging?

But Canadians are once again under-selling themselves. The TSE is accepting a 45% stake - sorry .... The TSE is so much more stable than the LSE - why are we taking a minority stake? I'm guessing there may be some political fallout from this deal but the number one question for me is why we are taking a minority stake.