The green movement feels like déjà vu to me. Well, not exactly. I’m more surprised that this is now the FASHION! It’s hip. It’s in. It’s the newest politically correct cause. Holy jumpin’ jehosephats! How the heck did this happen? Wasn’t it just a few years ago that we were derisively referred to as “hippies” or “granolas”?

You see, I’ve never lived “green,” because it was fashionable. It is simply a lifestyle that feels Good to me. I acquired it naturally from childhood as a cross pollination of influences: parents raised in the depression, grandparents who were farmers, a father who was an engineer, growing up in Ohio, an agricultural community and listening to my Inner Guidance.

I feel blessed to have grown up the way I did, because I’ve lived a richer more abundant life. Some of the practices originated in lack and fear, but by the time I was being encouraged to save rubber bands, wash out plastic bags, save foil, can food, turn out the lights, turn the water off when I brushed my teeth and combine several errands into one car trip, the lack was gone and was replaced with practicality, personal satisfaction and feeling the inherent Goodness of my choices.

My father had a ¼ acre garden at the rear of our property. I can still see him out there weeding after work. He gave us a penny for every Japanese Beatle or tomato worm that we collected and dropped into a coffee can laced with gasoline. He never sprayed anything on our food. It was Common Sense not to spray poison on your food or put it into the ground. He went to a local farm and got either sheep, cow or horse manure; then hand dug it into the garden, along with the grass clippings, autumn leaves and kitchen wastes which were composted. It was Common Sense to see and appreciate what we had and to use what we had with gratitude. Nature supplied it, of course.

As a side benefit, all this physical exercise outside kept us fit, healthy and close to Nature, teaching us that we were an integral part of It All. As of this writing my folks are 85 and 86 years old. Dad is building three light houses as we speak. He weighs what he did in high school.

As we grew up, we were informed about consumption: use only what you need. Oh, in those days we were called Citizens, not consumers. Citizens act differently than consumers do. Citizens turn off the lights when you leave a room; and use only one light to read a book? Citizens put on a sweater if you’re cold, and open the windows and turn on the fan for cooling in summer. We didn’t have air conditioning in either the house or the cars. Today, I rarely use either one, even though I can. I find that my body acclimates naturally and that it works perfectly.

Soft drinks and beer came in returnable glass bottles with deposits. At the end of the month you could take those bottles back to the store and get your deposit back. It was a nice little savings account. You could even buy a case of Coke in returnable bottles in its own wooden crate, which was recycled at the grocery, of course. Everyone used bags that they had made, or we took boxes to the grocery to load our supplies into. There was never the ubiquitous question, “paper or plastic?”

As a Nation, we had a mindset of sustainability, although we didn’t have that word. It was Common Sense in the collective consciousness of Americans to make and use Quality, build things to last. In those days “Made In America” was synonymous with Quality. As a nation we wouldn’t have had it any other way; we took a personal pride in whatever we put our name on, as Citizens.

We made many of our own clothes. The fun was going to the fabric store where there were wonderful high quality bolts of 100% woolens, cottons and silks. There were no Chernobyl fabrics in those days, nothing made with plastic, chemicals or oil. Everything was Real. We even had a 100% wool carpet, and they never wore out. Shoes were made of real leather or canvas with real rubber or leather soles. When you needed new shoes, you took them to the shoemaker who resoled them. We changed our clothes when we came home from school and put on play clothes. We valued what we had and treated it with respect and care.

We were of a simpler mindset. Nature gave us everything we needed, so we looked for the Natural solution to our problems. For example, baking soda was used for myriad purposes: deodorant, toothpaste, and cleaning the tub as well as pots and pans. We didn’t buy a lot of chemical cleaners in tons of plastic spray containers: we didn’t have them. Another very useful product was vinegar: as a great hair rinse, window cleaner and salad dressing. We didn’t buy dressings in bottles, we made our own. For that matter, we made our own food, because we cooked. We used herbs to cook with, took an aspirin on rare occasions, and the tonic for a cold was an herbal tea with whiskey and lemon.

We didn’t buy processed or packaged foods. If you wanted pie, you made one; if you wanted a pizza you made that too. It was fun to learn these things and often as a family project. A by product – or shall I say the lack of by products – was that we weren’t filling the dumps with all those plastic containers, paper cartons, and paper towels. We actually had dinner on linen table cloths with linen napkins. I still use handkerchiefs and cloth napkins. Laundry soap was Ivory snowflakes with a baking soda booster. Spots were pretreated with vinegar or cold water, maybe salt or cream of tartar.

In season we bought local produce from local farmers and canned for the winter reusing the same glass jars year after year after year. We swapped canned goods, too. Some people canned their famous home-made tomato sauce, we might have peaches or corn or jam. We purchased maple syrup from a farm near Cleveland and enjoyed the rich smell of maple in the spring air. And we bought raw milk from a dairy over in the next town and took our own1/2 gallon glass milk jugs, sterilized at home, to be refilled over and over again. We bought our eggs there, too.

We rode the bus to school, as almost no one in my high school class had their own car. We rode our bikes or we walked, a lot. No one ran to the store for just one thing. A trip to fire up the car required at least three stops. Trips were planned and purchases were thoughtful

We lived richly and well, because we were going slow enough to notice and appreciate Life. Quality mattered over quantity. People valued learning, music, reading, and conversation. We didn’t have a zillion after school activities that required driving all over the place. Maybe there was band, or Girl Scouts, or Rainbow Girls. The piano teacher came to the house. On Saturday’s we all went to the YWCA to learn swimming, tennis, dancing, art, and a zillion other fun things – together. We watched a half an hour of television a day as a family – a program we all voted and agreed to.

We bought quality; nothing in those days was manufactured to be disposable. If something broke, we fixed it. Believe it or not, anything made in Japan was of inferior quality, much the way we think about things made in China today. Somewhere along the line, the Japanese became noted for Quality and American manufacturing isn’t.

As things changed, I simply didn’t feel comfortable wasting things, throwing things out, buying clothes with synthetic fabrics, taking over the counter or prescription drugs, or eating tasteless food. I followed what felt Good to me. I never did something because I was afraid or thought that I should. Rather, I followed my own Internal Guidance, my Quality detector. I grew up with Quality which resonated to my inner Quality, my Godchip. It always felt Good.

I still have no causes. I only follow what Naturally feels Good and Real to me. If you’re watching, you’ll see me starting seeds in spring to plant, washing out zip lock bags, and such. I buy recycled clothes, because that’s where I find Quality. I buy antiques, because they are of quality and are of a richer character.

You’re welcome to observe me, I’m happy to share what comes Naturally to me with you.

My only wish is that you approach these new ways (for you) as a quest for Joy, Quality and Real rather than out of any fear or lack.

Life is Good; and all is Truly Well. This is an infinitely abundant world and Universe. If you feel and follow your own Inner Guidance from your Godchip, you’ll be guided to your Good, just as I am. You always have been, only now you’re listening. This is Good!

Kathy Kirk was raised in the Midwest, and has lived in MT, NY and CA. She has a BS degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Cornell University. She is the founder of Applied Spirituality and the author of two books, Well Done, and The Earthling's Quick Start Guide – both scheduled for release Sring 2009. Her website is http://www.appliedspirituality.com Her blog, A New View, is at http://www.appliedspirituality.blogspot.com Kathy is a powerful and inspirational speaker and has spoken to such groups as North Island Naval Air Station, Qualcomm, BAE Systems, SPAWARS, Mensa, the US Post Office, Cornell University, Phoenix House and the San Diego County Libraries. She gives Seminars and Workshops to groups and corporations on Applied Spirituality™. Kathy is also available on a limited basis for private coaching. She can be reached at support@appliedspirituality.com or 619-445-0972. "Like the moon, we illuminate without scorching."