One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind

We look at the universe and wonder of all the adventures we may have. But while we gaze upon the unreachable sky, we forget the problems we have on Earth - Earth along with her inhabitants is dying. They have been dying since the arrival of the Modern Man. The presence of the Modern Man has permanently changed the landscape of Earth for the worse. Man has been recklessly destroying the Earth with no end in sight. Yet Man still contemplates the sky and celebrate his supremacy with little worries. His inaction is slowly killing himself like in the story of The Boiling Frog.

Therefore Man must act now. He needs to stop the destruction of the Earth if he wants to have a shot at long-term survival. But what can he do? What can each of us do? The problem is so vast surely no one individual can make a difference.

When Neil Armstrong stepped out of Apollo 11 onto the moon, he uttered "One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." Man must be inspired by Neil's vision and start taking small steps to save Earth and to save himself! If each of us take those small steps, humanity will take a giant step.

The Earth is covered with trash. We walk on trash, we live in trash. Let's stop it now. Let's clean the Earth. Here are 10 small steps that each of us can take right now:

1. Avoid at all costs the use of plastics. Instead try to find alternative products made from wood, paper, cloth, class, or metal.

2. Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!. Don't throw recyclable items into the trash.

3. Avoid household chemical cleaning products. Instead use natural products such as vinegar, lemons, salt, alcohol, regular soap, or just plain hot water to clean your house.

4. Have a garden in your backyard with fish pond, bird/bat houses, small trees, etc... instead of just grass.

5. Minimize the things you buy for your home. Just remember that things you buy now will end-up in the trash some day.

6. Don't burn leaves. Instead, bury them. They will make great compost!

7. Minimize, combine driving trips. Save gas, money, and the environment!

8. Avoid using skin care and beauty products made with toxic chemical. Instead look for natural remedies.

9. Eat less meat and more vegetables. Instead, find protein substitutes such as beans and tofu.

10. And last but not least. Be an advocate for cleaner Earth. Spread the word!

Below are further details about some of the steps described.

Plastics are everywhere and are essential to the Modern Man. Without Plastic, Man cannot do what he does today. I am typing this article on my plastic keyboard, reviewing it from my plastic monitor, and sitting on my plastic chair!

While it is impossible to stop the use of plastic all together, there are ways to use less of it - by finding substitutes. For example, instead of using plastic bags, use straw bags. Instead of using plastic cups, use paper cups. Here are common non-plastic items you use as substitutes for their plastic equivalent:

Wood furniture, shelves
Glass bottles
Wood, silver, glass, and porcelain food-ware
Wood toys
Wood & glass containers
Cloth diapers
Leather shoes
Porcelain tiles
Paper bags
Wood blinds
Wood floors

And finally be conscious when you go shopping. Look at the items you buy and how much plastic you are bringing home. Find ways to bring less plastic home and if you do bring them home, ensure they are disposed properly.

Look at things around your house or open your drawers and you will find "junks" that you don't really need but still keeping because your mind thinks you will use them "some day". That day, will never come. This is to show how your mind works. You accumulate things that you don't even need! And all those things will end up somewhere else.

So next time you go to the store, don't be tempted to buy that sale item. Forget that fancy all-in-one gadget. Just stick with what you really need. And remember most of all you need is food and water.

Recycle helps to minimize waste being released into the environment. There are recycle centers near your location. Find and bring your recyclable items to these centers on a regular basis. Have special bins placed in your home for recyclable items. Almost all items are recyclable such as:

Plastics
Metals
Glass
Batteries
Light bulbs
Printer Cartridges
Cell Phones
Computers monitors

And even food: You can also make compost out of left-over vegetables. Dig a hole into the ground and place your left over vegetables in the whole. Cover it with a layer of dirt. Do that layer by layer and over time, the food will decompose into top soil.

If you are not sure about where to find recycling centers, ask the associates at Home Depot, Best Buy, and other retail stores. They can get you on your way to your recycling needs. You can also search online or contact your local waste disposal company for more recycling facilities near your home.

Here is also a link to get your started:

http://www.earth911.com/recycling-center-search-guides/

Here is the problem with man-made chemicals: we don't know what we are doing. Nature creates chemicals too. But her creation integrates well with its natural surrounding. Man creates chemicals in laboratories. They are quickly made to address specific problems. There are no after-thoughts on how well those chemicals integrate with Nature or what are their side-effects. Therefore those chemicals disrupt or worse destroy the order of natural things.

You can help by stopping the use of chemical products to clean your house. Instead, use natural remedies such as vinegar, alcohol, lemon, baking soda, soap, or even warm water. Just vinegar alone can clean your bathtub molds and mildews. Use salt and vinegar to kill weeds. Use baking soda and vinegar to wash your clothes... If you take your time and conscious effort to do research online, there is no telling on what natural remedies you can find!

Read labels carefully before buying cleaning or beauty products. Many makeup and skin care products are actually harmful to you! Do research on the chemicals that those products contain to see if they have been known to be harmful.

Here are further sites on this topic:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/advice/g777/homemade-weed-killers

http://blacktoxicmolds.com/vinegar-kill-mold.php

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5971/12-Toxic-Ingredients-to-AVOID-in-Cosmetics-Skin-Care-Products-Infographic.html

http://greatist.com/health/27-chemical-free-products-diy-spring-cleaning

Having a garden in your backyard is not just therapeutic but also good for Nature. You create a mini ecosystem, a refuge for local small wild life. Birds, small mammals, and insects depend on local gardens to survive. They in turn help to spread more trees and plants by assisting pollination. Dragon flies and bats are natural remedy for mosquito infestations. So have a pond and a bat house to attract those little helpers. Lady bugs and praying mantis are natural remedy for plants' parasites. They eat them by the dozen.

Here are some additional information to get you inspired and started:

http://www.gardensalive.com/product/ladybugs-and-other-beneficial-insects-get-good-bugs-to-eat-your-bad-bugs/you_bet_your_garden

http://gardenverve.com/2013/03/13/why-gardens-are-important-in-our-lives/

http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/why-your-garden-is-so-important-for-conservation-gardening.html

Be involved with your communities in areas of environmental protection. Tune-in or join environmental groups. Spread the word. Share the knowledge. And most importantly act.

To find more about environmental groups visit: http://www.nrdc.org/reference/environgroups.asp

Now that you are armed with knowledge. I hope you will start or continue to do your part to help safeguard the environment. We all have the responsibility to protect our surrounding for the sake of our offspring and all the creatures we share this planet with. Remember Neil's quote "One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

In the next article, I will talk about what businesses and government agencies are doing or can do to protect the Earth.