Turning off the TV for a greener planet
For Mother's Day, I took my grandma out to eat at the restaurant of her choice. We talked about what family members we had seen lately, what new body aches we've each begun suffering from and her roommate's TV viewing habits, which drive my grandma nuts.
"She has that TV on from the time she gets up until the time she goes to bed," Grandma said. "Sometimes, I just go sit on the porch so I can get some quiet."
"Yeah," I said, "I can see how that can get on your nerves." And it's true. I really can see that.
However, I am just as guilty of having the TV on more than I should. The only difference is that Grandma's roommate is actually watching it when she turns it on. I often have it on "for noise."
My grandma grew up without TV, and didn't have one in her home until after she and my grandpa married. In those early years, stations did not air 24/7. In fact, she was probably in her late 40s or 50s before 'round the clock TV-viewing was available.
That wasn't the case for me. I grew up with TV, with 24-hour channels becoming available before I hit puberty. And, being part of a large family, I and my siblings rarely had a moment when the TV was silent.
Years later, when I was single and living alone, I'd turn on the TV to fill the void in my apartment, letting it keep me company as I vacuumed or read or typed an email to a friend. When financial woes or other stress kept me tossing and turning at night, TV lulled me to sleep. I'd just put a movie I liked and had seen several times into the VCR, press play and sometime within the first thirty minutes or so, I'd drift off.
I'm not as bad about keeping the TV on as I was when I first left home, though I still turn it on sometimes when I'm not really watching it. It's also still a crutch when I have trouble falling asleep, though, thanks to the wonder of the "sleep timer," it no longer plays all night long.
But it's still waste. Wasted electricity. Wasted money on my utility bill. Wasted environmental noise. In a way, I'm jealous of my grandma and her desire to sit on her porch and just hear nature and maybe the occasional car driving by.
My promise to myself: No more TV "just for noise."
"She has that TV on from the time she gets up until the time she goes to bed," Grandma said. "Sometimes, I just go sit on the porch so I can get some quiet."
"Yeah," I said, "I can see how that can get on your nerves." And it's true. I really can see that.
However, I am just as guilty of having the TV on more than I should. The only difference is that Grandma's roommate is actually watching it when she turns it on. I often have it on "for noise."
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No more TV "just for noise."
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My grandma grew up without TV, and didn't have one in her home until after she and my grandpa married. In those early years, stations did not air 24/7. In fact, she was probably in her late 40s or 50s before 'round the clock TV-viewing was available.
That wasn't the case for me. I grew up with TV, with 24-hour channels becoming available before I hit puberty. And, being part of a large family, I and my siblings rarely had a moment when the TV was silent.
Years later, when I was single and living alone, I'd turn on the TV to fill the void in my apartment, letting it keep me company as I vacuumed or read or typed an email to a friend. When financial woes or other stress kept me tossing and turning at night, TV lulled me to sleep. I'd just put a movie I liked and had seen several times into the VCR, press play and sometime within the first thirty minutes or so, I'd drift off.
I'm not as bad about keeping the TV on as I was when I first left home, though I still turn it on sometimes when I'm not really watching it. It's also still a crutch when I have trouble falling asleep, though, thanks to the wonder of the "sleep timer," it no longer plays all night long.
But it's still waste. Wasted electricity. Wasted money on my utility bill. Wasted environmental noise. In a way, I'm jealous of my grandma and her desire to sit on her porch and just hear nature and maybe the occasional car driving by.
My promise to myself: No more TV "just for noise."
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