You may think that light pollution isn't something extraordinarily important. You may believe that every other type of pollution has a larger impact on the environment that light pollution does. But light pollution is serious.

    Light pollution, or “sky glow”, is the glow you can see at night above cities and towns. Light pollution is a problem that has been accompanying man ever since he started his first fire some 15,000 years ago. Light pollution is the light that comes from streetlights, buildings, parking lots and any other source of light that is reflected or directed into the atmosphere.

    Urban light pollution means that one-fifth of the world's population can no longer see the Milky Way(银河) with the naked eye(肉眼). Many city kids, even if they did look through the orange smog above their heads, would probably see only a handful of stars. We have lost our view of the stars, and we have mucked up our  night-time environment as well. Astronomers are calling for the dark places on Earth to be preserved as national parks.

    Lots of people find the ever-brightening night annoying, and animals that are programmed to prefer the dark may avoid a brightened habitat. Sea turtles can get lost searching for a beach to lay eggs, and their hatchlings(孵化的幼仔)may confuse over-lit beachfront resorts(度假胜地) for the ocean horizon, wasting precious energy needed to find the sea and escape predators(食肉动物). Because their necks aren't yet long enough to see things far away, baby turtles rely on the mirror image of the moon to guide them to the sea, to begin their new life. A car may even hit a particular turtle, which was thinking the light from a nearby city was moonlight reflecting off the ocean waves. Birds that live in and around cities can die because of sky glow, too. The bright lights can blind them, leading to countless collisions with buildings and other tall structures.

    On an individual level, people can help reduce much sky glow by using lighting only when necessary. The stars above us are priceless heritage— for not only for astronomers but for all humans. More of our children should be able to look up at night and see the Milk Way.

    Here is your best chance to travel around the UK in 2012: More than 200 B&Bs（bed & breakfast）across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are selected to offer you amazing services for your stay at their lowest prices! Don't miss it. Just collect the vouchers（活动券）in our B&B Daily printed from 01/04/2012 to 07/04/2012 and book the stays for your travel following the terms and conditions below:

    The offer includes a room for the night and a breakfast the next morning.

The offer is of two kinds: ￡20 per room, valid（有效的）during stay period of 02/04/2012—31/05/2012 and then again 01/09/2012—31/10/2012；￡35 per room, per night, valid during stay period of 01/06/2012—31/08/2012.

    The offer is valid for a basic twin or double room only.

    The stay must be booked directly with the chosen B&Bs before 28/04/2012.

    Each voucher can only be used by the holder to book one room for one night.

    If voucher holders book either the ￡20 or ￡35 per room per night, any additional services such as lunch, evening meal or activities may require an extra charge. But these are not required in order to take up the offer. Please check directly with your chosen B&Bs to see what extra services are available.

    Vouchers must be presented on arrival. If no vouchers are presented, the     B&Bs may reserve（保留）the right to charge at full price for every night of stay.

    Vouchers may not be used together with any other offer.

    The voucher holders must pay for the stay in full at the time of booking. Additional ￡10 may be paid to confirm（确认）the booking and will be returned on arrival.

    The B&Bs reserve the right to refuse voucher holders' bookings for people under the age of 18.

    My mother raised me as best as she could, taking on odd jobs in the neighborhood for money. Still without a father to tell me how to act and what was expected of me, I felt lost. I wandered for years and got involved with tough guys on the East Side of New York. They would fight madly over a dropped coin. They would steal to get what they wanted. I wanted to be like them.

    It was lucky for me that I left the city and entered a world of discipline (纪律), after following my mother's advice. During three years of military service, I had time to rethink my life, and my thoughts often ran to my mother. I realized suddenly just how much of a heartache I must have been to her, how little I had noticed her suffering. When my father left this world, my mother was completely alone. To support us, my mother cleaned apartments and took in washing and ironing from the neighbors. And as she worked hard at this labor, she kept her head high. Each week she would bring a pile of books home from the library and read to us. My mother had wanted nothing more, than for me to turn into an honest responsible man. But I had acted against her. Finally, almost too late I had the sense to feel shame.

    Ten years passed and I returned to the apartment on the East Side. I knew I wouldn't fall back in with the wrong people, although I still wasn't sure where I was heading. My mother, I could tell, was worried about me. In my neighborhood, to become a police officer or a firefighter was a mark of significant social success and achievement. For me it was an opportunity for a real start in life. I wondered if I was up to it, but I knew that it was time to try. When I found myself in the big hall raising my hands to take the firefighters oath (誓言) of office, my mother was sitting a few rows behind with a smile of relief. She knew that at last I was off on life's road and moving steadily. Her smile said, “My job is finally done.”

    Young people almost never get a good press(评论) these days. “Their outlook is centered on trashy books and films,” expressed one citizen in a letter I recently came across in the Daily Mail. It seems that people have been complaining about the young since ancient times. However, the young are probably no worse than they've ever been. And I think they're better. Teenagers today are brighter, more energetic, more outgoing, and more interesting than any generation before.

    The truth is, we hear plenty of bad news about youth, but we never hear about the majority. Surely they all want to be footballers or attractive models? Not a bit of it. When research company Britain-Thinks examined teenagers attitudes earlier this year, they found that the most popular goal (shared by some 70 percent) was to “have a job you love”, followed by having a university degree, owning your own home and being in a happy, long-term relationship. It tallies with another study by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, which found that what made teenagers happiest wasn't a new smart-phone or pair of shoes, but “the simple things in life” such as close friends, going swimming and spending time with their parents.

    Indeed, the more you look at the young, the more impressive they seem. They are, of course, more technologically knowledgeable and skillful than any generation before them. But the interesting thing is that they're not merely consumers; they're creators. Think of all those young people developing their own websites or machines.

    Seventeen-year-old Nick D'Aloisio is an example. He invented a news-summary app (应用程序)called Summly and sold it to Yahoo this year for a reported £18 million. The company offered him a job in California, but he turned it down. “I'll be staying in London,” he explained. “I want to finish my A levels and I couldn't really live on my own out there.”

    Of course they aren't perfect, and every generation has its fair share of bad apples. But I think our future is in safe hands.

    "Let's go see Santa!" Samantha said, pointing.

    I shrugged. I found out long ago that the real Santa doesn't hang out in malls. He's always too busy checking his list for kids twice and supervising the elves (小精灵).

    Last year, "Santa" had a tattoo on his arm. I pretended I didn't notice and named all the toys I ever wanted, until he was about to kick me out. I like playing around with fake Santas.

    We joined the line and after what seemed like ages, it was our turn. Samantha's eyes were glowing with excitement as she listed her wishes. She went back to Mom and Dad with a delighted smile and some candies.

    I sat on Santa's lap and moved from side to side to get comfortable. He made a face. "Have you been good this year? Ho! Ho!"

    "Oh, yes! I played nicely with my sister, obeyed my parents, and teachers are fond of me. "

    A suspicious smile appeared on his jolly face. "What would you like for Christmas, my boy?" "Santa, I want a new teacher for Christmas."

    He got a little surprised and looked at me. "Don't you want any new games, or a baseball mitt (手套)?"

    "No. I want a new teacher who doesn't give too much homework. I don't have time to play anyway, with all those assignments I'm getting. "

    It was worth waiting in line just to see the look on his face. He gave me a coloring book and a Christmas sticker. Just before I left, he pulled me closer and said in a low tone, "I'll make sure Miss Coleman makes your wish come true."

    How did he … that voice … "Mr. Principal?"

    I guess sometimes wishes do come true. I had a lighter workload until June!

Understanding the link between the clean environment and human life is not a new concept. In fact, it was noticed as early as ancient Roman times. Today we see how green living has influenced our everyday lives. There is a growing community of people who embrace a zero waste lifestyle and make changes to the way they live to reduce their carbon footprint. 

Living a zero waste lifestyle means doing one's best to achieve the aim of not sending anything to a landfill. People who adopt this lifestyle ultimately cut down on their waste by reducing what they need and want. They reuse what they own, sending few things to be recycled. 

Many people who adopt the zero waste lifestyle claim to be frustrated by the many harmful chemical substances found in beauty and cleaning products. They also find the uses of disposable items and excessive packaging the same. For example, how many times have we had to peel away layers of plastic wrap and cardboard before finally taking out the item which we had bought? Instead of buying prepackaged food and goods, those who identify with the zero waste philosophy tend to shop in stores that allow them to make purchases and bring their own cloth bags and glass jars to store their purchases. 

Many people have the misconception that it is easier to live a zero waste lifestyle in the West. Nevertheless, Malaysian environmental journalist, Ms Aurora Tin, has proven that a zero waste lifestyle is possible even in the Asian context. Instead of going to the supermarket to buy prepackaged foods, Ms Tin now visits the wet market and brings her own bags for vegetables. She has even stopped using store-bought toothpaste and make her own toothpaste from coconut oil and baking soda. This lifestyle may be too big a change for the average person, but we could follow her suit to make gradual changes to our own lives.