Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)

Welcome! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for more information.

We are currently participating in daily challenges and have completed our fifth week (they began on Wednesday, March 9th, and will continue through April 24th). You'll find additional information by clicking HERE (information is located towards the bottom of the article).

Let's get started with a look at this week's activities:

1. Day 29 challenged us to have a truly "green" lawn.
2. Day 30 asked us to calculate our carbon footprint.
3. Day 31 suggested that we wash our dishes by hand.
4. Day 32 challenged us to plant a tree.
5. Day 33 asked us to travel in the most Eco-friendly way.
6. Day 34 asked to slow down and keep our driving speed to 55-60 mph.
7. Day 35 challenged us to check our tire pressure.
   

Our Honor Society wrote the following articles (which have been Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked):

• Mrs. Green wrote this POST on how to eat local.

• Argentum Vulgaris shows us that patience and hard work can produce a lovely lawn in this ARTICLE. And by the way, he didn't use any chemicals!

• One of our twitter friends, The River Wanders, talked about our challenge and it got picked up in the Alan Dana Twitter Daily. WhooHoo!

• Have you ever heard of using horsetail to cure potato blight? How about using comfrey to fertilize? Mrs. Green talks about these natural gardening tips and more HERE.

• From a previous challenge, Jennifer wrote this lovely POST about a recent weekend she spent in the Sierra Nevadas. In it, she shares how commuting with nature ties in with living a green life.

• Cinella wrote about our challenge HERE and she posts the challenges on her Facebook page HERE. Thanks, Cinella!

• The Shopping Charity Daily gave our challenge a front page spot HERE. In addition to our challenge, you'll find articles on bone marrow transplants and the Powerful Impact of Giving Program, Autism Awareness, and Travel Tips for Long Car Rides. Lots of interesting information in this publication.

• Ann gave our challenge a mention in this POST. Thanks, Ann!

• Cinella conducted a driving experiment ... she kept track of her gas mileage while altering the variables like speed and brand of gas. I thought the results were fascinating! We've all heard that reducing speed can save gas but how significant are the savings? And ... what's your guess on the savings from different brands? Do you think there are any? All the answers can be found HERE.

• Rewinn wrote this ARTICLE about driving smart. He talks about breaking, speeds and offers a great story about a martial arts student on his way to the Dojo. By the way, Rewinn has joined People for Bikes ... check it out HERE and take the pledge.
  

We had some great comments by our Honor Society:

-From Kristina:

• Kristina says she has a "black thumb" but really likes the idea of creating a "green" lawn. She wonders how involved it is to keep an organic lawn.
• Here's an interesting dilemma, if dishes get dirty at a faster rate than glasses and one waits until the top rack of the dishwasher is full to run it, how can one wash dishes efficiently? Any comments on Kristina's situation?
  

-From EcoGrrl:

• EcoGrrl brings up a very good point about lawns ... they are not natural. But clover and moss are. She has replaced much of her lawn with items like vegetables, roses, etc. and says there's an added bonus to doing so ... one doesn't have to mow vegetables.
• She disagrees that hand washing dishes is more Eco-friendly and offers us this quote "A European study comparing hand washing to machine dish washing found that hand washers used as much as 27 gallons of water and 2.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy to wash 12 place settings, compared with the 4 gallons and 1.5 kWh used by a hyperefficient dishwasher to wash the same number of dishes."
• EcoGrrl shares that it's really not the right time of year to plant a tree (it's best to plant at the start of winter or at the very end). She plans to add some trees to her driveway, though, next year. If you're in the Portland area, check out this resource: Friends of Trees.
• A true "super star", EcoGrrl has done without a car for awhile. How does she get around? On a bike. She says that having a community of friends who also travel this way makes going out a lot more fun and points out that there are definite advantages ... like not having to search for a parking space.
• While others see a challenge that doesn't apply to them and breathe a sigh of relief, EcoGrrl asks if there isn't something more she can be doing. Since she doesn't own a car and rides a bike everywhere, the challenges on driving didn't apply to her. Stay tuned, EcoGrrl, because after Easter we'll be back to challenges that either I design or ones suggested by our Honor Society and those will have levels of participation! Thanks, as always, for your dedication to living green!
  

-From Nicki Woo:

• Nicki says that she feels "greener" simply by reading our list of activities. Many of the challenges are on her "to do" list and she's moving them to the top.
  

-From Bridget:

• Bridget found us through Cinella's Blog! WhooHoo! Nice to "see" you! She says that she's always looking for ways to be a little greener ... and will be reading through our challenges to "catch up".

-From Mighty 2 Save:

• Mighty 2 Save is one of our newest followers and she headed over to calculate her carbon footprint. Hope you'll come back and let us know how you did, M2S ... and welcome to the group!

-From Argentum Vulgaris:

• AV doesn't fly, doesn't have a car, uses public transportation when necessary and uses the barest minimum of electricity (he doesn't even have a TV). So, calculating his carbon footprint using the suggested calculator doesn't really work for him. He said if they calculated ... well, we're not going to go there. But he did HERE.

-From Ange:

• Ange uses a dishwasher but says that its "CHOKKERS" before she turns it on. So nice to "see" you Ange ... it's been awhile!
  
• She recently planted tomatoes and coriander ... and helped plant a couple of trees the previous weekend. Yes indeedy, Ange ... that counts and meets Day 32's challenge.
  

-From Jennifer:

• Jennifer agrees that EcoGrrl may have a point about using a dishwasher. However, as she points out, not all dishwashers are energy efficient. If, like her, one has an old dishwasher, its more efficient to wash by hand. She also offers that not letting the water run and using both sides of the sink to wash then rinse uses minimal water.
• Jennifer noticed that the front tire on the driver's side of her car was a little low so this challenge gave her the push to adjust it! Whoot!
  

-From Melanie:

• Melanie says that walking/riding a bike to work is one of her goals. Recently, she and her husband walked their dog to the market and carried groceries back home. Yay! While the groceries were a bit heavier than she thought ... it was doable. By the way, CONGRATS to Melanie for winning the Versatile Blogger Award. She passed the award on to some of her favorite blogs. Guess who was included? Oh, you know I won't tell ... but you can find out HERE.

-From Alyson:

• Alyson is doing two tree plantings this month ... one in her parents back yard and the other as an Earth Day Event at a local park. Her 3-year old son has already adopted a love of trees and the environment ... he asked for an apple tree for Christmas, which he got, and they will be planting it soon. How wonderful is that!!
• She grew up in a home that washed dishes by hand so it's second nature for her to do so. While she does have a dishwasher, she only runs it when necessary. How does "hubby" feel about it? He's on-board and getting the hang of it!
• Alyson thought the challenge about checking tire pressure was a great reminder ... she's going to have her husband checked our their tires.
  

-From Ann:

• Ann washes dishes by hand and lets them air dry. Yay! Thanks, Ann!
• She shares that in her area, the speed limit is quite slow (50km per hour). They have solar-powered displays in many areas reminding drivers of their speed.
  

-From Alex:

• Alex is a new follower and says "I am a big believer in preserving our planet's natural beauty and doing everything we can to reduce our "footprints". Well said, Alex ... and nice to have you with us!

-From Cinella:

• Cinella checks her tire pressure once a month and her husband tells her that there is a tire that actually saves on gas mileage. Hopefully, she'll come back and tell us about that.
  

Our #CTWW Gang is growing ... all of these folks talked about our challenges using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter, stop by and say hello to them:

@dpixel
@theriverwanders
@givetreegifts
@accessorygal
@waylandcook
@anothergreengal
@cjrthemommyblog
@AlanDana
@smallbits
@skipbang
@jnjgogreen
@shoppingcharity
@greenexistence
@rewinn
@whopaysthepiper


Thank you, everyone!

Are you as anxious as I am to see what the next week brings? Well ... let's get started. Here's today's challenge:

Consider giving up your car (and congratulations if you already have!) The General Manager of Boston's MBTA just gave up his and now uses a ZipCar (http://www.zipcar.com/) when he needs an automobile. "It's pretty easy. You go online and pick the kind of car and location you want and select the time, then wave your ZipCard at the windshield to unlock the doors." In Boston, "They're all over the place; there's probably 50 within walking distance of my home.''

See you tomorrow ...

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