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.

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 we asked everyone to take short showers. It was a repeat of a challenge we did some time ago. If you'd like to read the comments from that challenge, please click HERE.

Back to this week ... Argentum Vulgaris upped the ante and challenged us to limit our showers even further ... down to 3 minutes each. He also suggested another water-saving technique that had some people going "eeewwwww". Brian went even further and suggested that we use cool/cold water, which saves electricity as well as water.

I've been taking short showers for some time. I've found that there are a few techniques that help:

• Put the plug in the tub while showering ... as the water creeps up your leg, you'll know exactly how much water is being used.
  
• Get wet, turn off the water while lathering up, then turn it on to rinse.
• Use natural, Eco-friendly soaps that rinse off quickly. Many commercial soaps have additives that leave a residue on one's skin. Here's a tip ... soaps that contain moisturizers are hard to wash off.

Our #CTWW Gang grew to 42 people this week. WhooHoo! That's a lot of people passing the green word! How does one become a member? Easy ... just tweet about our challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. Let's meet this week's gang members:

@ambianceeco
@tiffanystoybox
@cheffelisha
@whopaysthepiper
@skipbang
@waylandcook
@yan_tougas
@waxelene
@PeopleTowels
@newgrass
@coffeetablepoet
@tazzini
@women4earth
@EnviroFusion
@ecobeautiful
@Takebacktables
@groovygreenlivi
@UpcycledLove
@LittleGreenBlog
@GoGreenBeans
@greentim
@venajensen
@HOMEOPATH2STARS
@alwayswellwithn
@hshawjr
@simpleisworking
@Lynn_Stone
@MindfulMomma
@BecomingCrunchy
@GiveTreeGifts
@clothmamajess
@noteasy2begreen
@LearnFromNature
@hopealso
@martinimom
@greenlegume
@escapingjourney
@aapremlall
@ilovelaurynhill
@greenbabydiaper
@tmuffindotcom
@twinvisionameri


If you're on twitter be sure to follow these folks ... they have a lot of good stuff to say.

Next up ... our Honor Society. These are folks who wrote posts about the challenge and/or left meaningful comments. Here they are:

Mandi lives "green" in most areas of her life ... except when it comes to taking showers. She loves long showers. She did, however, take the challenge. How did it go Mandi?

EcoGrrl has installed a brilliant water-saving device in her home ... it's a dehumidifier which extracts water from the air and uses it to water her veggie garden. She purchased an energy-star unit saving electricity as well as water. Very cool, Eco-Grrl! She also had some information for us regarding our previous challenge on plastic. In her words "vitamin bottles and prescription bottles are both recyclable - vitamin ones can go curbside in most places, prescriptions you have to take to a recycling facility (like here, far west fibers that takes 1-7). so the big deal is to buy the largest amount in one bottle - and hey, ends up being cheaper overall. a lot of prescriptions you can get in 90 day supply if you order over mail instead of going in a pharmacy."

On the day that the challenge came out, Mrs. Green was feeling cold and depressed. So ... she wanted a nice bath to feel better (I hope it brightened your day, Mrs. Green). In this POST, she'll tell you why she doesn't take showers and how her bathing habits use less water than most people's showering habits.

Argentum Vulgaris is a multi-tasker. And he takes this talent to the shower. Curious about all the things he accomplishes in his 3-minute showers? Check out this POST. Thanks for upping our ante, AV!

Nicole B. shared that, on our previous challenge to avoid plastic, she had a hard time avoiding it. There simply were things she needed that didn't come in anything but plastic. That being said, she plans to keep the challenge in mind and look for alternative packaging whenever possible. Yay, Nicole! For this week's challenge she says that she does enjoy an occasional bath so, she plans to skip a few showers and "save up" for a bath. By the way, Nicole is celebrating Christmas in July on her blog (think gifts). Be sure to swing by and check it out!

Coffee Table Poetry Musings gave our challenge a front page spot. This publication includes other great articles including "Juan Carlos Hernandez | One Life Photos 2011", "Home Based Business Opportunity" and "Do words hurt the world? (ouch) : Harriet Staff : Harriet the Blog : The Poetry Foundation".

Brian joined the fun and upped the ante even further by suggesting that we take our showers using the coldest possible water. Running the water heater for less time uses less energy ... and I'm guessing that taking a cold shower will ensure a brief shower. Thanks, Brian!

When I first saw the title of Jessica's post, I got a little worried and hoped she wasn't taking action against our challenges. But nope ... she's boycotting something else. Check out this ARTICLE to see who's on her "hit list" and why ... and the brilliant alternate that she's now using. You'll also find an update on her water use for the week. Thanks, Jessica!

Nicki Woo shares that this challenge is easy for her family and she'll limit her showers to no more than 4 minutes. WhooHoo! As for AV's challenge she says "I have little conservationists here that are already peeing in the shower".

We have new participants this week. The Ladies of Green Baby Diaper Service took the challenge. WhooHoo! In this POST, you'll find a very entertaining conversation between Liz & Gaby about showers, husbands and multi-tasking. You'll also find out how much water one can save by simply reducing a shower by 3 minutes. Great to have you with us, Ladies!

Our friend Ann saves water by doing her dishes by hand. Thanks, Ann!

Rewinn suggests that "Showering with your wife/hubby/partner-of-any-sort saves water AND relationships." He maintains that, romance and financial aspects aside, it's a great few minutes to chat about nothing.

PLEASE JOIN ME IN WISHING REWINN
A HAPPY "BELATED" BIRTHDAY!!
Wishing you all the best, my green friend!!

Rachel accepted this challenge (while she's been following our activities for awhile, this is the first challenge that she has participated in ... nice to have you, Rachel). She shares that her showers actually took longer once she stopped using shampoos and opted for the "no-poo" system. She believes that the shampoo/rinse cycle acted as an indicator for when she should end her shower ... without that signal, her mind drifted and her showers lengthened. To solve the problem, she engaged the use of a timer. Challenge met! Great idea, Rachel!!

The Harold Shaw Daily gave our challenge a nice write-up. That edition includes great reading such as "HoopsHype - NBA Rumors", "But There Is Still Joy in the World" and "A Sustainable Life: the little and often chronicles". Be sure to check it out!

Simplicityworkn suggests that we shower with a friend (no, he's not a "perve" or a spammer). He maintains that if we shower with a friend we can take a 10 minute shower and save water because we'll only have to let the water "run until warm" once rather than twice. He's also a proponent of the pre-rinse/lather/rinse routine where one turns off the water before the lather portion of a shower. By the way, Simple Is Working is a brand new green (sort of) blog. Be sure to check it out.

This was a tough challenge for Kris and she wonders how women can shave, shampoo, etc. in 5 minutes. Green Diaper Baby Service had one idea ... check it out HERE (not sure if it really fits into your lifestyle though ... lol). In this POST Kris talks about why this challenge is tough and how she's going to approach it.

Have you met Brenna? She has a terrific blog called Almost All The Truth. Brenna is joining us for the first time (welcome, Brenna!) and says that she is going to use a timer to see if she can "push it". She shares a problem that, I believe, many of us face ... she comes up with great ideas in the shower and is so busy thinking that she loses track of time and forgets to keep her showers short.

Alicia took this challenge (an easy one for her) and, in this POST, shares how she saves water. What I found particularly interesting is that her method not only saves water but prevents harmful chlorine gases from escaping into the air which is a concern, especially for people with asthma or bronchitis. Thanks, Alicia ... I learned something new!!

Ms. Green Legume joined our challenge and, in this POST, shares that most of this week's showers were a bit over 5 minutes. However, she uses a low-flow shower head and she employs a great little trick for saving the "warm-up" water. Can you guess how she uses that water? Yes, she waters plants with it but she also uses it in another way. Be sure to check out her post to find out how.

Tmuffin gets the award for the most creative short shower ever ... and great pictures documenting the process (don't worry ... they aren't "risque"). How did she do it? She wore her baby in the shower. Okay ... you're definitely curious now, right? Head over and read this POST ... it's wonderful! Thanks, Tmuffin!

Great job everyone! As always, if you wrote a post I have Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked it. If you would like to pass the word about our activities, please use the share buttons at the end of this post. And thank you!

This Week's Challenge:

Are you ready for another challenge? This is one which seems so simple but, in reality, gives a lot of people trouble. Let's tackle it:

This week, for an entire 7 days, avoid using or buying paper towels.

Or ...

If you never use paper towels, please share the ways in which you get by without them.

UP THE ANTE: Argentum Vulgaris challenges us to further reduce our paper use by eliminating serviettes (aka napkins) from our lives. Who's going to take him up on his counter-challenge??

RAISE THE ANTE: Liz & Gaby challenge us to not only switch to cloth towels but to reuse old clothing (T-shirts, etc.) as towels. Fabulous!! Who's going to take this on?

RAISE THE ANTE AGAIN: Ecolicious Mama challenges us to carry cloth napkins with us for times when we need a napkin "on the go" ... such as eating out or packing a lunch. Brilliant! Who's going to take this challenge on?

TRIPLE RAISE THE ANTE: Mrs. Green is doing all of the above so she challenges us to use "wee cloths" instead of toilet paper. Wow! Not sure what a wee cloth is? She describes them HERE. Who's going to take this challenge? Come on ... I know you want to!!

Yep ... this is a repeat challenge so ... great opportunity for those of you who have already accomplished this task to up the ante! I can't wait to see what you come up with this week!

What do you think? Are you up for it? I know that you are!!

Until next time ...

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

Change The World Wednesday

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.

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


Our challenge last week was seriously tough ... and a real eye-opener!! As I wandered through the isles of our grocery store, it was difficult to find products that weren't, in some way, touched by plastic. Even produce was wrapped in the stuff. While alternatives for some items are available, they tend to be much more expensive. In many cases, a plastic-free product simply isn't available. The situation worsened as I walked through the pharmacy ... everything is in plastic. I wondered about the plastic bottles that medications come in and asked if the pharmacy had a recycling program ... a way to reuse them. Unfortunately, the bottles are regulated by law and can't be reused. The same is true for vitamin/supplement containers.

Our society's use of plastic is a huge problem and one which won't be solved easily or quickly. That's not to say that we shouldn't make the effort ... far from it! Every time that we choose not to buy plastic, we vote with our dollar ... we make a statement that we don't want the stuff in our environment. If enough people take action, companies will begin to listen.

Our #CTWW Gang is 36 strong this week (we're aiming for 40 next week). These people tweeted about our challenge using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter, stop by and say hello to them:

@eco_footprint_1
@peanutscreation
@becomingcrunchy
@tazzini
@waxelene
@takebacktables
@earthmomandbaby
@envirofusion
@notperfume
@upcycledlove
@greenmommel
@homeopath2stars
@mindfulmomma
@ranumpowerplay
@groovygreenlivi
@peopletowels
@noteasy2begreen
@gogreenbeans
@waylandcook
@tiffanystoybox
@loveandtrash
@skipbang
@alwayswellwithn
@venajensen
@greentim
@JnJGoGreen
@clothmamajess
@satyacolombo
@yan_tougas
@lynn_stone
@shoppingcharity
@AmbianceEco
@whopaysthepiper
@LittleGreenBlog
@cheffelisha
@newgrass

Next up, our Honor Society. These folks wrote articles and/or left comments:

Argentum Vulgaris started out the week with enthusiasm. In this POST he talks about his plans for the week. On DAY 1 he reported back to to say that although he didn't buy anything except for a drink at the botequim (neighbourhood bar), he wasn't successful. You'll be surprised at where plastic showed up. By Sunday AV was reporting A Stupendous Failure ... be sure to read the post because you'll see that there are many ways to look at a situation. Thanks, AV!

Petunia GreenBeans took the challenge. She brings hosiery bags to the store to carry produce in. She cautions consumers about making the assumption that items packed in plastic "clam shell" containers are sterile, valuable and/or better ... they aren't.

Jessica avoids plastic like the plague! She's quite successful at avoiding it so she decided to "up the ante" ... for us and for herself. Check out this POST on "Eco-inactivism at the bulk bins" to see what she's doing and be sure to read to the end where she discusses her week and the small bit of plastic that she wasn't able to avoid. Great job, Jessica!!

Tiffany, Tristin and Tyler accept the challenge. Yay! Who knows ... maybe we'll see a video about it, huh?

Alicia is already doing a great job of refusing plastic ... she shops mainly at farmer's markets and the bulk isle of her store, using her own bags to carry items. Her one area of concern, and her challenge for the week, is buying fish. It typically comes in plastic so she'll be checking out alternate packaging. Let us know how it goes, Alicia!

Jennifer says that "Preparation seems to be key". She did great this week ... she even made something at home which seems to only come in a plastic container in the store. Here's a hint ... it requires almonds. Can you guess what it is? You'll find out in this POST along with all the items she was able to buy without plastic ... and a few that she passed up. Thanks, Jennifer!

Peanuts Creations stopped by and likes the challenge ... nice to see you, my crafty friend!

From our challenge on green achievements, Amanda writes "I just recently started cloth diapering and using cloth wipes also, making my own face wash (OCM), just found Dr. Bronners and using it for tons of stuff, I found skoy clothes to use instead of paper towels loving it, making my own cleaning products, I got a Diva Cup last month, no more tampons. I have done a lot in the last couple of months and I am so enjoying it!" Congratulations, Amanda ... you've done a great job!!

Nicole B. says that this is HARD but she's going to take it on. Yay, Nicole ... be sure to come back and let us know how it turns out!

TheRiverWanders found a way to eliminate a big chunk of plastic from her life ... she makes her own laundry detergent. Not only is her detergent inexpensive, easy to make and efficient ... she doesn't have any plastic to deal with. Yay!

Yan Tougas stopped by and offered his support. Be sure to check out his Minimalist Mondays page ... many of the items he lists are Eco-friendly (love the one about washing a breakfast bowl).

The Shopping Charity gave our challenge a front page spot. This edition also contains articles such as "Is social media about to die out for hospitals, and everyone else?", "No Two Are Alike Original Contemporary Abstract Art by RoseRefour" and "Born A Hero « Rhode Island Blood Center".

Kelly was impressed by the achievements posted in a previous challenge. There was one that especially stood out to her and she wrote about it HERE. Was it your achievement?

Mrs. Green is the "Queen of Green" ... she and her family have reduced their actual trash to one small bag ... no, not a garbage bag, a small bag about the size of common freezer bags. So ... how do you think she did on this challenge? The answer (found HERE) might surprise you. In this POST she talks about one practical way to eliminate plastic from our lives forever. Thanks, Mrs. G!

What do "peanuts" and "thinking" have in common? They both show up in this POST by our very own Rewinn. I love his line "In any exercise program, perfection is nice to aim at but the goal is to improve." Well said, Rewinn!

Mandi, The Eclectic Teen, says that this challenge is tough but she's totally up for it. Thanks, Mandi ... love your enthusiasm. Be sure to come back and tell us how it went for you!

Kris has an event coming up this weekend which she needs to shop for ... and she's going to see how well she can avoid plastic. In this POST, she talks about the things she's already doing to eliminate plastic at the store. Thanks, Kris ... can't wait to hear how your event shopping goes.

Fabulous job everyone! If you wrote a post, I have Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked it.

Okay ... ready for more?

This Week's Challenge:

We're going to revisit our original challenge which is designed to save water. If you've been with us from the beginning and have already accomplished this challenge, feel free to "up the ante" on the rest of us. Here you go:

This week take only showers and limit them to no more than 5 minutes each.

Or ...

If this is something you already do, please share other water saving ideas with us.

UP THE ANTE: Argentum Vulgaris challenges us to take a 3-minute shower and further save water by peeing in the shower. Oh My Goodness!!

"CALL" THE ANTE AND RAISE IT ONE: Brian challenges us as follows: "When you take a shower do so with the coldest water you can stand. This will save you money because your water heater will not run as much plus it is better for the environment because...well, your water heater will not run as much." WhooHoo ... it is ON!

Until next week ...

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

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.

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

It's been a great couple of weeks. During the first week we talked about our proudest green achievement and wow ... you've accomplished amazing things through conservation and figuring out ways to do things differently. We "upped the ante" during the second week and discussed our toughest green achievement and how we overcame the obstacles. Once again, you rose to the occasion and shared your trials and insight.

Let's get started by checking in with our Honor Society. These are folks who wrote articles and left comments in support of our challenge:

One of Lynn Fang's proudest achievements was actually inspired by a previous challenge to become an activist. After signing petitions and sending letters, Lynn decided to call her senators to address her concerns regarding a recently passed Agriculture Appropriations Bill. Click HERE to listen in on her conversation ... yep, I said "listen in" ... Lynn recorded her conversation. Great job, Lynn ... I hope something positive comes of your actions.

Our Friend Argentum Vulgaris has many green achievements ... from simple acts like walking to the trash bin to toss a small piece of foil (which started a conversation with a local woman) to the large accomplishments like the one that he writes about HERE (which is his proudest achievement). Brilliant, AV!

Kristina's proudest moments are those that influence others. She says "I started a TerraCycle program in our town about a year ago. A friend of mine knew about it, but was totally honest with me in saying that she just did not have time to save all of that. I never pushed or even made any comments. Just recently, she has started giving me her energy bar wrappers. She says that now she feels like she can't throw them away." Congratulations, Kristina ... getting someone else to think about their actions is HUGE!

I have a feeling that Tiffany's proudest moment has to do with twins, Tristin & Tyler. These two little guys have their own PROGRAM where they interview people and talk about the environment. Their show is kid-friendly as well as interesting to adults ... they get the green message out there in an engaging way.

Our EcoGrrl has accomplished so many green "feats" ... she has organized recycling events at work, she buys bulk using her own containers and she grows her own veggies. Are these her proudest achievements? Nope! But you'll find out what is by reading THIS. Wow, EcoGrrl ... not many of us have stepped up to the "green" plate to such a degree. You are inspiring!

While Green Gal was in high school, she started taking action. She helped jump start an environmental club, served on a bike/pedestrian committee, and nurtured a passion to learn more about the environment and how to reduce her impact. She also began writing a "green" blog. All of this recently came together to become her proudest achievement (which you can read about HERE). Green Gal definitely "walks the talk" and her achievement will have a huge impact on other people and the environment. Congrats Green Gal! You are a Rock Star!!

I've been reading about Mrs. Green's activities (and being inspired by them) for a long time. So I was really curious to learn what she would consider her proudest achievement. Do you have any guesses what it might be? Here's a hint: it fits into one small bag. Check out this POST for the answer ... it includes a video, pictures and a great discussion on this major accomplishment.

Brian claims that his proudest achievement has little to do with him. In his words "When I see my son and his friends acknowledge and identify different things that impact the environment I feel really good. They are gaining the awareness and knowledge to carry with them into the future. It is a great thing to experience and witness." I disagree, Brian ... I think this has everything to do with you and your great parenting. In my opinion, there isn't a greater accomplishment in life than raising children to be caring, environmental stewards. Congratulations, Brian!!

Amy's proudest achievement sounds easy enough ... but in reality it is tough. It involves being conscious and in the moment ... it requires awareness and knowledge. So are you curious about what it is? Find out HERE. Great job, Amy!!

The Accessory Lady shares that her proudest achievement is buying and/or making Eco-friendly personal care & cleaning products. She says that it took awhile to make the transition but she feels it was well worth the effort. Brilliant, AL!

Kris is proud of something which involves her grandparents. Doesn't that sound intriguing? Want to know more? Go HERE! Wonderful job, Kris!

In this ARTICLE, Jessica lists 5 of her proudest achievements. Number 5 is "No-Poo" and number 4 is "Coconut Oil". As interesting as those sound, they are not her #1 pick. Can you guess what is? I know ... but you know I won't tell ... you'll have to go find out!

I've heard people say that they don't have time to live green. K.C. Woolf has solved that problem by working less and taking occasional sabbaticals. That's her proudest green accomplishment. Why? Well, working less has given her the time to grow a garden and cook at home using fresh, local ingredients ... it has also allowed her to take public transportation when she needs to go out or walk. She also shares that she now consumes less because she doesn't "stress shop".

Nicki Woo gave us an update on our activism challenge ... she found her "cause". It seems that a lemonade vendor, near her children's sports area, sells healthy drinks in ... Styrofoam (did you hear the collective "booooooooooo"). Nicki found his website and decided to drop him a line about her concerns. So how did it go, Nicki? Did you get a response back?

Petunia GreenBeans is energetic, cheerfully "green" and has been a great CTWW supporter. She tweets and promotes green efforts and encourages others. So ... are these her proudest achievements? Nope! Her heart lies with this SITE ... a brand new, green directory of sorts. Petunia has created what will be, I'm sure, the definitive site for all things green. She has pulled together "greenies" from all walks of life and provided readers with interesting posts and videos. Ah yes, Ms. Petunia ... you have every reason to feel proud!

I'd like to introduce you to, and welcome, Yan Tougas ... a new CTWW participant. Inspired by our challenges, he created a page on his blog (Towards Simplicity) called MINIMALIST MONDAYS. He says "I offer on this page ideas that are easy to adopt by anyone who wants to start his or her journey towards minimalism." As I read his posts and the ideas on this page, I discovered that living a minimalist life goes hand-in-hand with living a green life. It's a fabulous blog ... I hope you'll check it out! And if you want to keep track of Yan's Minimalist Monday ideas ... you'll find a link in my side bar. Thanks, Yan ... so nice to have you with us!

Alicia's proudest achievement saves money and eliminates the use of plastic. Her husband participates in this activity. Hm ... what could it be? Curious? Find out HERE.

Is crafting a green activity? It is when Rewinn does it ... and it's his proudest achievement. In The Way of Crafting he'll tell you all about it ... it might surprise you as it's not crafting in the usual sense. Thanks, Rewinn!

Mrs. Green accepted our second week's challenge to talk about her toughest green achievement and how she overcame the obstacles. In this POST she shares that reducing food waste was hard for her. She conquered the task and shares her methods with us.

I'd like to welcome Janet Botes to our Honor Society. She wrote about our challenge on her blog HERE and shared (on Reduce Footprints) two of her proudest green achievements: transitioning to Eco-friendly personal hygiene products and making sacrifices/better choices in the creation of her art. In her words "This is also one of my hardest challenges since the art world is surprisingly slow to catch up and adhere to more environmentally conscious production methods and alternatives. It also requires a lot of research into where to find sustainably-attained natural ingredients to make your own paints, glues and other materials. Green art does not stop with making pretty things from waste materials. It's about rethinking everything you do as an artist - you paper, your drawing/painting materials, canvas, wood, printing methods, acids and chemicals, and even the very fact that you're producing something that might be 'waste' in a few decades or centuries. I don't think that I've overcome this obstacle yet, and it's an ongoing challenge and day-to-day learning process. But I'm proud and committed to this journey." Janet has created a wonderful initiative called Greening Your Art. Artists meet to learn about working more sustainably and Eco-friendly. If you're an artist in Cape Town, check it out ... if you're not in Cape Town, check out the site anyway ... there's a lot of information about how and why art should be green.

Our dear Ann works hard for the environment. She shares that her proudest achievement is that, on her national day, she spends the day preaching zero waste to festival goers. She also collects and sorts garbage. She gave our challenge a nice mention HERE.

I like to welcome Harold Shaw Jr. to our Honor Society. Harold is transitioning from being a techy-type special educator to being semi-retired. So his life is changing. In his blog you'll find articles about downsizing, cleaning his garage and using facebook. So ... here's a person with diverse interests and activities ... what do you think his proudest green achievement is? Find out HERE.

We have another new member of the Honor Society. A big welcome to Janie of Janie's True North. Janie has made several green changes to her life. In her words "We carry reusable bags to the grocery store, buy more organic (if it isn't organic we are trying to do without), we are recycling paper towel and toilet paper tubes (we didn't know we could!), and we are saving to buy a table top distiller, and kitchen faucet water filter, to end buying water in bottle. It's not easy, we forget sometimes, and other times a bottle of water is a convenience, but we are trying to change life time habits." Wonderful, Janie!

To meet our second week's challenge, Rewinn wrote this POST. It's a very interesting, thought-provoking article on the challenges involved in adopting a green lifestyle. One obstacle that he talks about is social geography. Check it out!

Jessica shares a post (not her post) about one woman's actions to remove toxic chemicals from her door knob. It fits in nicely with our activism challenge. Check it out HERE.

One of our Honor Society members was very impressed with the comments made by another member of the HS ... and that inspired this POST. So ... who wrote it and who inspired it? You?

I'd like to welcome Kelly, another new Honor Society Member. In a post entitled It's Just Too Hard, she takes a serious look at her actions and identifies areas for change. It's an honest look at some of the obstacles that many of us face when trying to live green. Thanks, Kelly!

How do you convey your proudest green achievement in 140 characters or less? Like this:

• From @upcycledlove Proudest green achievement: starting a worm bin! Succeeded for a little while, but it died... So I'm starting over. But still proud!
• From @greenmommel Cloth Diapering probably...And greening our lawn!

The Shopping Charity gave our challenges fronts page spots. Thanks so much!

To meet the second week's challenge, Alicia shares that her toughest green accomplishment is finding local produce in the winter. To overcome that obstacle, she tries to grow fruits and vegetables that she can preserve or freeze. If she can't grow enough, she shops at local farmer's markets. As she says "I really don't like buying fruits and veggies that have been shipped from so far away and you have no idea what they have been sprayed with!" I totally agree, Alicia!

And finally ... would you like to know what my proudest green achievement is? It's meeting and learning from all of you and being given the privilege of sharing your knowledge with the world. Thank you all!

As always, if you wrote an article I have Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked it. If you'd like to help us pass the word, please use the share buttons at the bottom of this post.

We lovingly refer to them at the #CTWW Gang. They are the kind and dedicated folks who hit the twitter airwaves each week to promote our challenges using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're on twitter, check them out. Here they are:

@whopaysthepiper
@waylandcook
@upcycledlove
@clothmamajess
@lynn_stone
@peopletowels
@ambianceeco
@thenewauthor
@loveandtrash
@skipbang
@apolloenergies
@greenmommel
@groovygreenlivi
@tiffanystoybox
@greentim
@begreen_beseen
@ShoppingCharity
@EcoliciousMama
@tazzini
@accessorygal
@eco_footprint_1
@terracycle_nl
@waxelene
@escapingjourney
@essence4u
@satyacolombo
@yan_tougas
@BecomingCrunchy
@littlegreenblog
@livegreenmom

This Week's Challenge:

So ... are you ready for another challenge? How about a tough challenge ... a real tough challenge ... one that will definitely "test your metal"? Are you up for it? I know that you are. Here it is:

This week refuse to buy anything which is, or which comes in, plastic. Instead, opt for Eco-friendly items and packaging ... or do without.

UP THE ANTE: Jessica is upping the ante and challenges us to make our own reusable, bulk product bags. You can see her efforts HERE. Whose going to take her up on her challenge?? Thanks, Jessica!

So what do you think ... can you do it?

Programming Note: We have many new people joining in the fun so, in future weeks, I'll be revisiting some of our earlier challenges. It'll be a great opportunity for those of you who have already accepted the activity to "up the ante".

Until next time ...

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

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.

I'm taking a break this week but I'll be back next week to update our current challenge. In the meantime, let's continue celebrating your green achievements and let's Up The Ante:

This week we'd like to hear about your proudest "green" achievement. Perhaps you started a compost for the first time or purchased organic food. Maybe you stopped driving a car or added solar panels to your home. It could be as small as carrying a reusable bag or as large as building an energy efficient home. Whatever your proudest Eco-friendly achievement is ... we want to know about it. Please leave details and tips/ideas so that we can all celebrate with you and perhaps try the activity ourselves.

Up The Ante: Of all your green achievements, which one was the hardest to accomplish and why? How did you overcome the obstacles?

See you next week ...

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

Vegan Recipe - Shiitake & Soba Noodle Bowl

What if you could prepare a meal that is delicious, healthy and Eco-friendly? Sounds like the perfect scenario, doesn't it? Well, good news ... it's absolutely doable! We know about foods that are delicious and healthy but ... how does one make their meal "green"? Easy ... make it meatless. Plant-based foods take far fewer natural resources to produce than animal-based foods. With recipes like the one we're going to share today, you won't be thinking "vegan" ... you'll just be thinking "mmmmm".

Please meet Justin Fox Burks, the author (and brilliant photographer) behind The Chubby Vegetarian. There's so much to love about The Chubby Vegetarian ... "seriously-make-you-drool" photography, great articles on such things as making vegetarian sushi, and, of course, recipes. Justin's recipes aren't "run of the mill" ... nope ... you'll find exotic dishes such as:

• Vegetarian Kimchi + Korean BBQ Sliders
• Vegetarian Pad Thai
• Socca Stuffed With Creamed Arugula & Topped with Artichoke & Pine Nut Ragout
• Baked Lemongrass Tofu + Coconut Jasmine Rice

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine too!

Justin has very kindly agreed to share one of his recipes with us. I hope you will enjoy it!

Shiitake + Soba Noodle Bowl (for one):

Pan-Asian Broth*
Soba Noodles (enough for one)

1 carrot (shredded using a juilenne peeler)

1/2 cup broccoli florets

prepared shiitake mushrooms**

chives

hot sauce (like La-Yu)

soy sauce (or Braggs)

Bring your broth up to a roiling boil. Cook the carrots in the broth until just tender. This will take about 30 seconds to a minute. Using a spyder, fish the carrots out of the broth; repeat the same process with the broccoli, and then cook the noodles in the broth until tender. Remove the noodles from the broth and reserve the broth.

Place the noodles in a bowl. Top on one side with carrots, the other side with broccoli, and in the center, add the mushrooms. Pour about a cup and a half of the hot broth over the noodle bowl. Garnish the dish with chives, hot sauce, and a little soy sauce.

*For the Pan-Asian Broth:

3 cups good vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

splash of rice vinegar

splash of soy sauce

splash of mirin

Combine all ingredients in a pot.

**For the mushrooms:

5-6 shiitake mushroom caps (sliced into thirds)

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

pinch of smoked salt

splash of soy sauce (or Braggs)

splash of mirin

Turn on your vent hood -- this recipe creates a bit of smoke! Heat a medium-sized pan over high heat and add the sesame oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, throw the mushrooms in and toss them around. Allow them to cook for about a minute before removing the pan from the heat. Add the smoked salt, soy and mirin. Set mushrooms aside.


I'd like to thank Justin for sharing this fabulous recipe with Reduce Footprints.

For all of the recipes that we've posted on this blog, please click HERE or use the tab at the top of the page. If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please send it to me HERE. And stay tuned for more recipes ... we post them on the first Friday of each month.