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 our bloggy friend, Petunia GreenBeans, asked for help with recycling. She wanted everyone's ideas, tips and information ... all the ingredients necessary for making this activity a success. And wow ... Reduce Footprints' readers answered the "call to action" in their usual, fabulous and helpful style.

First up ... we had a record number of people tweeting about this challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. We lovingly refer to them as our #CTWW Gang ... and they are great folks to follow if you're on twitter. Huge thanks to:

@gardeningguru
@dpixel
@thenewauthor
@coffeecontessa
@smallbits
@robcayman
@skipbang
@turningclockbac
@peopletowels
@waxelene
@groovygreenlivi
@dazediva
@gogreenbeans
@noteasy2begreen
@etsy4animals
@envirobooty
@sistersjewelry
@crissymohrscrea
@LittleGreenBlog
@shoppingcharity
@clothmamajess
@kimberlykaye
@coffeetablepoet
@cjrthemamiblog
@givetreegifts
@whopaysthepiper
@rewinn
@robineaston


Next ... our Honor Society picked up the gauntlet and ran with it:

EcoGrrl has a long history with the 3R's (reduce, reuse, recycle), beginning in high school where she wrote a paper on why we all must recycle. Since then, she's been upping the ante and this year became a certified master recycler in Portland, OR. Yay, EcoGrrl!! So, what do you think is her biggest finding to date? It might surprise you and make you think differently about those recycling codes found on containers. Curious? Read her comment HERE.

Here's a riddle ... what comes in all shapes & sizes, is typically out of sight and rhymes with "wins"? Answer that and you'll know the identity of Cinella's number one recycling tip. But if you can't figure it out ... or even if you can ... check out her post HERE.

K.C. Woolf stopped in ... thanks for your kind comments KC!

Kristina wrote 5 Easy Steps to Recycling ... it's a brilliant post and includes a lot of useful information. Step one is something we talk a lot about on this site ... and step two is my favorite. Which is your favorite and how many of the 5 steps are you doing? Thanks, Kristina!

Jennifer stress that before recycling we must make an effort to reduce and reuse. She suggests that we pay attention to what we buy so that we don't end up with a lot of packaging. She also has some ideas about cooking and eating out which you can read HERE.

Rob Cayman found an excellent post called 10 Things You Didn't Know you Could Recycle. This post is just full of great information. The two recyclables that I found most interesting are #4 & #5. By the way, be sure to click on Rob's name (which will take you to his site) and check out his posts on changing the world. He's got some interesting ideas on sustainability and how we can make this world a better place. Thanks, Rob!

Mrs. Green is passionate about reducing waste and recycling! Want proof? She and her family managed their waste so well that, in one year, they only filled one trash bin. Yep, you heard that right ... one bin of landfill waste for the entire year! Wowee! That's not waste management ... that's waste elimination!! In this POST, she offers us a concrete plan for getting started and here's a surprise ... the first step requires nothing but thinking.

Petunia GreenBeans says that Reduce Footprints readers ROCK OUT LOUD! Yeah ... I totally agree! Hey Petunia ... be sure to drop back in when you have your master list on recycling put together ... we'd love to see it and I'm sure it's going to become a great resource.

Alicia agrees that reducing waste is the first step in recycling. She has some clever ways to do that involving t-shirts, shampoo and cleansers. Are you intrigued? Read her ideas HERE.

From twitter, People Towels sent us a link to their site ... after all, reusable towels are ... well ... recyclable. Check them out HERE.

The Shopping Charity mentioned our challenge ... and mentioned my favorite reusable bottle. Can you guess which brand it it?

Coffee Table Poetry Musings also gave our challenge a mention. There's also a piece about why we should be eating avocados and they picked up one of my tweets about a giveaway I entered (my secret's out). :-)

From our previous challenge on NOT washing clothes, we had the following comments:

As you might remember, Nicole B. met this challenge because her washing machine broke down, forcing her to do less laundry. This was a hard challenge for her because she really likes doing laundry (wish you lived closer to me, Nicole ... lol). I asked her if she would continue the practice of wearing clothes longer ... can you guess what she said? Read it HERE. By the way, in that comment she also shared that she's using EcoFriendly laundry wash balls, eliminating laundry detergent altogether. While she doesn't want to promote companies, she is willing to share information with you so, if you're interested, read the comment for how to contact her. Thanks, Nicole!

Michelle stopped by and shares that she and her family have moved away from the mentality which says that wearing something once means it's dirty ... and it saves a ton. Thanks, Michelle!

North Jersey Air Systems say that they are going to join this revolution to change the pollution levels and make it a healthier environment. Yay! They like the idea of washing clothes less often and they use solar power to dry. Thanks for stopping by NJAS!

Financial Success for Young Adults stopped by and shares that, except for socks and underwear, she wears clothes a few times before washing. Thanks for stopping in FSFYA!

Finally, our twitter friend, @waxelene, dropped by with a quote for this challenge:

"How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." ~John Burroughs

Wow ... great job everyone! There was so much activity this week that it was hard to keep track. Hopefully I didn't miss a thing but, if I did, just drop me a note HERE and I'll pick it up next week. And, as always, if you wrote an article, I've Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked it.

I wonder where the #CTWW wheel will stop this week? Place your bets ...

In the past week, a couple of notable things have happened (well, notable to me). First, I read several articles on the idea that we are connected to all things ... that we all, world-wide, share the same energy. That was a difficult concept for me until I read this ARTICLE about Gratitude (which is the second notable thing). In the article, which I hope you'll read, the author talks about reflecting on everything in our life and considering how things, attitudes and our very existence came into being. For example ... the cup, which we drink our coffee from, didn't just materialize by magic ... raw materials, people and knowledge brought it into existence. The author goes on to suggest that we develop gratitude for all that went into bringing us to this very spot. So that's the basis of our challenge:

This week, reflect on your life, the environment and nature. Think about the path that brought you to this point ... the people who taught you life lessons, the folks who developed Eco-friendly versions of common household items, the engineer who makes sure you have clean water and "Mother Nature" who shares so many gifts. Then, begin developing gratitude for these events. The mere act of gratitude will enable us to see our connection to the universe more clearly and will help us to protect that which we are thankful for. As always, we want to hear about it so please write a post and/or leave a comment.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Ready for our mantra?

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