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

Last week we challenged ourselves to NOT waste water by creatively conserving it. I found this challenge particularly interesting because in the early days of CTWW we took on a similar activity. At that time, everyone talked about things like turning off faucets while brushing teeth, taking short showers and only running the dishwasher when it's full. While all of those activities are certainly necessary, they aren't the complete story. As our green education has expanded, so has our approach to conservation. Many people, this week, talked about the amount of water it takes to produce the things we use, tying together water conservation and consumerism. It's an important link and has a significant environmental impact.

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. Here's what they had to say:

EcoWarriorMe has been getting a lot of rain lately which prompted her to wonder if it is worth participating in this challenge. In this POST she talks about Glasgow water supply and takes a look at some activities which have a large environmental impact.

GenuinelyGreen (aka Clare Delaney) is brand new to our challenges ... Welcome, Clare!! She put together a fabulous video entitled Tips for Saving Water in the Shower. My favorite is #2 where Clare points out that sometimes our actions are redundant (we humans are a funny lot, aren't we). Which is your favorite tip?

The Accessory Lady shared some great tips with us. She says " I like this one! Aside from the most common ones like not running water while brushing my teeth and making sure there are no drips in my faucets, I always use any leftover water in water bottles or from the nightstand to water my plants. For health reasons, water that's been standing for a long time or has been sitting in a bottle producing bacteria should not be ingested. In the height of Summer, we use the sprinkler when truly necessary so I move all the potted plants in the line of fire of the sprinkler so they receive water at the same time the ground cover is being sprayed. I've started using self watering pots for plants like tomatoes that require a steady amount of moisture. When it rains, I empty the excess water on to other plants. The reservoir at the bottom keeps it from seeping out, spilling or evaporating too quickly. The trick with self watering containers is too make sure the plants don't get too much moisture." Thanks, AL!

Jennifer had this to say about the challenge: "I used to be really good about saving the cold water from running my shower to flush my toilet or water my plants, but my current bathroom is tiny and I have nowhere to keep a bucket right now. I hope I'll be able to get back to that if I move to a house with slightly more space in the bathroom! In the mean time, something I do need to work on is taking shorter showers. I think in the shower, which is bad news for how long I'm in there! This doesn't save much water, but when I change the cat's drinking water, I put it in my watering can and use it on my plants." Every little bit helps! Thanks, Jennifer!

Green Gal offers us some terrific ideas in this ARTICLE. One idea considers reusing dishes and glasses. Another talks about water in a restaurant. Hm ... curious? Head over to read all about it!

Ann includes our CTWW banner in many of her posts. I love reading Ann's blog because it's like taking an exotic vacation. Recently she wrote about a longhouse (the traditional house of the Ibans). Her photos make me feel like I'm there!

Have you ever thought about how waste affects water conservation? Art Ist shared this Scientific American ARTICLE about that connection and how we are wasting our waste.

What does a scrubbing brush, cutting board and the traditional Brazilian method of cleaning a patio have to do with saving water? Argentum Vulgaris tells us HERE.

Have you ever felt like a warden when it comes to green living? Then you'll love Tina's POST. She also offers her ideas for saving water. Thanks, Tina ... we truly need the "wardens" of the world!

Thanks to our Monday Meet & Greet linky, I discovered a wonderful site called Free To Be Green. They offer their readers a bunch of Eco-friendly products. But I digress ... as I roamed their site, I noticed that they have a blog. Imagine my happy surprise to find this ARTICLE. Wow!

If you lived in an area with a runoff problem, would you consider yourself fortunate? Rewinn does! If you click HERE you'll find out why. You'll also find a creative 2nd use for water.

Mrs. Green has had rain ... lots of rain ... I mean ... LOTS OF RAIN! So using "leftover" water on plants or the yard just isn't going to work for her. She's already saving water when showering (think shower with a loved one) ... and she uses the water she steams veggies in to cook rice, pasta, etc. So where can she focus her efforts? By turning to cleaning products. You'll definitely want to check out her thoughts HERE.

Alicia always shares thoughtful ideas with us! Here's what she has to say about this week's challenge: "We have some 5 gallon buckets that I like to put out when it is raining then use that water to water the plants. I am looking forward to a rain barrel. My husband is always good to make sure that none of our faucets or toilets leak. I turn the water off when brushing my teeth. If I wash dishes in the sink. I turn the water off while I wash them and then turn it on again when it's time to rinse. We installed a reverse osmosis water filter in the kitchen and believe it or not it is a water saver as well as a money saver! I try to wash clothes when I have a fairly large load instead of several smaller loads. That cuts the water usage by a lot."

CelloMom says "This may be a bit far out but after reading Mrs. Green's post I thought it might be relevant to the challenge after all: How about increasing the rain-permeable area around your house: patio, driveway, sidewalk and yes, city roads (the latter requires a bit more work and commitment). This not only keeps rainwater from going down the drain but actually helps to replenish ground water. Of course, it won't much help to those, like Mrs. Green, whose soil is already waterlogged by persistent rains. But waterlogging is temporary: after all, before all that rain, England had a terrible drought." She then wrote Alternatives to Asphalt which talks about using permeable materials to create roads. It's fascinating!

Here's what our Twitter friends had to say this week:

From @pinkladyapril
- the left overs from our bedtime glasses of water gets poured on my house plants each morning.
- cats have a fountain which recycles water & keeps it moving so stays fresh - they eat dry food so need lots of water

From @cleanriverpr
- Pack a litterless lunch and use containers instead of plastic sandwich bags and foil wrap.

From @givetreegifts
- Gather rainwater for your indoor & outdoor plants
- When it's time to change out the water from your fish tank, keep in mind that it is loaded with nutrients for your plants.
- We use a dehumidifier during the rainy season and use that water for our plants
- During heat waves, move your potted plants into a shady area
- Plant drought tolerant species that are native to your area
- Make a routine of checking all faucets for leaks
- Turn off your shower while you're shampooing your hair
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth
- Gardening Tips: Save Water to Save Money http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/1721499/Save-Water-to-Save-Money.html

From @live_esp
- Instead of running water while doing dishes, fill up the sink with water and use that
- (Turn off your shower) Also while shaving your legs!

From @gaiaperspective
- I went to second hand store today and found some beautiful magenta coloured cloth napkins :)
- The Story of Bottled Water (2010): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0&feature=youtu.be

From @mybodywillrun
- Fun #CTWW though not re: saving water-- my lunch was all compostable! Salad container, utensils, & napkins went right into compost @ school!

From @themac533
- Teach your children and grandchildren that clean water is the most valuable commodity on earth.
- we with access to clean water are the minority in the world. Without water we are nothing. Treat it like gold or better. ;)

From @climatebabes
- Water should never become a basis of financial power. With renewables it can be made available in abundance at negligible cost.

From @gwened02
- I drink a lot of water, run the tap to get it cold. I was going to dig out filter jug put in fridge. Is that better?

From @lissygreenbean
- My stepmom suggested I pour water from boiled eggs onto a front yard fern--it probably loved the refreshment with all this heat!
- I feel guilty 4 wasting water as a kid, spraying the hose into the sky. Teach ur kids 2 spray the hose so that it also waters plants!

Did you see my suggestions on twitter this week? If not, you'll find them HERE.

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:

@themac533 @whopaysthepiper @earthyurban @rckweddings @waxelene @lisaorchard1 @faithattaguile @rulesofgreen @ecowarriorme @smallbits @robin_holmberg @AlmostTruth @jaydemia @oneadayart @changes4charlie @groovygrapevine @ucscsustain

@accessorygal @ecoexpert1 @dpixel @live_esp @kelly_bakes @rubyzu_badsnail @erinely @nonmom @aapremlall @miljobloggen @pinkladyapril @ohymukonop @thirdblessing @ggirlggreen @gaiaperspective @twicecreations @Lilyz_Dad

@anglianhome @weng112869 @givetreegifts @rozdb @anitaadamsnc @noteasy2begreen @theriverwanders @etsnetworksinc @laalicia @OxymoronHippy @mybodywillrun @cleanriverpr @bylittlenea @EcoWarriorMe @lissygreenbean @gwened02

My Final Thoughts:

Many of us enjoy an abundance of fresh water. In truth, it's difficult to think about conservation when reservoirs are full ... and since bottling up our excess and shipping it to drought-weary areas isn't practical, it sometimes seems that saving water is a meaningless activity. But when we consider the bigger picture ... the energy used to recycle, clean and heat our water and the water used to fabricate consumer goods ... we begin to understand that not wasting water helps us reduce our overall footprint.

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 Kris. I think it'll be fun because we really haven't focused on our kids in these challenges. Now we will! Here it is ...

This week, if you have kids, think of something which involves your children, which also creates waste or is environmentally unfriendly, and commit to changing it. For example, consider how your baby is diapered and whether or not there is a more Eco-friendly method. What types of materials does your youngster use when creating those artistic masterpieces? Does your teenager drive or walk to school ... and what about school supplies? This week is all about greening our kids.

Or ...

If you don't have children, your challenge is to be an observer and then offer recommendations. Take a look at the families around you and talk about what you see working ... and what doesn't. Offer recommendations and helpful tips to assist parents in greening their children.

What do you think? Ready to take this one on?

If you have a challenge idea, please send it to me HERE. I keep all ideas and will get to each and every one.

Until next time ...

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