Show me your waste and I can show you your future.

Before, our footprint was nothing but a foot shape left on the land. Today it comes in many shapes and forms; plastic bottles, dark smoke, deforestation, etc.

We have evolved in so many ways to make shelter, food, transportation, and health much more accessible and easier, but that doesn’t mean we have found better solutions. We found simple, short-term solutions that created much bigger problems for the future and innocent lives. Just because some solutions worked for decades, it doesn’t make them right.

Humans are marvellously skilled in survival and tremendously creative in making tools, but we are the worst when it's down to changing behavior. We don’t do it unless it’s extremely essential to our lifestyle. It could be as simple as picking up socks, or more challenging as changing diet. Even with proven facts of the benefits of change, we even find it difficult to carry our reusable carrier bags to buy disposable bags. It’s interesting that today, so many of us have difficulty concentrating on now and letting go of the future to have a spiritual awakening. But when it comes to action, we only think about now and never the future.

Think about our world as a dirty public bathroom that you have to use. There are pee stains all over the toilet seat, it's filled with toilet paper and unflushed fecal matter... The flush works, there is toilet paper, and a toilet brush, and there are even cleaning products. Now that you have to use the toilet, what are you planning to do about it? Are you going to create more mess because it's already filthy? Are you going to use it carefully to not touch anything and to not create any more mess? Or are you going to clean up before you use and leave it as clean as possible? I'm sure we've all been in this situation and probably acted in many different ways. But what if, a friend of yours or a family member was about to use the bathroom after you, would you still leave it dirty for them to use, or would you take a few more seconds and make the effort to leave the bathroom clean for them?

Do you see where I'm heading with this? : )

Maybe the way you make money doesn't have the best impact on our world, but the way you spend your money and dispose of your unused goods has a big impact. This week simply, try to observe what you throw away; how much of it you think can be kept instead of thrown away, how much of it can be reused by others, and how much of it can be replaced with materials that won't stay on the land or ocean more than your life expectancy.

And if you want do a bit more you can always find ways to volunteer for cleanups in different organisations;

1) Clean Up UK- they guide community litter-picking, to create cleaner neighbourhoods

2) Keep Britain Tidy- they do their bit to create a better environment on their streets, parks and beaches

3) River Clean Up- clean up your neighbourhood stream or organise a massive action at a large waterway in another country

4) The Wildlife Trusts- their purpose is to bring wildlife back, to empower people to take meaningful action for nature, and to create an inclusive society where nature matters

5) Friends of the Earth- have run national and local campaigns to protect the natural world and engage their communities on issues like recycling and conservation.

*All of the text above is based on personal thoughts and experiences. Please don't view it as professional facts or suggestions.*