What’s your next small step?

As the last space shuttle flight brings an end, or pause, to
”
manned
”
U.S. space exploration, I am reminded of Neil Armstrong’s famous
words,
”
That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
”
As the last space shuttle flight brings an end, or pause, to “manned” U.S. space exploration, I am reminded of Neil Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

While most of us don’t have the opportunity to walk on the moon, we all have opportunities to take small steps toward building community. What’s your next small step toward community going to be?

I’ve heard many people refer to Morgan Hill as a “great community” to their family and friends.

While they may rave about our recreation centers or downtown restaurants, the reality is that Morgan Hill was raved about as a “great community” before those things were built. So what is it that makes this place “great?” I submit to you that it is the people of Morgan Hill that collectively make us great. It’s our service clubs who put on special events and build special projects … our youth coaches who keep their kids on the field (or pool!) and focused on teamwork … our local businesses who contribute to community activities … and the many volunteer leaders we have who run community institutions. It’s all of these people and more, who make Morgan Hill truly “great.”

So where do the small steps come in?

You may not know it, but all of the above great people started with one small step of volunteer action. It might have been volunteering for a school fundraiser, directing traffic in the parade’s parking lot, or working at the food pantry. Regardless, one small step led to another and then another and, ultimately, we have a great community.

How can you best find your first small step? One great way is working with the Volunteer Morgan Hill organization. A visit to their website at www.volunteermorganhill.com/ is one clear way to get started. Another way is to come to their Volunteer Faire on Sept. 10. At the Faire, representatives from different organizations throughout Morgan Hill will be on hand to talk about their projects and opportunities to build community. It’s definitely a fun and uplifting event and you might even consider attending the Faire to be a small step in itself.

All of the above discussion is about efforts people took to contribute to a better Morgan Hill community. Are there corollary small steps toward building a greener Morgan Hill? You betcha. Wherever you go there are small steps you can take that contribute to a cleaner, greener city. Consider the following:

– Change a lightbulb: By replacing an incandescent bulb with a fluorescent or LED bulb, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint with the energy you save – and the bulb will last much longer too.

– Walk a bit more: By taking actual small steps on a walk instead of driving, you’re reducing your carbon footprint and preventing air pollution;

– Skip meat at one meal: Beef has an astounding carbon footprint. Did you know that if you eat one less burger a week, it’s like taking your car off the road for 320 miles or line-drying your clothes half the time? (See Website of the Week below for related information.)

– Pick up litter: Few things drag us down as much as litter. The next time you walk by litter, take a moment to pick it up. It’s easy and I guarantee that it will make you feel good to have done it.

– Report graffiti: When tags appear, the best thing we can do as a community is get them painted over as soon as possible. You can take the initiative and call the graffiti hotline at 776-8985.

– Mark some stormdrains: The city has hundreds of stormdrains that need to be marked with our special pollution prevention medallion. Contact us at the number below to sign up.

So join me in taking small steps. It may be just one small step for you, but one collective giant leap for the community.

Website of the Week: The Environmental Working Group just published the 2011 edition of their Meat Eater’s Guide. It includes some fascinating information about the environmental impacts of animal products. If you think that cheese is environmentally sweet, guess again. I was very surprised. You can find it at http://breakingnews.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters.

Anthony Eulo is a Program Administrator for the City of Morgan Hill who eats very little meat – but probably too much cheese. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 778-6480 or en*****@mo********.gov.