Old vs. New - Buying GREEN

     In our delightful excursions to the numerous senior citizen rummage / yard sales & local thrift shops (as we live in a retirement mecca type of town), we're often surprised at some of the wonderful things we have purchased over the last five years. It's as if most of the items produced during the early 1900's to the mid-century were of a higher caliber and made to last. It used to be everything in a family was handed down to the next generation, thereby eliminating the need to re-purchase every single household object.  I grew up in an era of "out with the old, in with the new", but surely that way of life has only propagated excessive use of raw materials, adding to pollution while depleting natural resources. In addition, the quality of an item currently manufactured tends to suffer, as the time factor to mass-produce becomes shorter and shorter.
     Anytime we utilize something that would otherwise be tossed in the trash, we are keeping our landfills in check & from overflowing. Therefore, by recycling the vast majority of these products, it becomes the ultimate in living GREEN.
     During the last decade or so, more emphasis has been placed on buying antiques, vintage, retro, mid century modern or simply used, and rightly so. We as Americans, finally realize that as a country, we have been blessed with such an abundance of material goods, and at some point in time, it would be wise to halt the flood of lesser quality items that are available today at any local department store, made by who-knows-who in every size, shape, shade and color of the rainbow in order to satisfy our collective but fleeting sense of fashion, style and taste.
     A personal example comes in the form of a lowly toaster, given to my parents (currently 80+ yrs. old) back in the early 1940's as a wedding gift. Not only is this item a joy to look at, sleek, streamlined in design and heavily chromed, but IT STILL WORKS! We're talking about an appliance manufactured 60+ years ago, used on a daily basis, and never needing repair or replacement. Nery a single toaster found in the marketplace today (most averaging a measly 1 year warrantee) can boast that accomplishment! And this beautiful Sunbeam didn't even come with a life-time guarentee, although it certainly continues to live up to that standard. True, there are many reproductions of the retro items, but the overall quality is seldom there and somehow gets lost in the translation. And HEY, why make more when we have so many of the originals.
     In this fast-paced and often hectic world we have acquired, perhaps it is yet another sign to slow down, relax, & enjoy the vast array of so many wonderful items that the greatest generation, their grand & great-grandparents have so meticulously produced in the not-so-long-ago century and 1/2.
     Fabric, another item increasingly being skimped on now-a-days in terms of durability (Fading? Losing buttons? Seams & hems falling apart after just a few washings?) when one considers that the vintage draperies, tablecloths, hand towels and some well-made clothing have survived beautifully throughout the years of normal wear and laundering.
     Hopefully, the younger generations to come will value quality, durability, artistry and craftsmanship and that "one man's trash is another man's treasure" will continue to enliven the buying trends as it did back when folks were rescuing Tiffany lamps (when they were no longer considered to be in style) from junk shops & Victorian houses (too fussy, stuffy & ornate) from the wrecking ball!