Green is Just Common Sense

Sometimes ideas just come out of nowhere and in thinking and rethinking they just make sense and you need to get it out, write it down.
Sometimes it is also dificult to know where to begin so I will just start.  My question is how did we get to have such materialistic obsessions in our lives?  How did the theory of obsolesence become so mainstream?  There was a time many eons ago when watching every penny counted for something, putting something away for a rainy day was mainstream and if you really wanted to buy something you saved until you had the money for it.  I always laughed when my father told stories about walking to school in the snow, no heavy jacket, holes in his shoes.  But looking back times were really hard and although it may have been an exaggeration there was truth..When we were growing up there were no credit cards and no fast food.  But it was OK.  And I always told myself that I would never talk about the "good ol days" like my parents did.  But look at me now. 
We saved everything, we recycled, we reused.  We were green and didn't know it.  It was a way of life.  I remember wanting to paint and the only thing to paint were tin cans...It was OK, I could still be creative.  There were dangers then that were unknown, asbestos, lead, really bad things but they were in things that people didn't know about ...ignorance at that time.  There was abundance too...time, playing baseball in the street, family.  We worked together and had fun together.
We were green...we watched water usage carefully and electricity usage because it was the right thing to do.  We walked where we wanted to go even though it was far. We ate healthy food, or meat and potatoes as my parents were transplanted midWesterners.  We learned to appreciate what we had.
What happened?  Abundance, materialism, labor moving out of the country where it is cheaper....... more materialism...a disposable society, throw away rather than fix or recycle.  No more green.
I read that we have used up 30% of our resources in the last 30 years.  A scary thought for sure.  Where are we going?  This country was founded on independence and individualism.  WE, as individuals, can take that back.  WE need to reevaluate, as individuals.  WE can do it, we can make a difference. 
WE do not need to rely on our government to fix it.  WE can take back our lives, our individuality, our sense of purpose.  WE are a global society but still individuals.
Reusing, repurposing, saving......being "green" is just common sense.