Current-day environmentalists think their view of how conserving and recycling is new. Actually, some Depression-era seniors from Wake Robin Continuing Care Retirement Community in Shelburne beg to differ. People learned to be self-reliant and resilient during the Depression, they told the Burlington Free Press. People grew their own food. They hung out their clothes to dry as opposed to using a dryer. Clothes were patched and socks were darned. Then households’ efforts took time to save money. Today, time seems to be in short supply. But spending that time could be a benefit and a mental-health break, thought Clare Innes of the Chittenden Sold Waste District. The Wake Robin residents felt their children and grandchildren would probably inherit a world with fewer resources, which will force them to consider the environment every day. These are some lessons to be learned from those who lived it.