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:
How did you do with the SWOT analysis last week? I found it interesting! Thinking about green living in a slightly different way often brings about revelations ... things we didn't know about ourselves which could help us on our path or, conversely, could hinder our progress. Considering obstacles and opportunities allows us to form a plan ... to be as efficient as possible in reducing our environmental impact. In my opinion, the exercise is valuable because it's very easy to get into a routine ... to do things in the same way over and over again. If the "way" is efficient, then great ... but if it's outdated or has become inefficient, then we need to make changes. Often, the only way to see it clearly is to perform a personal analysis ... an honest appraisal of our actions.
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:
Argentum Vulgaris felt that he couldn't do a fair analysis of his efforts because ... well ... we're all a bit biased. However, he gave it a shot and in this POST he gives us the results.
Mrs. Green had a tough time with this challenge. In Are you a green SWOT? she completes the analysis but shares that she's not really sure what to do with the information.
Alicia had this to say " I think we have several strengths. We really make an effort to be as "green" as possible. Some of the weaker points are that we live pretty far out so we can't be very gas efficient and also we could do better at buying more household items that are made from sustainable materials like Bamboo. Opportunities like solar panels would allow us to be greener."
Steve did a fabulous, in-depth analysis and came up with a practical plan of action. In reading his SWOT, it was obvious that he spent considerable time thinking about this. In the end he formulated actions which are doable in his life ... doable and effective. Click HERE to read his post. I hope you'll do a follow up, Steve, and let us know how your plan works out.
In a post about World Car-Free Day, Ann included our CTWW banner. You can read her thoughts in this ARTICLE.
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:
My Final Thoughts:
Accomplishing anything in life requires that we capitalize on strengths and opportunities ... and overcome weaknesses and threats. Performing a SWOT analysis is helpful in identifying those elements and formulating a plan. It is another tool in our green-living box.
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:
What would you like to do this week? How about Reader's Choice? Here you go ...
This week, if you are moving into Autumn, choose one task from this LIST and accomplish it. Of course, we'd like to hear all about it.
Or ...
If you are moving into Spring, choose a task from this POST. Again, we'd like to know what you chose to do and how you did it.
If you are moving into Spring, choose a task from this POST. Again, we'd like to know what you chose to do and how you did it.
Or ...
If none of those activities appeal to you, choose a previous challenge from the list HERE. And yep ... tell us about it!
If none of those activities appeal to you, choose a previous challenge from the list HERE. And yep ... tell us about it!
What do you think ... are you up for this challenge? I know that you are!
As always, our mantra ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
http://annsnowchin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/skywatch-fridaysave-our-world.html be save when you travel.
ReplyDeleteFinally, CTWW is up and running on:
ReplyDeletehttp://ecocrap.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/change-the-world-wednesday-26th-sep/
Spring has sprung, the grass has rize, I wonder where the birdies is... - My Godmother
AV
We're moving into spring here on the southern tip of Africa, so here's what I'm going to do:
ReplyDelete1. Spring clean with more earth-friendly cleansers. In South Africa we've got some great options available from the Ethical Co-Op (www.ethical.org.za). I already use a dishwashing liquid by EarthSap and Bloublommetjieskloof, and both are great...
2. Clean out closets and drawers and donate usable items to The Haven Night Shelter in Napier Street, Cape Town.
3. Grow more vegetables and herbs in pots at home and in my studio. And also plan, build and grow a vertical garden, something I've been wanting to do and never make time for.
4. Walk or cycle instead of drive as much as possible, and also using the MyCiti bus and train if I have to travel further than my feet can carry me.
5. Dry our clothes outside rather than use the dryer, this means planning better and washing on sunny days!
I love how you keep us accountable. Here's what I have planned! http://littlegreenblog.com/blog/family-news-blog/making-a-difference-with-curtains/
ReplyDeleteKudos to a Chocolate company who listened to the students of Samuel Marsden College in New Zealand and made a chocolate for breast cancer.
ReplyDeleteNot too much to say this week..just one of those weeks.
ReplyDeletehttp://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2012/09/change-world-wednesday-ctww_26.html
I had read your earlier post and was so glad to see that we already do a lot of things that were on the list. We always keep the pressure in our tires checked and keep our vents free from obstacles. We have a garage and always park our car in it. That way when we get in it in the Summer it is never real hot and never real cold in the Winter.We love opening the blinds and getting all of that "free" warmth during the day and we just got a new energy efficient fridge so it seals really well but even with our old one we kept the coils vacuumed. It really does make a huge difference! We reverse our ceiling fans, bring our plants indoors, cover all of our outside spigots and preserve lots of fruits, veggies and herbs. We are just getting ready to go through our Summer clothes and will soon be checking all of the windows to see if they need extra caulk. There are more from the list we need to check and will be doing those before it turns real cols.Doing any of the things on this list will help but doing as many as you can will make a huge difference!!
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