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 don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:

• The #CTWW Gang
• The Honor Society
• My Final Thoughts on Our Last Challenge
• This Week's Challenge

In April of 2009, I did some posts about road blocks and asked readers to share their biggest obstacles to living an Eco-conscious life. At that time, the reasons were personal ... things like forgetting to bring a reusable bag to the store or not really knowing how to start. Last week we revisited our road blocks. Things have certainly changed in three years. Our challenges today seem to include the world outside of our homes ... things like trying to live green in a country that isn't concerned about the environment or how to buy electronics which aren't manufactured in countries with human rights issues. While we still deal with the day-to-day trials, we are also looking outward. And that's important because we can't find solutions until we identify the problems.

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:

Brenna took on this challenge and while this POST wasn't written for #CTWW, I think it speaks to it. She identifies one of the largest obstacles we all face and offers solutions.

Happy Belated Birthday to EcoGrrl! We hope your special day was fabulous!! EcoGrrl has set a goal for herself to recycle less. What?? Yep, as she has shared with us before, recycling is great but having less to recycle is even better. Her main concern is plastic which is never actually recycled but rather downcycled. So how does one avoid buying items in plastic? Anyone have ideas? Hopefully EcoGrrl will give us an update as she works through this challenge.

In Confessions of a Green Goddess, Mrs. Green shares her road blocks. They are very personal and while she isn't really looking for solutions, I believe that telling her story will help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

Jacqueline, aka The Organic Blonde, faces road blocks which most of us will never experience. In this ARTICLE she talks about the unique challenges she faces living in Doha, Qatar (one of several locations which she and her husband call home). She also shares her solutions to those challenges.

The Accessory Lady has moved into a new home and now has the room to compost. Her only road block is getting a bin which she hopes to pick up soon. So AL ... did you get a bin and start the composting process? We'd love to hear about it!

Ilhami Uyar stopped by and offered his support. As he says, "we havent another wörld ...". And that, basically, is the heart of green living.

Argentum Vulgaris has a unique ability to filter through all the "Eco-Crap" and get to the heart of things. In this POST he identifies what, in his opinion, is the biggest road block of all ... ourselves. In a great line he says, "We need to stop ‘wanting’ and start ‘giving.’ We need to stop ‘taking’ and start ‘doing.’"

Nicole B. wants to compost and really doesn't know why she hasn't started. Sometimes taking that first step is the hardest. What's her solution for this obstacle? "I just need to DO IT".

Kathryn Grace brought up a very interesting obstacle ... one that most of us probably don't think about ... electronics. Here's her COMMENT. She is right ... this road block is as big as a mountain. Anyone have thoughts, ideas and/or solutions?

What happens when one has the knowledge and tools to live green but simply can't get started? In this ARTICLE Rewinn employes some "Emotional Intelligence" to solve the problem.

Betty Manousos stopped by. So nice to see you, Betty!

Andrea, aka Frugally Sustainable on Facebook, posted a simple question on her wall: What are your most common road blocks to "green" living?. When I last popped in, she had over 70 responses. Wowee! People listed things like landlords not agreeing with their tenant's green practices, convenience, the amount of energy required to go green and, the number one obstacle, cost. There are way too many comments for me to list but I encourage you to hop over and read through the list and then ... I'd really like to know your thoughts. Thanks, Andrea, for opening up the discussion ... it gave me a lot to think about.

Donna M. McDine is a brand new visitor. Thanks for stopping by, Donna ... we hope to see you again!

Katie has several speed bumps ... paper, heat and water. Hm ... doesn't that sound interesting! Find out why they are speed bumps and learn about her solutions HERE.

Kristina identified an interesting road block ... the perceptions of other people. In Struggles with Going Green she talks about being "that person", exposing ourselves to criticism and whether writing a blog is enough.

Nicole M. dropped by our Monday Meet & Greet and left an interesting comment about Change The World Wednesday. You can read it HERE. Isn't that great! Thanks, so much, Nicole!

In Speed Bumps Jen talks about her obstacles. I particularly like #4 ... I think it resonates with many of us. What do you think?

Kris' greatest road block is buying local. She feels strongly about it, though, and is working it out. Curious about how? Find out in this POST.

Two papers picked up some of your posts this week ... was yours listed? Find out in the Shopping Charity and The Artists Daily.

Some of our twitter friends commented on this challenge. Here's what they had to say:

From @givetreegifts
-We have no facility for recycling plastics, other than milk jugs & pop bottles. We repurpose containers & cut back plastic use
-Even if you have limited space, you can still adopt odor free kitchen composting bit.ly/yUHrjm #CTWW
-One way to get back to our eco roots is to get back to basics & learn from those who lived during simpler times. Talk to a senior
-Small adjustments to a greener lifestyle can add up to savings. Use those savings towards your next eco project. One step at a time

From @pinkladyapril
-Hello! Roadblocks. I'd like to compost but my garden is too small to use the compost (forgot the hashtag last time!)

From @almosttruth
-I am thinking green roadblocks in my area. We live a place known for being eco-friendly, but still I know plenty!

From @gwened02
-road blocks: money, time, storage in a nutshell

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

@ggirlggreen @cinbrad @givetreegifts @theorganicblond @nurturedbeauty @envirofusion @skipbang @laalicia @upcycledlove @peopletowels @accessorygal @greennliving @whopaysthepiper @gwened02

@pinkladyapril @jusjane53 @almosttruth @lynnibinny @groovygreenlivi @rubbishgeek @envirofusion @freshgreenkim @noteasy2begreen @Darmell @TheRiverWanders @frugallysustain @hip2behappy @robineaston

@greenchildmg @gaiaperspective @chainedheartdes @earthyurban @brandinav @erinely @DPixel @allnaturalkatie @myurbanroots @teedazzle @escapingjourney @iseegreentv @shoppingcharity

My Final Thoughts: Erich Fromm said, "As long as anyone believes that his ideal and purpose is outside him, that it is above the clouds, in the past or in the future, he will go outside himself and seek fulfillment where it cannot be found. He will look for solutions and answers at every point except where they can be found--in himself." I think his words sum up this challenge nicely!

Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. 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 our friend Joanne. I think it's especially appropriate now, after the holidays, when many of us added new "stuff" to our lives. Here you go:

This week, begin creating a list of unneeded household items to donate to nonprofits. Perhaps you have clothing, pillows, books or sports equipment which could be given to men's and women's shelters. Animal shelters are always in need of towels and food containers. So look around your home and see what could be offered. Donating keeps stuff out of landfills & supports local nonprofits that need all the help they can get.

Or ...

If you've already cleaned out your closets, please share other ideas on how we can keep "stuff" out of landfills.

Thanks, Joanne ... I think this is going to be a great activity!

If you have a challenge for us, please send it to me HERE.

Until next time ...

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