Friday (evening) Film Fest

My bloggy friend, Joe Todd, sent this over ... it's a brilliant couple of minutes.




Have a great weekend, everyone ... and thanks, Joe, for our Friday Film!

Change The World Wednesday

Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW).

Last week, our bloggy friend Rewinn challenged us to plant something edible indoors. Every year, I plant veggies in containers on my patio and enjoy fresh herbs and produce throughout the summer. But for some reason, planting edibles in the fall/winter just hasn't occurred to me. That is, until my volunteer tomatoes made an appearance. Late in the season, in my lettuce planter, two cherry tomato plants started growing. It didn't seem to matter that I didn't pay them much attention ... they grew and grew. As the weather got colder, I brought them indoors. And guess what ... there are a bunch of tomatoes on these plants. They sit near a window and on warmer days, I take them outside for a little sun. Encouraged by their production, I've put a pot of chives on the windowsill and plan on adding lettuce and other herbs. It'll be interesting, over the next several months, to see how it goes.

So how did you do? Did you plant something ... and where did you put the container? Let's see what our Honor Society came up with:

EcoGrrl came by ... no, EcoGrrl, you didn't miss the challenge ... it was right there at the top. :-) But we understand ... you have travel, holiday and fascinating new places on your mind. Here's wishing you a wonderful trip to England.

Argentum Vulgaris took the challenge. In this POST, he offers some suggestions for edibles which grow well indoors and shows us that these plants are as pretty as ornamentals. He also links to a site which offers information and additional ideas. Thanks, AV!

Marcy stopped in. She says that she doesn't get much light in her apartment but she's going to find a windowsill and see if she can grow some herbs. Great, Marcy ... be sure to come back and tell us how it went (inquiring minds want to know). By the way ... that Chile Relleno recipe looks fabulous!

Regina McDonald (aka @chrysalisdesign) gave us a nice shout out in The Artists Daily. Thanks, Regina!

Jen lives in Canada and isn't sure she can find anything to start with in her cold climate ... but, she's going to give it a try! Thanks, Jen! When I was browsing around her site, I came across a recent article about how she hasn't used a printer to print anything out since June, 2009 ... even at work. Wow!

Our challenge got another nice shout out by @shoppingcharity in The Shopping Charity. Thanks so much!

CJR says that she's always wanted a garden and she's hoping that Reduce Footprints can help her take the small steps which she's been wanting to take for some time. Thanks, CJR ... we hope so, too! Browsing around CJR's site I found a wonderful article about saving energy in the winter ... definitely worth a read!

In The Null Space Cowboy Microgardens, Rewinn talks about giving every space long-term value. What a great concept ... making every space work for us! Brilliant!

Mrs. Green admits to being skeptical ... but she's willing to give it a try. Read this POST about what she's going to do to get started (which is a great idea, Mrs. Green).

Mommy Tyme came by and, as always, offered her support. Thanks, Val!

In this POST, Kris gives us an update on a previous challenge (the one about visiting a 2nd hand/thrift store). She explains why that experience didn't work for her. For this challenge, she plans to pick up some herb seeds and she'll be planting them in ... no spoiler here ... you'll have to read the post to find out what she'll use as a planter. Thanks, Kris!

In addition to blog posts and great comments, we had a bunch of twitter members tweeting about this challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter ... be sure to check them out:

@catcanpaint
@whopaysthepiper
@chrysalisdesign
@waylandcook
@eazycheezy
@recyclecraft
@shoppingcharity

Great job, everyone! I have stumbled, tweeted and facebooked your posts.

Okay ... ready for a new challenge? This one is going to be nice! Here it is:

This week, enjoy Thanksgiving with those you care about.

Or ...

If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, spend some quality time with those you care about.

Have a wonderful week, everyone ... and to those who celebrate it ...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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

600 Followers!!

Wow ... we have reached another milestone!!

Reduce Footprints has 600 followers!

And who, you may be asking, is number 600? It's a brand new blog called The Eco Vine Blog. From their profile, "The Eco Vine is a community for people striving to live a greener life! Whether you're a full fledged earth hugger, or just starting out, come on by!" The Eco Vine blog is the companion to The Eco Vine Community ... a site where members can share ideas, link to their blogs, etc. So hop on over and get involved at the very beginning of what promises to be a great, Eco-friendly group.

Thanks to everyone who has helped to spread the green word ... and especially to all of Reduce Footprints' fabulous followers!!

Friday Film Fest

Before we start our film, I'd like to share something with you. My dear bloggy friend Ana Lopes, of My Sacred Grove, honored me with an award ... The Dardos Award. The Dardos Award is "bestowed for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."



Isn't that nice? I'd like to thank Ana for this lovely award ... and sentiment. The rules of the award state that recipients should post the award on their blog (mine is in the side bar) and then pass it on to blogs they feel are worthy. Therein lies my problem ... I follow so many wonderful blogs and it would be impossible to choose a few to honor. So, with Ana's permission, I'm giving this award to all of you ... to everyone I follow and to everyone who visits this site. Please take the badge, put it on your blog and pass it on. And please accept my thanks for all that you do to add value to the web!

Thank you, Ana ... I hope Reduce Footprints will always live up to that high standard!

Okay ... ready for our feature presentation?

Awhile back I shared the Story of Stuff with you. Annie Leonard, in a very understandable way, talked about ... well ... Stuff ... and how it moves from natural resource to, eventually, the landfill. It was a brilliant video and if you've never seen it, I highly recommend it.

Annie Leonard is back with a new video called The Story of Electronics. After the film, be sure to click on the link below to find out how you can help change the system.

I hope you enjoy:




To find out what you can do, please click HERE.

Field Trip

How about a little field? Would you like to take a break from your hectic day and see something new? Yes? Okay then ... click on the Eco-friendly bus below and I'll "see" you there:

Change The World Wednesday

Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW). If you are new to our challenges, please click HERE to learn what we're all about and to check out the growing list of actions we've taken to date.

Let's jump right into this week's challenge. This is another wonderful suggestion from our friend Rewinn who gave us last week's challenge. He said, "I also like the idea of microgardening. Almost every living space ... and many work spaces ... have room for a pot or three where you can grow lettuce or mint. A window sill in a lunchroom? An odd window by the stairs? Where can you put in a pocket garden that you can harvest a couple times a year, and enjoy all the year?" So ... here's the challenge:

This week, plant something edible indoors (in your homes, offices, schools, etc.). Some ideas are lettuce, herbs, spinach, kale, and even tomatoes.

OR ...

If this is something you already do, we want to hear about it. Please tell us which items you grow, share any tips for success and comment on your overall feelings about the process.

Thanks, Rewinn ... this is going to be a fun one!

Did you enjoy last week's challenge? We asked that everyone head for a thrift/2nd hand store and check them out. When I was a kid, 2nd hand stores weren't pleasant places. Basically they were stores full of smelly junk. But things have changed a lot. Thrift stores, today, resemble department stores and carry a multitude of usable products ... many of which are practically brand new. My favorite store carries a bit of everything ... clothing, books, kitchen items, furniture and even medical care items (crutches, canes, walkers, etc.). So when you need something, I hope you will consider 2nd hand before buying new.

Let's see how our honor society did:

EcoGrrl shared that she found some silver serving trays at a thrift store which she uses to display her handmade truffles at holiday and craft fairs. EcoGrrl is soon to be off on an international vacation ... have a great time, EcoGrrl!!

Camp Full Monte joined us ... and from the previous week's challenge, they sent a few more pictures of their reduce, reuse and recycle efforts. You can see them HERE. One note ... the pictures contain non-sexual, naturist, nude imagery ... I personally didn't find anything offensive about them but you should be aware. Thanks, CFM!

Did you know that our friend, Argentum Vulgaris, is a chef? Yes indeedy! But (you might be wondering) ... how does that relate to this challenge? Well ... his marvelous kitchen is a perfect example of what one can do with second hand items. He's got pictures so ... head over HERE and take a look! And AV ... your post absolutely fit into this challenge ... thanks for sharing your soul with us!

All the way from Turkey, our friend İlhami Uyar stopped in. As always, he offers support and encouragement. Sevgili arkadaş, ziyaret ediyor. Senin desteğin ve teşvik fazlasıyla takdir edilir.

Our twitter friend, Regina McDonald (aka @chrysalisdesign) mentioned our challenge in The Artists Daily. Thanks, Regina ... I love your creative way of sharing our challenge!

Cinella (aka Newmami_rgv) from The Mommy Blog accepted the challenge. Great to have you with us, Cinella ... and thanks for being one of our newest followers!

Do you have problems finding clothes to fit you? Our friend, Inge', does. But she finds what she needs at thrift and consignment stores. Read all about her particular challenges and how they are met HERE.

Brian Mongold, of Five Free Apps, came by. From an earlier challenge he shared that he is now "trickling" water instead of running it full blast and he used the link we provided to contact the USPS to ask them to give us the option to refuse advertisement mailings. Yay, Brian! He also reminds us that living "green" often means saving money as well.

Rachel R., from Rachel's Reviews and Giveaways, found us through the blog hops listed in the side bar. Thanks for coming by, Rachel ... hope to see you again!

Our friend, Marcy, from Cooking Rut has placed our beautiful new banner in her side bar. Thanks, Marcy ... and I apologize for not seeing it before but ... in all fairness ... I get so caught up in your delicious posts that I don't notice much else. For those of you who haven't visited Marcy's blog, it is one of the better food blogs around ... she covers everything. She recently wrote a wonderful post about potatoes. So go check her out!

Mommy Tyme stopped in ... so nice to see you, Val! Val's comment included a whole bunch of great ideas ... making cleaning products (check out her blog for recipes), decorating a cereal box to use as a homemade laundry detergent container (very cleaver) and shopping thrift stores for craft materials (she found some old dress patterns that will become a mixed media piece). I first "met" Valerie through an artisan site and she talks about her creations on her blog. But ... browse around and you'll find other treasures ... "green" treasures ... like environmentally-friendly uses for baking soda. Thanks, Val!

Our friend, It's Not Easy To Be Green, came by. She reminds us that not buying anything is greener than buying from the second hand store. That's a great reminder! She visits thrift stores when she NEEDS something or for an occasional treat.

In this POST, Mrs. Green offers us 7 wonderful tips for shopping at thrift stores. Can you guess what "name-brand" items she found at her local second hand shop? Thanks, Mrs. Green!

To fulfill this challenge, Rewinn is being "Up Front about his First Time (... at a Thrift Store)". It's a great read ... you'll find out who received a cigarette lighter in the form of a golf-club head, who wears Hawaiian shirts and whether or not Rewinn plans to be buried with his solid metal wrench (a thrift store find).

Great posts and comments everyone! We also had a bunch of people tweeting about this challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter, swing by and check them out ... they have a lot of good stuff to say:

@waylandcook
@whopaysthepiper
@junkkmale
@rewinn
@myzerowaste
@shoppingcharity
@bpb_edinburgh
@theglobalwe
@recyclecraft
@chrysalisdesign
@catcanpaint

If you wrote a post supporting this challenge, I have Stumbled, Tweeted and posted it on my Facebook Wall.

We have several more challenges which have been suggested by readers (and they are good). If you have a suggestion, please email it to me HERE.

Here's our mantra:

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

Take a moment ...

One leaf drifted to the river ... and floated, peacefully, along. No other human in the world witnessed that particular leaf release itself from the tree and float off ... that thought filled me with awe. As the sun slowly dipped behind the mountains, birds sang their "good night" song ... some chattered and chirped to each other ... maybe discussing their day. A small snake lay on the path, not ready to leave the warmth of the spot ... he didn't like our presence and preferred to be left alone.

We are encouraged to get ready for the holidays ... to spend our money ... to shop now and avoid the crowds. Posts are showing up everywhere about how to deal with holiday stress and people are anxious ... will there be enough time to do everything.

So I invite you today to step outside. Breathe deeply and feel the sun on your skin. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you ... can you hear nature? Take a moment to watch the spider building a web or a squirrel burying it's fall harvest.

Breathe.

Take a moment ...

Change The World Wednesday

Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW), our weekly green challenge.

Last week we kicked up recycling and reusing by several notches. Our friend Inge' suggested a few things ... take an item and find new uses for it, suggest items which can be recycled but which many people toss out, and/or check out our areas for recycling opportunities. Let's see what our Honor Society did with this challenge:

Our long-time friend, İlhami Uyar from Turkey, came by and offered his support. Selamla! Sen görülmeye tekrar hoş. If you have a moment, be sure to check out his blog. Written in both Turkish and English, it addresses the environment, bee keeping and all manner of interesting subjects. I've learned so much by visiting his site. It's definitely worth a visit.

Have you been thinking about sardine cans lately? No? Well, our friend AV has. Learn how he reuses them HERE. And congrats to AV for recruiting people to our challenge. In reading the comments he received this week, people talked about their "reuse" efforts and one person suggested that she'll be taking a harder look at items in her house with reuse in mind. Way to spread the word, AV!

The Accessory Lady came by. She shared a brilliant idea with us ... she takes the paper used to individually wrap rolls of recycled toilet paper and uses it in place of paper towels to clean the bathroom (sink, mirror, etc). The wrappers are very sturdy and don't shred or lint. Great idea, AL ... and nice reuse!

Jennifer took the challenge and offered a bunch of uses for newspaper ... padding, crinkly cat toys, spill blotters, mats for anything messy (paint, pumpkins, clay), compost, and emergency gift wrap ... and this unique use: simple origami pouches for kitty litter and other dry trash. By the way ... check out this POST for 13 reasons why you can't afford to shop. Thanks, Jennifer!

Here's a riddle ... what do rugs and shoes and stuffing have in common ... and how do they fit into this challenge? Nope ... I cannot tell ... but click HERE and Inge' will. She'll also share some not-so-common recyclable items (think pet hair). Thanks, Inge'.

Flash dropped in and offered us a really clever reuse. In her words: "For a failproof, plastic bag seal, cut the top part off a plastic beverage bottle (at the shoulder), feed a plain, plastic bag through the hole, fold the edges of the bag over the threads of the bottle top, and then screw on the cap. Don't forget to put the rest of the bottle into your recycling container." Isn't that clever?

Have you checked out the trash bin in your bathroom lately? Me neither! But Rewinn got up his courage and took a detailed look. In The Economics of Down Trashing, he sorts through the trash ... can you guess what happens to Q-Tips? No spoiler here ... you'll have to read the post. Stay tuned because Rewinn has graciously suggested this week's challenge.

Do you get your milk in a plastic container? And if so, what do you do with the jug when it's empty? Mrs. Green shares 6 unique ways to reuse them HERE.

Camp Full Monte joined us and sent a picture of a truly unique use for 5 liter plastic water bottles. You can see it HERE. Be sure to visit A Full Monte Life ... it's a fascinating blog about moving towards a life "off the grid".

Kris spent the week consciously looking at each item headed for the recycle bin to see if she could discover a re-use. Can you guess how she is now (re)using a cool whip container? Go HERE to find out. And be sure to read the entire post because she also shares a few other re-uses as well as how our recycling efforts can help out local schools. Thanks, Kris!

Wasn't that fun? I hope you picked up a few new ideas for reusing ... I sure did!

We had some wonderful twitter friends talking about our challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on Twitter, stop by and say "hello" ... they're great folks to follow:

@accessorygal
@waylandcook
@whopaysthepiper
@givetreegifts
@rewinn
@myzerowaste
@junkkmale

Thanks to everyone. As always, I've Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked (is that a word) your articles.

Ready for more? This week's challenge comes from our friend Rewinn and explores another way to reuse and reduce. Here you go:

This week, visit a local thrift/2nd hand store. Browse around to see if there are slightly used items which you could buy rather than purchasing new. After all, the environmental costs of creating the goods sold there have already been paid, so they are really light on the planet (that's the reuse part). To make this trip even more meaningful, bring something to donate (that's the reduce part).

Or ...

If you are a thrift store/2nd hand shop connoisseur, tell us about some of things which you have saved from a "landfill death" ... and any tips/ideas you might have for shopping at these venues.

So what do you think? Are you up for a little shopping this week?

If you have a challenge you'd like to submit, please do so HERE.

And finally ... our mantra:

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

Savvier Greener Ways to Redecorate Your Rooms by Caroline Smith

I'd like to introduce you to Caroline Smith who has kindly offered to talk to us about "green" redecorating. So sit back and enjoy:

Savvier Greener Ways to Redecorate Your Rooms

I’ve been looking at my front room for weeks thinking it needs a change. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s just that we women like to decorate, but this happens every few months. When the urge to redecorate hits, it can be tempting to hop into the car and zoom on over to Ikea, taking time to stroll the aisles and place item after item in the cart.

Don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing wrong with making a few mindful purchases to revive a room, but this little habit adds up fast. Since I’ve started becoming more mindful of my effect on the environment, I have been thinking about greener ways to give my rooms a new look. Small steps to a more environmentally responsible lifestyle can be easy, and it can start with me. Here’s my eco-friendly plan to makeover my living room:

1. Reorganization – Ikea may not be helping my eco-makeover by providing frames and fun vases, but they can provide me with style ideas. It’s easy to rearrange the goods you’ve already got to look like a room off the glossy pages of an interior design magazine. My place isn’t all that big, and Ikea are known for using space in creative ways. When it comes down to it, most of us own plenty of knick knacks and end tables – so instead of a redecoration I’m looking at reorganization. Reuse and recycle is a green mantra, and it can be a fun challenge to create a new look with stuff you already own. If you have any trouble moving the larger pieces of furniture, I’ve found that a handy bribe of pizza afterwards can do wonders…

2. Slipcover Savings – Since I’m both making steps at greener living and watching my budget, any purchases I make need to make the most change in my room as well as helping me minimize my impact on the environment. Slipcovers are an amazing way to easily bring style and function. They are available in many colors and fabrics, and easily found online, some sites even offering coupons. They are simple to use, and can change the look of a room instantly. Instead of buying another sofa and seeing mine carted off to sit in a landfill, I’m going to reduce my footprint and invest in a new slipcover. I’m a chronic drinks spiller – coffee, tea, water, juice, I don’t discriminate about what kind of liquid should spill onto the sofa. Slipcovers are easy to clean, just throw them into the wash, saving years of wear on your furniture.

3. Freecycle Fun - Freecycle is both an eco-friendly organization, and completely addictive. In the course of my reorganization I’ve found many items I don’t use anymore. Instead of taking them to a garbage dump, I’ve decided to list them on Freecyle and donate to some other designing diva’s décor. Freecycle is like bargain hunting, except I’m not actually spending any money. I feel good knowing my treasures will find new homes, and have fun finding new treasures myself!

I’m enjoying the challenge of looking at the task of redecorating from a green perspective. It’s fun to be creative and find new ways to reuse items I already have and give my rooms a totally new image in the process. I’ve learned that there are lots of easy ways to recycle old things to give them an updated new look and particularly like the idea of Freecycling, which has proved that one person’s trash is another’s treasure!

This is a guest post by Caroline Smith, who believes being green doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. She runs a website that offers a range of slipcovers for sofas which make it easy to prolong the life of old furniture and save it from landfill. Caroline thinks that if we all make small changes in our daily lives to lesson our footprint on the planet, we can collectively make a big difference.

Vegan Recipes - Black Bean Burger Mix & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

It's the first Friday of the month and that means it's time to share a vegan recipe. Now you might be wondering why meatless meals show up on a green-living site. Well, the fact is that it takes less water and natural resources to produce one pound of plant-based food than it does to produce animal-based food. Even incorporating a few meatless meals into your diet each week does a lot to help the planet.

This month we have two wonderful recipes. The first one comes from Rachelle, an email subscriber. You might remember Rachelle ... she suggested our Change The World Wednesday challenge last week. Her recipe not only looks delicious but it's versatile, as well. And, she tells me that she's shared these burgers with die-hard meat eaters and they have loved them.

The second recipe comes from Trainer Momma. I found her blog and this recipe while browsing the Internet and she graciously gave me permission to republish it here.

Both of these recipes, along with a whole list of others, can always be found by clicking the tab at the top of this blog.

Okay ... ready to eat? I hope you enjoy these recipes:


BLACK BEAN BURGER MIX

Compliments of Rachelle

Ingredients:

One 26.5 oz Bush’s Best Black Beans (Drain and rinse the beans with water ,let them dry as much as you can . Putting them in a colander works best)
Vegan Egg Substitute for 2 eggs (original recipe calls for 1 or 2 eggs)
One green bell pepper,chopped finely by hand or cut into med size pieces for food processor
One medium to large onion, chopped finely by hand or cut into pieces for the food processor
3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 to 1 cup plain bread crumbs
Spices of your choice from the list below

Method:

Once beans are dry place them in a good size bowl and mash them. I have used a potato masher and even a pastry cutter to do this. Add finely chopped Green Pepper and Onion. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped garlic.

In another bowl mix together vegan egg mixture and the spices of your choice.

Add the egg mixture and bread crumbs into the black bean mixture and mix until you get a ground beef-like thickness. Add a bit of water or more bread crumbs if needed for desired thickness.

Cut wax paper or parchment paper into burger-sized rectangular pieces (should be able to fit a burger leaving enough paper to fold over and cover it).

Take the bean mixture and measure out the size burger you want. Press it into a hamburger patty shape. Keep in mind this is a bean burger and will not shrink during cooking like real meat. I find a thinner patty works best.

Place the patty on the paper and fold the paper over to cover. Keep doing this until the mixture is used up.

Place the burgers in a freezer safe container and freeze overnight or at least 5 to 6 hours.

When you are ready to make your meal take the amount of patties needed out of the freezer.

These patties can be prepared in the following ways:

Grill directions:
Heat your grill up on high heat. Take foil and cover it with a thin layer of oil. Grill the patties for 8 to 10 min on each side (depending on the thickness of your patties). I have grilled these directly on the grill before with a lot of success when I was out of foil. I would use the foil the first time until you feel confident without it.

Oven directions:
Heat oven to 375. Lightly oil a pan or use a non stick pan and bake 10 to 12 min. on each side.

You can add a variety of spices and use this mixture for several different meals. Pick one below or make up your favorite.

For a Mexican flavor use these spices:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon hot sauce

This mixture can be used for Mexican burgers. After grilling or baking crumble it up for tacos, burritos, or taco salad. Make the burgers extra thin and after baking or grilling you can place them between two flour or corn tortillas with a little cheese and than grill this for a quesadilla. Add your favorite topping and your good to go.

Italian:
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Replace the plain bread crumbs with Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 or 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

After grilling or baking serve as a burger, serve on Italian bread with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella for a meatless meatball sub., or cut up and use for pizza topping.

Steak burger:
1 or 2 tablespoons of your favorite steak sauce
1 tablespoon of Worchester sauce

Use your imagination with spice combinations the possibilities are endless.



SWEET POTATO ENCHILADAS

Compliments of Trainer Momma

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed
4 Tb fresh cilantro, chopped and divided
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup water
2 Tb chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tb soy sauce, reduced sodium
7 or 8 whole wheat tortillas or Flatout Bread
baby spinach leaves, torn
1 can green chili enchilada sauce
1 handful of vegan cheddar cheese (original recipe called for cheddar cheese, reduced-fat)

Method:

Peel, cook, and mash sweet potatoes (I steam mine in the microwave until tender).

Mix sweet potatoes and 2 Tb of cilantro in a bowl.

In a medium sized pan, spray nonstick cooking spray. Saute onions on medium high heat until they are translucent. Add garlic, stir for 1 minute. Add beans, water, chili powder, cumin, and soy sauce. Cook and stir until most of the water has been evaporated. Mix in the remainder of the cilantro and remove from heat.

In a tortilla, put 2 Tb or so of sweet potato mixture, then 2 spoonfuls of bean mixture and top with some torn spinach. Roll up and place in a lightly sprayed baking dish. Repeat for the rest of the enchiladas.

Top with enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

Makes 7 servings. 215 calories per serving.



Thanks to both Rachelle and Trainer Momma for sharing these recipes with us. If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please send it to me using the email address in the left side bar.

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

Change The World Wednesday

Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW). If you're new here, please click on the tab at the top of the page for more info.

Last week's challenge was great (thank you, Rachelle) ... we reached out to those around us and encouraged them to recycle. One of the things which I chose to do was to reach out to our apartment's management and ask them to begin a recycling program in our complex. They were polite and thanked me for the suggestion. But here's the thing, planting a seed is important. Maybe it won't take root today ... but maybe, in a few months, it'll take root and bloom.

Let's see how the Honor Society made out:

EcoGrrl lives in Portland, OR (lucky girl). As she said, recycling is a way of life in Portland. So, to meet this challenge, she shared links to local recycling locations on the community page. Nice, EcoGrrl - sometimes people want to recycle but don't know where to take their stuff!

Aleksandra, The Busy Working Mama, joined us. Her comment is so encouraging ... she said that her neighborhood has a wonderful recycling program in place and all of her neighbors participate. How wonderful is that! She further shared that a recycling program has been implemented at work! Fabulous (and now she doesn't have to haul recyclables home).

Regina McDonald (aka @chrysalisdesign on twitter) surprised me by putting our challenge in The Artists Daily. Wow ... I feel like I've made the big time! Thanks, Regina!

Argentum Vulgaris was a step ahead of us ... the weekend before this challenge he discussed recycling and reusing with his neighbor. You can read his experience HERE. AV also shared our challenge in The Argentum Vulgaris Daily. But wait ... that's not all ... he created a brand new blog dedicated to green living and posted there, as well (read it HERE). Thanks, AV - you did us proud!

Noteasytobegreen and I had some great conversations during the week about spreading the word. Part of the problem in her area is that, while the complex has recycling containers available, they are painted white while the trash bins are painted green. Very confusing for residents!

I'd like to welcome Katie to our challenge. She found us through one of the green blog hops listed in the side bar. Katie also lives in an area where a recycling program is up and running and her neighbors participate. Yay ... I'm feeling good about our world!

Here's a riddle ... how are bags of leaves and delivering newspapers related and how do they meet our challenge? For the creative answer, visit my friend Inge' and her post entitled "The Reluctant Recycler". It totally surprised me! And stay tuned because our new challenge was suggested by Inge' ... it promises to be a good one!

Mrs. Green writes several blogs about the various aspects of living in an Eco-friendly way. But in this POST, she talks about an experience she had, earlier in the year, taking the recycle message to the classroom. If you're thinking about chalk boards and lectures, think again ... Mrs. Green was a totally creative teacher and I'm betting that the lucky children, in class that day, will remember her message for a lifetime!

Our friend, Kris, wrote (in this POST) that she had failed this challenge. I don't agree at all. Kris helped others recycle by doing it for them when they either refused (you know who you are) or didn't realize what was and wasn't recyclable. She has, for some time, been looking for opportunities to spread the word and has even gotten her Grandmother to proudly display items she's recycling rather than tossing. Great job, Kris!

We had some twitter friends who took to the Internet and talked about our challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter, be sure to follow these great friends:

@waylandcook
@dpixel
@whopaysthepiper
@givetreegifts
@chrysalisdesign

Thanks to everyone who participated in this challenge ... hopefully there are more people recycling because of your efforts.

For those who wrote articles, I've Stumbled, Tweeted and posted on Facebook.

Alright ... this week's challenge, as I mentioned earlier, was suggested by Inge' of Dementia for 2. It addresses both reuse and recycling ... and kicks it up a notch. Here you go:

This week take one item from your home/office and come up with new uses for it. For example, rather than toss a vegetable can, consider all the ways it could be used (pencil holder, planter, etc.). The idea, here, is to focus on one item and list as many (re)uses as possible.

Or ...

Write about 3-5 items which are recyclable but which many people toss out. For example, the plastic safety wrap around the neck of a mouthwash bottle is recyclable but often overlooked and tossed.

Or ...

Investigate the various types of recycling in your area and try them out. For example, our area has a metal recycling center. Let us know what you found out and whether it changes your recycling habits.

Thanks, Inge' ... this one is sure to teach us a lot!

That's it for this week. Are you ready? All together now:

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

Dianna Cohen: Tough truths about plastic pollution

This is a wonderful video ... only about 5 minutes long. I hope you'll watch it and pass it along!





As always ... I would love to hear from you!