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
• Today's Challenge

We have completed 5 weeks of the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast. Here's how last week went:

• Day 29 - Have a truly "Green" lawn and garden
• Day 30 - World Water Day
• Day 31 - Be conscious about water and energy use when washing dishes
• Day 32 - Take a shower instead of a bath
• Day 33 - Save paper
• Day 34 - Keep your highway driving speed between 55 and 60 mph
• Day 35 - Company travel and managing environmental footprint

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

From Jacqueline:

• I am so glad to have you to do this Ecumenical Lenten Challenge with! So far it hasn't been very hard. I hope they up their game a wee bit before it's over. I thought of you today when I was writing my post. Maybe you'll stop by and take a look. http://theorganicblonde.com/dick-cheney-satan-fracking-environment-haliburton-loophole/ (The Organic Blonde's site is undergoing some renovations so ... posts are currently unavailable. I can't wait to see the new, improved site.)

From EcoGrrl:

• No pesticides + minimal lawn- replaced front lawn w blueberries, pineapple sage, roses, and more :)FS-
• I have a tub only a little kid could truly enjoy a bath in, so that's no issue, and my showers are fairly short (and as importantly, not every day - and I only wash my hair twice a week). I like the concept of 'shipboard' but am wondering how people do it and stay warm without turning up the heat sky high? Suggestions welcome :)
• No tissues in mi casa but yes on all the rest, all the time. FSC cedar deck and my friend is building a tomato trellis for me out of reclaimed wood -can't wait!!
• No car, no problem.

From Dani:

• LOL EcoGrrl - ditto :)

From Argentum Vulgaris:

• Weekly round up No. V

From Elizabeth Barrette:

• My yard is mostly, though not completely, chemical-free. I just keep a few things for dealing with hazards (wasps nesting by the door, poison ivy, etc.) or exotics (japanese beetles that local insectivores won't eat). I don't use anything widespread, spot treatment for urgent situations only. And most of the yard isn't plain lawn; there's an orchard, a forest section, a prairie garden, etc. "Lawn" is just "whatever low-growing plants survive mowing and foot traffic."

From Michelle:

• We never use pesticides on our lawn. In fact I've been discussing with my husband adding in more native plats around our home instead of so much lawn space. I'd love to attract more bees and butterflies, and other beneficial critters to our yard. ;)

From Opit:

• Funny. I just left a comment at Organic Blonde suggesting she check out my fracking info in the Energy and Water files in my Topical Index. For this article I would suggest you check out http://www.panna.org/ and http://www.care2.com/. Corporate Farming is rather too easy. If my file is not interesting just Search the terms Monsanto Rumsfeld.

From Joe Todd:

• I can do that..Have a great weekend

From Ann:

• we hand wash our dishes, but I admit it is hard when i am lazy.
• on this day, my church sold shares to raise money to build a well in Northern Thailand. I also did a special lesson to teach adult ESOL students.

From Brenna:

• I don't work for a company, and maybe it is my suspicious mind focused on greenwashing, but I am curious what large companies do with the information from emissions tracking? I wish large corporations would focus on keeping employees home and reducing travel completely. With technology, there is so much w can accomplish without flying halfway across the world. Just me?

Some of our Twitter friends shared their thoughts:

From @givetreegifts
-Wash fruits and veggies in a bowl and use that water for your plants
-When cleaning your fish tank, reserve the water for your plants...water and fertilizer in one
-Invest in a rain barrel. Nothing is better for your plants than the real thing.
-Drip Calculator: How much water does a leaking faucet waste? on.doi.gov/Uolrs
-Turn off the shower while you're shampooing your hair
-Turn off the water while brushing your teeth

From @earthyurban
-Sending love to my #CTWW gang from the set in Indiana, change the world on day , one person at a time keep up the good work.

From @thenewauthor
-Turn down the hot water while in the shower and save big time.

From @nonmom
-Windows open, furnace still off & no AC. Plus we recycled a tonne of cardboard last wk. Trying :)
-On a brighter note, I found all my old ink cartridges so will be taking those to be recycled this wk.

From @gwened02
-I work for local govt & we dedicated sustainability team & a lady who's job it is to encourage people not to use cars
-we have a car free day every month and pool bikes for people to travel between buildings for meetings

From @pinkladyapril
-I love the pool bikes idea

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:

@b4ingreenliving @laalicia @dpixel @pinkladyapril @ecopassport @nonmom @tif_hamilton @gutter_helmet @groovygreenlivi

@whopaysthepiper @gwened02 @earthyurban @myhomerules @givetreegifts @beckleecottage @thenewauthor @greenearthbazar @JusJane53

@TheRiverWanders @peopletowels @MYQUALITYTIME @juliemsoulen @chainedheartdes @accessorygal @jemstar01 @skateboardstopc @almosttruth

Today's Challenge:

NEWS FLASH: Mark your calendars for the week of April 9th. Reduce Footprints will be hosting a HUGE week-long event. It'll be a little different from our "norm" and I think you're going to like it!! Want a little hint? Okay ... How does Born of Blood save the environment? Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

We have a little over a week of daily challenges left to accomplish. Take a deep breath and ... let's go:

Learn about, use or start a local bicycle sharing program as has been done in Tulsa, Miami, Boston, Vancouver and other communities around the world. To find out more, please visit: http://sandvault.com/?gclid=CPT3xqjRhK0CFegSNAodUgSmTw

Until tomorrow ...

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