Before we visit Mars, we need to clean up our mess at home.
We humans are a messy bunch! We don’t pick up after ourselves.
We leave clutter everywhere. At home. At work. In the oceans. In space.
The Mess in Times Square
Consider the massive clean-up in Times Square after each New Year’s Eve celebration in New York.
“The New York City sanitation department says it had 300 people at work overnight, removing an estimated 56 tons of debris,” according to ABC7NY.com
Seriously?
I often wonder why we are unwilling to pick up after ourselves, whether at a NYE celebration or the 50 tons of trash cleaned up after the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
Pollution in Our Oceans
Consider the amount of waste we’re producing that affects life in our oceans. Right now, we’re focused on plastics polluting our oceans.
Space Junk
Consider the absolute mess we’re leaving in space that threatens multi-million-dollar functioning satellites.
What next?
We want to colonize Mars.
Really?
Let us prove we’re worthy. Instead of looking outward, let us look around and start practicing responsible habits at home. Let us pick up after ourselves after watching TV or reading in the living room. Let us clean our dishes, utensils, and wipe down the counters, stove, and microwave after cooking in the kitchen. Let us put away stuff where it belongs in our home offices, bedrooms, closets, attics, basements, garages, and yards before we venture out.
Once we build solid habits that we pass to the next generation (and next), including the practice of leaving no trace after partying at outdoor events, only then should we consider ourselves guests worthy to visit or inhabit another planet.
