Change The World Wednesday

Welcome back to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) ... and Happy New Year! If you are new to CTWW, please click HERE for more information and a list of previous challenges.

Before we get into "challenge business", I have news ... big news! Our very own Cinella, a regular CTWW participant, has shared that she's getting married this summer. Congratulations to her and her fiance'. And ... she plans on having a green wedding. To read all about her wedding preparations including how she'll keep it green, read her new blog Gaining AND Losing.

Our last challenge asked us to search out local foods and incorporate them into our meals. For part of the month, I was in Washington state. For Christmas, we enjoyed a wonderful vegan holiday loaf which was made by a Seattle company, Field Roast. From my parent's vegetable garden, we ate beets and sweet little carrots along with fresh spring onions and garlic. Once back in North Carolina, we enjoyed tiny little cherry tomatoes which came up in my lettuce bin and refused to give up ... what a treat they were as the snow fell. Our area also has greens, romaine lettuce and various root vegetables available at this time of year. So, eating local is quite doable. Let's see how our Honor Society did:

For EcoGrrl, eating local is a way of life. She even uses local ingredients in her Truffle business. She reminds us that tropical fruits, like bananas, are not local and come with a huge environmental cost. By the way, EcoGrrl has started a weekly post about ... well ... Eco stuff. Her first two posts are excellent ... I learned a lot (read them HERE and HERE). Thanks, EcoGrrl!

Marcy took the challenge and wrote about all the foods she can find locally in Montana and about something which Boseman elementary schools are doing to promote "made-in-Montana foods" (you can read it HERE). She also looked through her pantry and found purple barley which is on the local list. What does one do with purple barley? Marcy shares this recipe on her site: Purple Barley Pilaf. Thanks, Marcy!

Our friend, Kris, wrote a wonderful POST about a local store/cafe she found in St. Louis. The store states that at least 50% of their products are locally produced. Kris kept looking around throughout the month and updated that post with more "finds", including a link which we can all use to find local foods in our areas. And ... in a related POST, she talks about giving up the grocery store for a year. Think you could do it? Thanks, Kris!

Argentum Vulgaris, in this POST, gives us an update on local foods in Brazil. While the country may not be "into" local, organic foods, AV sure is. Check out the pictures of what he grows over concrete. And great news ... reusable bags are showing up in his area. Thanks, AV!

One of our twitter friends, @OnFire4Handmade, gave our challenge a write-up in her paper The On Fire For Handmade Daily. Thanks so much!

T.Rusk4u took the challenge. She made an interesting comment ... she and her husband try to buy everything local, not just food. Great point ... we'd walk a little gentler on the earth if we purchased all things local ... furniture, clothes, jewelry, etc. Teresa knows all about local creations ... she's a fabulous jewelry designer. Check out her local creations HERE. Hey, Teresa, how did your vegetarian Christmas dinner turn out?

Rewinn says that eating local in Seattle is easy. With Washington State's diverse climate, a variety of products are available. Rewinn enjoys a beverage which was produced in a neighbors home. Can you guess what it is? Oh ... you know the rules ... I can't tell. But you can find out HERE. Thanks, Rewinn!

In this POST, Mrs. Green talks about food security, food miles and the environmental footprint of her meals. Any guesses on how many miles one day's food traveled? Here's a hint: her food traveled the equivalent of over four (4) round trips from New York to London. That's a real eye-opener! Thanks, Mrs. Green!

Our Friend, Ann, came by ... and, as always, she promotes our challenges by including a link in one of her posts. In THIS POST she talks about spreading ashes in waterways ... something which I've never thought about. Thanks, Ann!

Brooklyn is new to our challenges. She write a wonderful BLOG about healthy living. Thanks for joining us, Brooklyn!

Laura, from Green in Real Life, is also new to our challenges. She found us through the Green Follow Friday link-up, which you'll find in my side-bar. Nice to "see" you Laura!

On Twitter, the #CTWW Gang talked about our challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter, these are great folks to follow:

@cjrthemommyblog
@mysticle
@whopaysthepiper
@rewinn
@myzerowaste
@noteasy2begreen

If you wrote an article for this challenge, I've Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked it.

Ready for something new? We're headed to the laundry room this week:

This week accomplish one or all of the following Eco-friendly laundry practices:

• Wash in cold water only
• Use "Green" laundry soap (consider making your own)
• Use vinegar in the rinse rather than using dryer sheets

Or ...

If you already do all of these things, all of the time, please write about it and share any other tips you may have.

What do you think? Doable? Remember, if you have any ideas for challenges, please send them to me HERE.

Thanks, everyone!

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