Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)

Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far.

Before we get started with our challenge ... I have GREAT news ... I WON the vegan-tips contest. WhooHoo! You can see my announcement at the top of the blog. Wow! Thanks to all of you who took the time to for vote for my article and support my effort. I'm dancing on air! :-)

There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you'd rather jump straight to the current challenge, you can do so by clicking here: This Week's Challenge

Last week EcoGrrl challenged us all to replace one car trip with a walking or biking trip. Some of you shared that doing so wouldn't work because of safety issues and/or the travel distance involved. Being resourceful "greenies", however, you simply modified the challenge a bit and agreed to reduce driving by making the most of each trip. Other people have been "car-less" for a long time and shared how they make it work. And still others took the opportunity to get out and enjoy the fresh air instead of driving. It was a fun week and I'd like to thank EcoGrrl for a wonderful suggestion.

The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. They are a fun group of people and if you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:

@tmuffindotcom @tif_hamilton @givetreegifts @mom2tle @dpixel @groovygreenlivi @whopaysthepiper @hshawjr @greengiftsguide @cjrthemamiblog @trusk4u

@theorganicblond @nurturedbeauty @littlegreenblog @pinkladyapril @gwened02 @almosttruth @waylandcook @upcycledlove @nonmom @gogreenbeans @theresourceress

@envirofusion @tiffanystoybox @skipbang @lynn_stone @GreenCrescentAE @yan_tougas @shoppingcharity @nativegardener @oneadayart @GGirlGGreen

The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing a post about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Let's see what they had to say this week:

Gaby and Liz, from Green Baby Diaper Service, have been "MIA" for awhile but they are back. Yay! We missed you and are happy to see you again! Gaby wrote a wonderful post about our previous challenge on reducing water waste. It's a fun "conversation" which you can read HERE. She is also accepting this week's challenge by walking to a nearby store to do her grocery shopping. As for any other trips, she shares that there are no shoulders on the roads in her area and walking/biking isn't safe.

EcoGrrl has been car-free for over three years. Yep ... you read that right ... over THREE YEARS. WhooHoo! So how does she do it? Click HERE to read her comments on the subject. One of the added benefits that she talks about is not having to buy car insurance or gas. Now that's a pretty good incentive to make the switch. She also shares, in another comment, that riding a bike is a great way to get out and explore. Thanks, EcoGrrl!

Amy lives in the country about 15 miles from the nearest store and 25 miles to the nearest town. So biking doesn't work for her. To minimize car use, she makes only one trip a week and does all her shopping at that time. While reading Amy's comment, I was reminded that living "green" is often a matter of planing and being organized. Great job, Amy!

In this POST Mrs. Green shares that riding a bike in her area isn't safe. But rather than think about what she can't do, she focuses on what she can do. And what exactly is that? Head over to her "place" to find out! Love your "can-do" attitude, Mrs. Green! And I hope that by this writing you and little Miss Green are feeling better!

Cinella took on this challenge and walks her kids to school several times a week. She's also hoping to get a bike which she'll use to do grocery shopping. Cinella shares our challenge in this POST.

We have another "Super Star" ... Argentum Vulgaris. He's been car-free for over 20 years. Wowee! In this POST he talks about how the first part of his life was spent driving everywhere (and driving everything). Then he made the switch. What prompted that drastic change? Be sure to read his post to find out ... it's fascinating!

There's more than one way to eliminate a car trip. In this ARTICLE Rachel shares another one with us. Here's a hint: it involves the telephone. Think you know what it is? Head on over to "Rachel's place" to find out.

Tiffany walks her kids (Tristin and Tyler) to school ... and for this challenge she's considering a walk to the grocery store (it's a LONG walk but she's up for it). How did it go, Tiffany?

Lynn shares that just in time for this challenge, the weather changed and became cold and wet. Ugh! But Lynn is another dedicated "greenie" and focused on what she could do. Her "can-do" activity involves the state fair. Hm ... curious? Read all about it HERE.

Betsy is new to our challenges. Welcome, Betsy!! While this POST wasn't written for our challenge, it addresses children and walking to school ... something which many folks have gotten away from ... and another opportunity to leave the car parked. I also learned that TODAY, OCTOBER 5th, IS "NATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY". WhooHoo! By the way, Betsy, you don't need to be a tweeter to join our challenges ... we're all about taking small actions that impact the environment in a positive way. Hope to see you, here, again!

This EDITION of The Shopping Charity picked up several of my tweets including one about our challenge, one about "Organic Harvest Month" written by a member of our Honor Society, and one about some changes which Portland, OR, is making to their waste pick-up service (brilliant). Check it out! They also mentioned our challenge in these two editions ... HERE and HERE.

Alicia is another person who lives too far away from shopping, etc., to walk or ride a bike. So she makes every trip count ... when she's making a delivery for her business (Eco Natural Soap), she shops for groceries in the area. She also has a freezer and buys in bulk, eliminating the need for frequent trips. Great job, Alicia!

Brenna and her kids are participating in National Walk To School Day. WhooHoo! In this POST she talks about it and she offers a great suggestion ... a walking school bus. Brenna is lucky to live in an area where she and her family can walk to the library, the grocery store ... and to school. Nice!

Ann shares this POST about a family whose preferred mode of transportation is the bicycle. The interesting thing about this family is that they have small children who aren't big enough to bike on their own ... and they ride during all kinds of weather. Check out the pictures for how they do it. Thanks, Ann!

Sylvia has a wonderful idea ... a 5-mile rule. In her words "I've instituted a 5-mile guideline: if our outing is less than 5 miles one way and I can fit whatever we need for it in my backpack (no panniers YET), we ride the bike instead of taking the car. I keep it under 5 miles because I have a toddler with me in the iBert and our town isn't very bike friendly (lots of busy streets w/o bike lanes or sidewalks). I've been sooo happy with my 5-mile rule! Now, if all I need is an onion, for example, we just hop on the bike and go. In fact, now errands with my son are fun because he loves the ride also. I plan to keep this up as long as the weather permits." Fabulous idea, Sylvia!! By the way, if you're interested in converting from commercial shampoos to natural versions, be sure to check out MaMammalia ... Sylvia offers a ton of recipes and advice.

Most of our reasons for not biking have to do with safety and distance. But in this POST Rewinn talks about another deterrent ... and how he solved the problem. Nicely done, Rewinn!

Our friend Joanne used twitter to offer us a whole bunch of ideas. Here they are: 1) Walk or bike to the store. If it is too far, drive 1/2 way & walk or bike the rest. 2) Take the stairs instead of the elevator. 3) Deliver messages or documents in person. 4) Invest in a bike rack 4 ur vehicle & saddle bags for your bike. If journey is too far to bike, u can drive part way & bike the rest. 5) City of Regina Transit has bike racks on the front of the buses so that you can take your bike along for your commute. Thanks, Joanne!

The fabulous Good Girl Gone Green wrote this POST entitled "Reduce Your Footprints One Step or Pedal at a Time". In it she shares an different perspective ... driving isn't always convenient. Wow! She also shares some eye-opening statistics about trips driven vs. those walked/biked. It definitely makes one stop and think!

Lori, from Groovy Green Livin, wrote a wonderful post for National Walk To School Day which you can find HERE. She offers us some great tips ... ideas that work even if walking the entire way to school isn't feasible for your family. And here's a thought ... the ideas which she presents are workable for more than just trips to school. Thanks, Lori!

My final thoughts on this challenge: Many areas don't have sidewalks or bike lanes so leaving the car at home means sharing the road with traffic and that isn't safe ... especially if you're traveling with children. If that is the case in your area, I suggest contacting city/county officials to let them know that you want these safety features in your community. And get your friends and neighbors involved ... the community leaders need to know how you feel. There are also many areas that don't offer convenient, inexpensive bus service. Again, tell your public officials that it's something you want and need.

Great job, everyone ... I really enjoyed the discussion and learned a lot! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked it. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.

This Week's Challenge:

This week's challenge comes from Jen:

Halloween is coming up so ... this week consider the environmental impact of the treats we give out and offer suggestions for better alternatives. Let's expand on Jen's idea and include parties, costumes, etc.

OR ...

If you don't celebrate Halloween, please offer us some ideas for Eco-friendly snacks and entertaining.

Are you up for this challenge? I know that you are! Thanks to Jen for the idea!!

Ready for our mantra? Here we go ...

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