Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)

Welcome! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for information and a complete list of all the activities we've taken on so far.

Last week we challenged ourselves to volunteer ... to look outside of our own environments, take action and make the world a better place. The beauty of this challenge is that volunteering can take many forms ... it might be a huge commitment of time and money or it might be a small action like picking up litter while walking. It's all about looking beyond our own lives, seeing what needs to be done and doing it. Simple! Let's see how our Honor Society tackled this activity:

When the snow melted, Kristina saw something. Can you guess what it was? In this POST, she'll tell you what she discovered and how one hour of volunteering made a difference. Nicely done, Kristina!!

Often, volunteering is more effective if done by a community. In this ARTICLE, Jennifer shows us how an action she initiated was picked up by others resulting in a life-saving outcome. Her experience also teaches us that opportunities come in all shapes ... sometimes they are organized events ... sometimes they are spur-of-the-moment needs that seem to appear out of nowhere (or in this case ... the Internet).

Ngarimu, his maiden (aka our very own Ann) and his band of Merry Men are appearing at festivals throughout Auckland. Their message? Zero Waste! Ann shares pictures of Ngarimu HERE and talks about their efforts. Great job, Ann!!

This POST, while not written specifically for our challenge, shows another way in which we can volunteer. We can post public service announcements (PSAs). Thanks to Petunia Green Beans for caring enough to show us the harsh truth!

While EcoGrrl took a break this week and didn't accept the challenge, volunteering is part of her life. She recently organized Earth Week activities for her office and she worked the city Repair Earth Day Fair in Portland for master recyclers. Way to go, EcoGrrl (you deserve that "evil" pizza).

Brian volunteers his time with his son's Cub Scout Troop. Recently, they saw a need near a local landfill. An elevated piece of property was left washed out and barren by storms. So, with permission from the landfill people, Brian contacted the Arbor Foundation, received trees and the Cub Scouts planted them. Their hope is that the trees will stabilize the soil, provide shade & beauty, and serve as a home to wildlife. The kids earned credit towards a world conservation badge. Great job, Brian! And congrats to the entire troop!

Mrs. Green decided to take a break this week. But, as you'll see a bit further in this post, she was busy finishing up articles in support of our 45-day carbon fast. While she may not have been out and about volunteering, she works tirelessly to share the green word.

Nicki Woo accepted the challenge. She planned to take a walk with her girls and pick up litter as they go. As she said, "What a wonderful way to teach them to take care of their world". I totally agree! So, Ms. Woo ... how did the walk go?

Nicole B. lives in Alaska (think beautiful, pristine nature). She joined her son's Cub Scout Den for a hike where they cleaned the trail as they walked. What fun! How did they do, Nicole? Did they find much trash?

Alicia stopped in and says that our challenges inspire her to do more. Thank you, Alicia ... what a kind thing to say!

Congratulations to Jessica for winning the Versatile Blogger Award ... and thanks, so much, for honoring Reduce Footprints.

The following posts were written in support of past challenges:

Scenic Sunday/Save the World: Recycling Plastic
How To Stop Junk Mail in the UK
Week 10 - 2011 in 2011
Could you use cold water for laundry?
Is it possible to have "ethical" electricity?
Decluttering without Landfill
Why I say "Ban the CFL"

Our #CTWW Gang was out in force, this week, talking about our challenges using the hashtag #CTWW. Are you on twitter? If so, be sure to follow these folks:

@waylandcook
@smallbits
@jnjgogreen
@accessorygal
@peopletowels
@coffeecontessa
@givetreegifts
@skipbang
@gogreenbeans
@rewinn
@cjrthemommyblog

Thanks to everyone who participated this week. I have tweeted, stumbled and facebooked your articles.

Ready for more?

For this week's challenge, we're going to tackle indoor air pollution and toxins. It's going to be seriously hard for some (it is a challenge after all) and a "breeze" for others. Here we go:

This week, stop smoking for at least one day (forever would be better) ... yep, 24 hours ... no smoking! It's hard but I know you can do it!

Or ...

If you are not a smoker, remove toxins in your home by cleaning (yep, dust is a toxin), opening windows (fresh air, sunshine and a rainy day actually help clean indoor air), adding a plant to your environment, etc.

Or ...

If you don't smoke and have already taken the above actions, please let us know about any other actions we can take to purify the air in our homes.

By the way, if you have a challenge idea or would like us to tackle a specific issue, please write to me HERE.

Until next time ...

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