17 Sustainability Secrets We Can Learn From Our Grandparents

I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Thanks for going to the trouble of collecting the old photos. God bless you, Jillee!

Such a great read, thank you. If we would do just a few of these items today, we’d not have to worry about the environment, our diet, our health, our children, or our money, as much as we do now. I remember my Nana and Granddaddy living just like this and wondering when they would, “modernize.” They never did.

I take exception to those who say our life is too busy to be green – that we have to use convenience items. We are too busy because of the choices we make. We have to work 2 jobs in order to afford the house, neighborhood, lifestyle. Our parents lived according to their means. My grandmother raised 7 children, worked on the farm, helped slaughter the food, planted, harvested, canned, and cooked every meal. She cleaned, did laundry in the wash tub, hung it out to dry – for 9 people. She went to church taking the family with her. They all helped and knew it was part of life. Items were save and recycled.

My parents brought up 4 children and managed to live on my father’s salary. They didn’t use credit. If they didn’t have the money, it didn’t get bought until they did. We played outside and were allowed to watch tv each night after dinner and after homework, if we weren’t sent out to play until dark. Tin foil and plastic bags were washed and reused. Not a twist tie or rubber band was ever thrown away. The grape vine provided dessert. We wore hand me downs and were grateful for the “new” clothes. We had a wringer washer and clothes were hung out. Heavy drapes were hung in doorways to keep the heat in the room and we wore sweaters in the house. We always sat down to dinner as a family.

It was hard to get my kids to go along with the program because of peer pressure, but we didn’t have much expendable income beyond the basics so they dealt with it. And as I reflect on how they are living as adults, they have also chosen simpler lifestyles. Small, but adequate homes for their families, growing gardens that feed not only them but in the case of my son who is a chef, provides much of the fresh produce he uses at work.

Thanks, Jillee, for reminding us to keep on protecting our earth and its resources.

I make things out of laundry boxes, coffee cans, pickle bottles. I cook at home most nights. I make jelly and grow a garden. I think everybody in the South does most of these things listed.

Loved this post. Although I use a few of these (make my own cleaning products, can/feeze foods, love leftovers for work meals) ideas, I wish I/we used them more, if not just for our environment. Thanks for this insightful post & reminders.

To each of these things I replied “STILL DO” do you.

Water used to bathe and wash dishes was used to water plants and later on in time to flush toilets.

this is perfect. in my family, especially my mother’s side who was Italian you would see so many foods that were preserved; hanged our clothes outside (the smell was the best from that.) we did go to a Milk store to get glass bottles of milk and even when I went to grammar school we had our own lunch box. the buses were cheap and friendly; we were told to play outside whenever possible; the treat was every other month we go to get burgers at a restaurant. our vacations were camping every year; came from a large family and it was the cheapest way to go. The only thing about being outdoors at that time, I have developed a skin disorder from years being outside without a sunscreen protection; it was invented at that time. A good article.

I believe if our earth was in the same shape some of these things would be possible, like the tap water. I can understand some countries and bottled water. When we traveled overseas bottle water was the norm to keep from upset stomachs. Today we drink out of the tap in our home. Now out of the 17, I do 13 more than my children think I should. I enjoy all I do to help conserve but that’s just me. Thanks for the article it was very enjoyable and brought back memories of cooking and baking with my mother. Not to sure my daughter will have similar memories because she is all thumbs in the kitchen but what a laugh we get when I tell her she cannot mess something up and yet she excells in that regard.

Jillee I love your posts and I appreciate all the feedback from others too. Going green! I don’t like all the ads we get that are “glossy” they don’t break down in the compost very well and takes a very long time. I use lots of plain newspaper in the garden rows and arond bushes and plants to keep the weeds down and cover them with mulch to hold in place. At the end of the season, just rototill them into the soil or cover with another layer in the spring. Glass is sooooo much better than plastic. Plastic can only be recycled so much and most of it ends up in the dump and it does not break down very well either. Glass is heavy, but you can recycle it over and over into anything. Plastic retains the taste of what was in the container and most should not be reused either. Styrofoam when heating leftovers can make you sick also as it is distorted. I can remember the big bins of food that you scooped out what you needed and placed in jars at home. All that packaging just goes to waste, maybe some is recycled. Plastic grocery bags can be used to line garbage cans and etc that has been pointed out, IF they are not so thin and have holes in them. I worry that my groceries will end up on the floor because of this so I too use cloth. Meat should be put in plastic and discarded and not be reused because of contamination period. I read where many said of the bacteria, etc on food containers and carts. Do you have carpeting in your house? There are at least 400 more bacteria in your carpet than on your toilet stool. Many don’t wash their veggies when bought from prepackages in the store, lettuce, spinach, etc and then they don’t know why they got sick. Add a little vinegar to water and soak, not only cleans the veggies, but removes the pesticides. If they are from your own garden and hopefully you didn’t add any pesticides, you will only consume a little dirt!

We made big lovely grocery bags and refrigerator bags out of all sarees and dupatta. My granny made me stitch them (under supervision ofcourse) just so that I have my lessons in reusing and sewing. We made lovely duster cloth out if old sheets, potato and onions storage bags out of pillow cases and last but not the least using veg peels and used tea leaves in the garden. Simply added them to the pots or planters and they got converted into manure in a matter of days. Made lots of door mats too out of old worn out clothes.

Wonderful post today! I also was raised to live a greatful life of simplicity. Loved it and so glad my dear talented mother taught me these things and more…calligraphy, sewing, crocheting, roller skating, love of reading a good book, Chinese jump roping, piano playing, writing in a journal, make Christmas ornaments, quilting, paint my bedroom, make the best homemade caramels, bake fresh bread and share with neighbors, how to earn and save money, how to be a great friend and to crack a bullwhip! (Dad was so good at it he could trim the trees!) No need for fire crackers! Thanks for the trip down memory lane with a greatful heart.

I use my clothes line every chance I get. Sheets, towels, blankets, and tee shirts, and curtains go outside. We don’t eat out that often, I cook. And today I rode bikes with my grandson, sat on our porch and talked to neighbors.

In some ways, I live in the past and enjoy every minute of it.

Wonderful photos and a great reminder. Since I am (ahem) a bit older now and was born late in my parents’ marriage, it means my grandmothers was born in 1893 and 1896, and my grandfathers were born in 1890. My parents were married during the depression. Talk about people who knew how to reduce, reuse and recycle! Because of my upbringing, I can our garden produce, save things for re-use (and then actually re-use them), hang out clothes, make my own cleaners, etc. Something else they did, that I always did and still do, is hand-me-down. Be it clothes or something else, handing it down is a time-honored tradition, and I still get a chuckle when I remember my school friends complimenting me on a “new” dress — it would be my older sister’s dress, with long sleeves cut to short, trim changed out or added, etc. Even though they’d seen my sister wear it to school before me, they wouldn’t recognize it after my mother got done altering it. She was a clever seamstress and doubled a wardrobe’s life by creative alterations.

I did not grow up with people who practiced many of these things. My grandparents embraced the 2 income lifestyle–“I’m not poor I can afford it attitude”; my parents embraced the disposal income mentality of “go get another one”. Our neighbors & relatives lived that same way as far as I could tell.

When I got married I did all of these things to stretch green ($$), I do it these days not so much to save the planet but rather because why pay top dollar for things when I can do better for less money or even free? Saving the planet is just a bonus.
My kids laugh at a lot of what I do. But someone stopped me to ask about my homemade/IKEA hacking style idea & my son said, “People do think its cool, & we just thought you were crazy”.

SO Like Linda, I was cool before it was cool to be cool.

I’m making a clothesline in my basement this weekend! Duh! Our clothes aren’t dry half the time after 90 min in the dryer anyway, & I DO have a dehumidifier in my basement! LOL!

And the rain barrel idea would probably take care of a lot of my basement leaks as well!

And all but the transportation is something I’m going to work on converting to in our home (thankfully my grandma taught me how to do most of these things directly). We live 10 miles from the edge of town, down a US Hwy, so no biking to work for me, but otherwise, we do a lot! I have the reusable bags, but I always forget them, or they’re full of snacks & stuff for soccer games! I recycle the plastic bags I end up bringing home, or scan free cycle for folks needing stuff for crafts!

I love the idea of repairing things when they’re broken. We live in such a throw-away society what with all the cheap (and cheaply made) goods available from overseas. Buy less; buy American-made, and repair things instead of tossing them into our over-taxed landfills. Love your blog, Jillee!

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love love loved this post! It is a great display of everyday ideas that can be easily implemented into our lives, but it brought back a tidal wave of memories of visitng to my grandparents in the summer!

Thanks for the excellent reminders! I am already doing some of these things, but the best for me has been making my own cleaning products. As just one example, it cost me around $30 to purchase the items needed to make your recipe for laundry powder. I made a batch last November and I’m just now getting to the bottom of the bucket. I used to spend $15 per month on a bottle of Tide, and my clothes are just as clean now. (In fact, I think the homemade detergent works better on my son’s dirty baseball pants!) I’m saving money, using better ingredients… and that’s just one little change!

And my kids just thought I did some of these because they think our family is poor. Ha! Nope! It’s called taking care and preserving what you have. Thanks Jillee!

Echoing Rebecca B, my mom would always make her grocery list on the back of an envelope. Birthday present wrap was the colored Sunday comics and my parents told us “no” when there wasn’t money for an activity, instead of going into debt.

I love all your articles but this one seems so natural to me as i do 99 % of these things. Keep them coming. x

I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Thanks for going to the trouble of collecting the old photos. God bless you, Jillee!

Such a great read, thank you. If we would do just a few of these items today, we’d not have to worry about the environment, our diet, our health, our children, or our money, as much as we do now. I remember my Nana and Granddaddy living just like this and wondering when they would, “modernize.” They never did.

I take exception to those who say our life is too busy to be green – that we have to use convenience items. We are too busy because of the choices we make. We have to work 2 jobs in order to afford the house, neighborhood, lifestyle. Our parents lived according to their means. My grandmother raised 7 children, worked on the farm, helped slaughter the food, planted, harvested, canned, and cooked every meal. She cleaned, did laundry in the wash tub, hung it out to dry – for 9 people. She went to church taking the family with her. They all helped and knew it was part of life. Items were save and recycled.

My parents brought up 4 children and managed to live on my father’s salary. They didn’t use credit. If they didn’t have the money, it didn’t get bought until they did. We played outside and were allowed to watch tv each night after dinner and after homework, if we weren’t sent out to play until dark. Tin foil and plastic bags were washed and reused. Not a twist tie or rubber band was ever thrown away. The grape vine provided dessert. We wore hand me downs and were grateful for the “new” clothes. We had a wringer washer and clothes were hung out. Heavy drapes were hung in doorways to keep the heat in the room and we wore sweaters in the house. We always sat down to dinner as a family.

It was hard to get my kids to go along with the program because of peer pressure, but we didn’t have much expendable income beyond the basics so they dealt with it. And as I reflect on how they are living as adults, they have also chosen simpler lifestyles. Small, but adequate homes for their families, growing gardens that feed not only them but in the case of my son who is a chef, provides much of the fresh produce he uses at work.

Thanks, Jillee, for reminding us to keep on protecting our earth and its resources.

I make things out of laundry boxes, coffee cans, pickle bottles. I cook at home most nights. I make jelly and grow a garden. I think everybody in the South does most of these things listed.

Loved this post. Although I use a few of these (make my own cleaning products, can/feeze foods, love leftovers for work meals) ideas, I wish I/we used them more, if not just for our environment. Thanks for this insightful post & reminders.

To each of these things I replied “STILL DO” do you.

Water used to bathe and wash dishes was used to water plants and later on in time to flush toilets.

this is perfect. in my family, especially my mother’s side who was Italian you would see so many foods that were preserved; hanged our clothes outside (the smell was the best from that.) we did go to a Milk store to get glass bottles of milk and even when I went to grammar school we had our own lunch box. the buses were cheap and friendly; we were told to play outside whenever possible; the treat was every other month we go to get burgers at a restaurant. our vacations were camping every year; came from a large family and it was the cheapest way to go. The only thing about being outdoors at that time, I have developed a skin disorder from years being outside without a sunscreen protection; it was invented at that time. A good article.

I believe if our earth was in the same shape some of these things would be possible, like the tap water. I can understand some countries and bottled water. When we traveled overseas bottle water was the norm to keep from upset stomachs. Today we drink out of the tap in our home. Now out of the 17, I do 13 more than my children think I should. I enjoy all I do to help conserve but that’s just me. Thanks for the article it was very enjoyable and brought back memories of cooking and baking with my mother. Not to sure my daughter will have similar memories because she is all thumbs in the kitchen but what a laugh we get when I tell her she cannot mess something up and yet she excells in that regard.

Jillee I love your posts and I appreciate all the feedback from others too. Going green! I don’t like all the ads we get that are “glossy” they don’t break down in the compost very well and takes a very long time. I use lots of plain newspaper in the garden rows and arond bushes and plants to keep the weeds down and cover them with mulch to hold in place. At the end of the season, just rototill them into the soil or cover with another layer in the spring. Glass is sooooo much better than plastic. Plastic can only be recycled so much and most of it ends up in the dump and it does not break down very well either. Glass is heavy, but you can recycle it over and over into anything. Plastic retains the taste of what was in the container and most should not be reused either. Styrofoam when heating leftovers can make you sick also as it is distorted. I can remember the big bins of food that you scooped out what you needed and placed in jars at home. All that packaging just goes to waste, maybe some is recycled. Plastic grocery bags can be used to line garbage cans and etc that has been pointed out, IF they are not so thin and have holes in them. I worry that my groceries will end up on the floor because of this so I too use cloth. Meat should be put in plastic and discarded and not be reused because of contamination period. I read where many said of the bacteria, etc on food containers and carts. Do you have carpeting in your house? There are at least 400 more bacteria in your carpet than on your toilet stool. Many don’t wash their veggies when bought from prepackages in the store, lettuce, spinach, etc and then they don’t know why they got sick. Add a little vinegar to water and soak, not only cleans the veggies, but removes the pesticides. If they are from your own garden and hopefully you didn’t add any pesticides, you will only consume a little dirt!

We made big lovely grocery bags and refrigerator bags out of all sarees and dupatta. My granny made me stitch them (under supervision ofcourse) just so that I have my lessons in reusing and sewing. We made lovely duster cloth out if old sheets, potato and onions storage bags out of pillow cases and last but not the least using veg peels and used tea leaves in the garden. Simply added them to the pots or planters and they got converted into manure in a matter of days. Made lots of door mats too out of old worn out clothes.

Wonderful post today! I also was raised to live a greatful life of simplicity. Loved it and so glad my dear talented mother taught me these things and more…calligraphy, sewing, crocheting, roller skating, love of reading a good book, Chinese jump roping, piano playing, writing in a journal, make Christmas ornaments, quilting, paint my bedroom, make the best homemade caramels, bake fresh bread and share with neighbors, how to earn and save money, how to be a great friend and to crack a bullwhip! (Dad was so good at it he could trim the trees!) No need for fire crackers! Thanks for the trip down memory lane with a greatful heart.

I use my clothes line every chance I get. Sheets, towels, blankets, and tee shirts, and curtains go outside. We don’t eat out that often, I cook. And today I rode bikes with my grandson, sat on our porch and talked to neighbors.

In some ways, I live in the past and enjoy every minute of it.

Wonderful photos and a great reminder. Since I am (ahem) a bit older now and was born late in my parents’ marriage, it means my grandmothers was born in 1893 and 1896, and my grandfathers were born in 1890. My parents were married during the depression. Talk about people who knew how to reduce, reuse and recycle! Because of my upbringing, I can our garden produce, save things for re-use (and then actually re-use them), hang out clothes, make my own cleaners, etc. Something else they did, that I always did and still do, is hand-me-down. Be it clothes or something else, handing it down is a time-honored tradition, and I still get a chuckle when I remember my school friends complimenting me on a “new” dress — it would be my older sister’s dress, with long sleeves cut to short, trim changed out or added, etc. Even though they’d seen my sister wear it to school before me, they wouldn’t recognize it after my mother got done altering it. She was a clever seamstress and doubled a wardrobe’s life by creative alterations.

I did not grow up with people who practiced many of these things. My grandparents embraced the 2 income lifestyle–“I’m not poor I can afford it attitude”; my parents embraced the disposal income mentality of “go get another one”. Our neighbors & relatives lived that same way as far as I could tell.

When I got married I did all of these things to stretch green ($$), I do it these days not so much to save the planet but rather because why pay top dollar for things when I can do better for less money or even free? Saving the planet is just a bonus.
My kids laugh at a lot of what I do. But someone stopped me to ask about my homemade/IKEA hacking style idea & my son said, “People do think its cool, & we just thought you were crazy”.

SO Like Linda, I was cool before it was cool to be cool.

I’m making a clothesline in my basement this weekend! Duh! Our clothes aren’t dry half the time after 90 min in the dryer anyway, & I DO have a dehumidifier in my basement! LOL!

And the rain barrel idea would probably take care of a lot of my basement leaks as well!

And all but the transportation is something I’m going to work on converting to in our home (thankfully my grandma taught me how to do most of these things directly). We live 10 miles from the edge of town, down a US Hwy, so no biking to work for me, but otherwise, we do a lot! I have the reusable bags, but I always forget them, or they’re full of snacks & stuff for soccer games! I recycle the plastic bags I end up bringing home, or scan free cycle for folks needing stuff for crafts!

I love the idea of repairing things when they’re broken. We live in such a throw-away society what with all the cheap (and cheaply made) goods available from overseas. Buy less; buy American-made, and repair things instead of tossing them into our over-taxed landfills. Love your blog, Jillee!

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love love loved this post! It is a great display of everyday ideas that can be easily implemented into our lives, but it brought back a tidal wave of memories of visitng to my grandparents in the summer!

Thanks for the excellent reminders! I am already doing some of these things, but the best for me has been making my own cleaning products. As just one example, it cost me around $30 to purchase the items needed to make your recipe for laundry powder. I made a batch last November and I’m just now getting to the bottom of the bucket. I used to spend $15 per month on a bottle of Tide, and my clothes are just as clean now. (In fact, I think the homemade detergent works better on my son’s dirty baseball pants!) I’m saving money, using better ingredients… and that’s just one little change!

And my kids just thought I did some of these because they think our family is poor. Ha! Nope! It’s called taking care and preserving what you have. Thanks Jillee!

Echoing Rebecca B, my mom would always make her grocery list on the back of an envelope. Birthday present wrap was the colored Sunday comics and my parents told us “no” when there wasn’t money for an activity, instead of going into debt.

I love all your articles but this one seems so natural to me as i do 99 % of these things. Keep them coming. x