Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Change The World Wednesday

Wow ... when the readers of this blog take on a challenge, great things happen. Our challenge to do something green with kids garnered some wonderful, creative articles ... both from folks with kids and those who don't come in contact with children very often. There were posts by proud parents about amazing little "Eco-Stars" ... kids who are putting "green" into action. One article was inspired by a recent encounter with a teacher. There were touching stories about adults and kids sharing time together ... connecting through "green" activities. We had reviews of Eco-friendly books for young people and even some recipes for waste-free lunches. It was an exciting week and I thank all who participated. But ... as you've probably figured out by now ... the beauty of these challenges is that we can turn them into lifestyle changes. A lifestyle change to get kids involved can only be a good thing.

Thanks to our Honor Society for making last week's challenge a truly remarkable event. Here they are:

EcoGrrl at EcoGrrl Network

Sinclair at Sharing Our Gifts and Nature With Me and Hoarders Unite

Squirrel Queen at The Kids' Garden Club Part I and Part II (And by the way, Squirrel Queen would really like to know if anyone has this kind of program in their area so, if you do, let her know, okay? Thanks!)

Ann at Save The World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday: Heating Your House and at Save the World: Children and Gardening

By the way ... Ann's son, Samuel, wrote to me about his gardening efforts ... here's what he has to say: "I am 13. I don't like gardening but I like eating. Gardening seems tedious and boring. You have to weed, water and dig. Then you have to pick the fruits. My mom need to always remind me to water the garden. If I don't water them they will die. This happened to my tomatoes and potatoes last summer. I got some fruits. My mom thinks it's not a lot but I do. My fruits taste better than the bought ones. The reason is there's no pesticides. They are tree ripen so they are very sweet. I even got a lot of baby potatoes without doing anything in the winter. Making compost smells. Throwing compost in the compost bin is even more tedious but we are recycling." Thanks to Samuel for giving us a little insight to his "green" gardening efforts. He and his mom, Ann, can be found at My Thoughts and Photos.

TC at Live Smart: Change The World Wednesday

Mrs. Green at Change The World Wednesday - Week 3

Yanic at Adventures Into Green

Argentum Vulgaris at Kids can be Green

Ayman at Profit From Internet

Heather at Eco-Activities To do With Your Children (Heather has included a ton of activities and posts about activities with kids ... be sure to stop by and check them out.)

Kate at Raising Kids to be Stewards of the Earth: Go Outside

Thomas at Managing (Raising) a Green Child

What A Card at Zero-Waste Lunches

Elizabeth Barrette at Review: Enter the Earth and Review: Way of Water

Millenniumhealth at Millenniumhealth

Rewinn at Thank You, Ms. Cathy

Okay ... are you ready for another challenge? We're going to tackle two more items which are common in many homes. This challenge was suggested by our bloggy friend, Amy Byrd of The Wayland Springs Cook. Here you go:

This week ... for the entire week ... don't use plastic wrap or foil. No plastic wrap to cover food while microwaving, no foil to line a pan, and neither to cover leftover food. No plastic wrap or foil ... none ... for one week.

Or ...

If you never use plastic wrap or foil, identify one area of your life that could be a little more Eco-friendly. Tell us, in the comments section, what that one thing is and commit to "greening it up".

So ... are you up for it? I know that you are!

Just a few reminders:

  • Write a post about this week's challenge and it will get Stumbled and Tweeted.

  • Click HERE for the "rules", all challenges, and tips for using these challenges to improve your blog/site ranking and traffic.

  • And, be sure to spread the word about Change The World Wednesdays through blog posts, emails, tweets, Facebook, etc. Together we can make a difference!


WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!

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13 comments :

  1. Okay, I'm willing to try a week without plastic wrap or foil, and see how far I get.

    However - the aluminum foil I have is *recycled* foil. It was slightly cheaper than nonrecycled foil. I recommend that people look for that because there's no point recycling if there's no aftermarket for recycled goods.

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  2. Another fabulous challenge. I've given up plastic wrap, but I do use plastic bags. Now more of them are ones I have kept for reuse, but I do have a roll of shiny, new plastic bags which I use from time to time.

    This week I'm doing some baking for a friend, so I'm going to find an eco friendly way to wrap it rather than put it into a plastic bag, which is so convenient.

    Foil isn't a problem here either - I use 1 sheet of it every 2 months or so to line the grill pan. After use it is recycled, so I don't feel bad about that.

    THanks for the inspiration! I've just put in a follow up post from last week's challenge:

    http://littlegreenblog.com/family-and-food/green-parenting/update-on-change-the-world-wednesday/

    And thank you for sharing all these awesome entries for last week - I can't wait to find time to read some of them :)

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  3. Count me in for this one. I will try to make it permanent and find alternatives to the plastic and foil!

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  4. That should be an easy one for us. We barely use any. We have been using freezer bags recently (stocking up for the months of NO FARMER'S MARKET'S while on the 100-mile diet). But we do rinse and reuse them.

    I will think up something and will post about it. I'll be back with the link!

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  5. Here you go!

    Good luck everyone!

    http://greentobe.blogspot.com/2009/09/change-world-wednesday-challenge-make.html

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  7. I'm baaaaaack and I'm in!!


    http://adventuresingigi.blogspot.com/2009/09/change-world-wednesdays.html

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  8. Cool challenge! I'm gonna give it a shot. I'll have to chase the wife around and get her on board too. Good stuff as always.

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  9. We were able to Just Say No To Foil once we discovered the Pie Ring. For every kitchen use of foil, there is a substitute that may take a little thought but is better in the long run. Ancient cookbooks may know what you need!

    A hint to the gentlemen: a really easy (yet economical & environmentally responsible) way to impress your honey is A Pie for the Apple of your Eye

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  10. have posted up about this challenge now and really looking forward to it!

    http://littlegreenblog.com/green-home/reduce-reuse-recycle-green-home/change-the-world-wednesday-week-4/

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  11. Going to be out of town for a couple days and just wanted to stop in and say Hi. Sonds like a great challenge

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  12. this is a great challenge and one that I can focus on for sure! i use pvc-free saran wrap and recycled foil, but know that i don't need to. i have invested more and more over the past year for great mini-size glass storage containers which really decreased my consumption, and try to wash & reuse my foil, but admit i could reduce...my big challenge? parchment paper...as a baker i use it a LOT and love how my cookies turn out on it...any suggestions out there?

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  13. This is a challenge to our lazy self. I have been occasionally using the glad wrap rather than look for the lid of the tuppleware container to keep the leftover food for the fridge. If we are more organised, we keep the lid on the container, we won't need the glad wrap. I don't use much foil as I tend to us casserole dish with lids when I roast my meat. Saves from splattering as well.

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