Change The World Wednesday

Welcome to another Change The World Wednesday (CTWW) challenge. If you're wondering what this is all about ... or want to take a look at all that we've accomplished (an impressive list), please click HERE ... or on the tab at the top of this page.

Last week's challenge was an easy one ... we reduced our margins when printing. It reminds us that green living isn't always about huge, life-altering changes ... it's often about the small, simple steps we take which, when added up, have a huge, positive impact on the earth. Thanks to everyone who participated.

First up, a shout out to our Twitter Honorees. These are twitter members who talked about our challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. And by the way ... they are great folks to follow:

@waylandcook
@whopaysthepiper
@accessorygal
@givetreegifts
@myzerowaste
@wisehomeopath
@rewinn

Next up, the Honor Society:

EcoGrrl not only narrowed her margins ... she totally got rid of her printer. Actually, she decided that she really didn't need it and, rather than print things out, she stores "keepers" on her computer. She also reminds us to use every bit of paper ... the backs of envelopes, etc. for writing notes, leaving messages, etc. Thanks, EcoGrrl!

Busy Working Mama stopped in. She elaborated, a bit, about her composting efforts at work ... she saves things in a pretty vase and then brings it home to compost. She plans to set up a bin in the office for coffee grounds. Yay!

Giveaways for Mom stopped in. She found us from the Green Blog Hop (which you'll find in my side bar). Thanks for stopping in GFM!

Our friend Argentum Vulgaris wrote an article about our challenge. He linked to several other posts which he has shared about saving paper so ... grab a cup of coffee, settle in and read what he has to say HERE. Thanks, AV!

The Accessory Lady joined in the fun. She said that it's an easy challenge but something she's never thought of before. I hadn't either, AL! By the way, if you've never checked out AL's blog ... you're missing out! Visually beautiful with a lot to say!

Our friend, Ann, came by. She purchased flax place mats, rather than the traditional mats made from wood products. She also uses sponges rather than paper towels for picking up spills. Be sure to swing by and read her post for the week ... she's talking about Green Walls. As always, thanks Ann for including a link to our weekly challenges.

Ramona stopped in. She decided to print out only essential items ... and found out that very little is essential. WhooHoo, Ramona!!

Fresh Green Kim says that she uses cloth napkins which she finds at thrift stores. She even puts them in her kids' lunches. Brilliant! Thanks, Kim!

It's so nice to see Brian Mongold back here. As always he offers a supportive voice and ... he tweets and posts on Facebook. Brian's site, formally Eazy Cheezy, is now called Five Free Apps and is filled with great information. So swing by and say "hello"!

Miriam found us through the Green Friday Follow Blog Hop (it'll be up in our side bar on Friday). Miriam writes a great blog called Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters which is filled with wonderful, satisfying recipes. One warning, though ... visiting her site will make you seriously hungry. Thanks for stopping by, Miriam!

Noteasytobegreen came by. Her biggest tip for saving paper is to get books from the library or second hand store rather than buying new. This is a huge paper savings as many books are sent to landfills each year. Thanks, NETBG!

Terry is a new friend to Reduce Footprints. She has a blog called My Journey With Candida ... I learned a lot from her site. Thanks for joining us, Terry!

In this POST, Mrs. Green offers us 5 wonderful tips for saving paper. Want a hint? Okay, #3 on the list has us asking ourselves one simple question ... but you'll have to visit Mrs. Green to find out what it is (no spoiler here).

Kris wrote a great article (which you can read HERE) on her paper saving efforts. She enjoys scrap booking and has come up with a great way to very easily sort out the recyclable scraps from the non-recyclable pieces. It's another simple idea with a huge impact. Thanks, Kris!

Our friend Rewinn joined the fun. In a post entitled Back of the Envelope Planner, he shares one of his paper saving efforts ... a hip-pocket planner. It's not only Eco-friendly, it's budget friendly. Thanks, Rewinn!!

Great job, everyone! I learned a lot by visiting your sites. Your articles have been stumbled and tweeted. I'm also on Facebook now so, as soon as I figure it out, I'll be posting your articles there, as well.

Okay ... let's jump into a new challenge! Last week I asked for ideas and you came through for me. This week's challenge comes to us from Rachelle, an email subscriber. I had a lot of fun chatting with Rachelle last week. Here's her idea:

This week, find someone that doesn't recycle and help them get started. Perhaps a friend or neighbor doesn't know how ... so teach them. Maybe a family member doesn't know where to start ... so show them how easy is it to set something up. Look outside of your home and help someone else begin a recycling program.

Thanks, Rachelle, for this challenge. It really kicks our efforts up a notch. I'm looking forward to hearing about how everyone accomplishes this task!

That's it for this week!

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