Welcome to Meet & Greet Monday! Do you have an Eco-friendly blog or site? Do you occasionally write about the environment or ways to live green? If you answered yes to any, you're invited to link up. Here are the rules:
1. If you have a green-living blog and/or write about the environment, sustainability, etc., please use the "linky" below to list your site.
2. Visit at least one other site (and while not required, it would be nice if you told them that you found them here).
3. The linky will stay active until Thursday at 6:00 pm (est).
4. I will randomly choose one of the sites and feature it next week.
This week's featured blog is Green Gifts Guide, a lovely blog hosted by Amity Hook-Sopko. In a recent series called Eco Stylish Weddings, one will find information on earth-friendly gift wrap, how to have glowing skin for that special day and even a lovely video of one couple's simple, meaningful, and green ceremony. Green Gifts Guide isn't just about weddings ... one will find articles on children's parties, gifts for the special people in your life (including co-workers), how to green a holiday and even information on how to beat the financial stress of gift giving. The blog is beautiful and well organized. I hope you'll stop by and visit Green Gifts Guide ... it's well worth the time!
Thanks to everyone who listed their sites last week!
This week's linky is now live so ... list your site, visit and have fun:
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
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:
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:
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:
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!
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:
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:
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 ...
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!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Meet & Greet Monday
Welcome to the very first Meet & Greet Monday!
As I was reading through the wonderful comments left by Change The World Wednesday participants, I realized that many people have green-living blogs and/or regularly post about an Eco-friendly life. Unfortunately, with our busy lives, we often don't take the time to visit each other. And that's a shame because there's a lot of great information out there. So, I'll be hosting a weekly "meet & greet". Here's how it'll work:
1. If you have a green-living blog and/or write about the environment, sustainability, etc., please use the "linky" below to list your site.
2. Visit at least one other site (and while not required, it would be nice if you told them that you found them here).
3. The linky will stay active through Thursday.
4. I will randomly choose one of the sites and feature it next week.
That's it ... doesn't it sound like fun? Okay ... start linking up and visiting:
As I was reading through the wonderful comments left by Change The World Wednesday participants, I realized that many people have green-living blogs and/or regularly post about an Eco-friendly life. Unfortunately, with our busy lives, we often don't take the time to visit each other. And that's a shame because there's a lot of great information out there. So, I'll be hosting a weekly "meet & greet". Here's how it'll work:
1. If you have a green-living blog and/or write about the environment, sustainability, etc., please use the "linky" below to list your site.
2. Visit at least one other site (and while not required, it would be nice if you told them that you found them here).
3. The linky will stay active through Thursday.
4. I will randomly choose one of the sites and feature it next week.
That's it ... doesn't it sound like fun? Okay ... start linking up and visiting:
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)
Welcome back to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! I hope you enjoyed the break and the holidays. There are some exciting changes on Reduce Footprints ... we have a new look ... we have new sponsors ... and, on Monday, we're going to start a new weekly feature (I think it'll be fun). I've also been busy writing articles for other blogs ... the first of them will be posted today at Silverfaeries & Dragonflies. If you have a moment, hop over and check it out.
Okay, are you ready to pick up where we left off? Let's go ...
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:
In November we took an energy reading and then spent a month trying to reduce that number. Before taking our break, our challenge was to report back on how well we did. It was a tough challenge, especially as the temperatures dropped in many areas causing some of us to turn on the heat. In my house, the heat is rarely turned on so doing so on the coldest of days caused my energy use to go up. However, that encouraged us to find new ways to minimize use. We decided to close off a bedroom and only heat the main living area. Even though we live in a small space, closing that one room keeps the living area warmer and means we use less heat to stay comfortable. So, while we didn't lower our numbers by 10%, we did learn new techniques for keeping them as low as possible. Let's see how everyone else did:
Since I've been on break, I'm going to do an abbreviated version this update ... I'll be back to "normal" next week.
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:
EcoGrrl didn't know where to find her numbers for comparison so, while she still tried to reduce usage, she didn't participate in the challenge. That's a good point, EcoGrrl ... many people don't know how to get their readings. Here are a couple of suggestions ... your energy bill should list Kilowatts used. One can also get the information by logging in to the energy providers website ... they typically offer some great tools for tracking usage. Also, there should be a meter somewhere on your property so, simply go and look at it and make a note of the numbers.
Argentum Vulgaris took on this challenge and learned a lesson. Find out about it HERE.
Katie made a graph, by week, of her use and had a few surprises. Here's her POST.
Some of our twitter participants offered energy saving ideas, in 140 words or less:
From @givetreegifts
-If you haven't already made the switch consider led Christmas lights for your tree. Safe & energy efficient
-I've recently discovered Solar Powered Outdoor LED Christmas lights. I've placed some here w/ my Christmas trees
-Saving Energy Begins at Home.
From @skipbang
-We recently moved to a more energy efficient house - I can tell a huge difference this winter already.
From @accessorygal
-My tip is unplugging the cable box when possible. Apparently it uses as much energy as a small fridge!
-Here's an article about the power consumption of cable boxes/DVRs: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26cable.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
From @orbcandles
-Using our candles! :)
From @allnaturalkatie
-Ikea's solar lamp for working on the computer at night.
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: Reducing our energy use is an on-going effort and, as we found in this challenge, the smallest of actions makes a difference. While there will always be fluctuations in our "numbers", we can better control overall use by understanding the affects of our activities.
Great job, 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:
January is typically the time of year that we set goals, make resolutions and start anew. So, in that spirit, let's take a look at "road blocks" to green living and find some solutions. Here you go ...
So what do you think? Are you up for this challenge? I know that you are!
And ... for the first time this year ... please join me in our mantra:
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
Okay, are you ready to pick up where we left off? Let's go ...
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:
In November we took an energy reading and then spent a month trying to reduce that number. Before taking our break, our challenge was to report back on how well we did. It was a tough challenge, especially as the temperatures dropped in many areas causing some of us to turn on the heat. In my house, the heat is rarely turned on so doing so on the coldest of days caused my energy use to go up. However, that encouraged us to find new ways to minimize use. We decided to close off a bedroom and only heat the main living area. Even though we live in a small space, closing that one room keeps the living area warmer and means we use less heat to stay comfortable. So, while we didn't lower our numbers by 10%, we did learn new techniques for keeping them as low as possible. Let's see how everyone else did:
Since I've been on break, I'm going to do an abbreviated version this update ... I'll be back to "normal" next week.
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:
EcoGrrl didn't know where to find her numbers for comparison so, while she still tried to reduce usage, she didn't participate in the challenge. That's a good point, EcoGrrl ... many people don't know how to get their readings. Here are a couple of suggestions ... your energy bill should list Kilowatts used. One can also get the information by logging in to the energy providers website ... they typically offer some great tools for tracking usage. Also, there should be a meter somewhere on your property so, simply go and look at it and make a note of the numbers.
Argentum Vulgaris took on this challenge and learned a lesson. Find out about it HERE.
Katie made a graph, by week, of her use and had a few surprises. Here's her POST.
Some of our twitter participants offered energy saving ideas, in 140 words or less:
From @givetreegifts
-If you haven't already made the switch consider led Christmas lights for your tree. Safe & energy efficient
-I've recently discovered Solar Powered Outdoor LED Christmas lights. I've placed some here w/ my Christmas trees
-Saving Energy Begins at Home.
From @skipbang
-We recently moved to a more energy efficient house - I can tell a huge difference this winter already.
From @accessorygal
-My tip is unplugging the cable box when possible. Apparently it uses as much energy as a small fridge!
-Here's an article about the power consumption of cable boxes/DVRs: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26cable.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
From @orbcandles
-Using our candles! :)
From @allnaturalkatie
-Ikea's solar lamp for working on the computer at night.
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: Reducing our energy use is an on-going effort and, as we found in this challenge, the smallest of actions makes a difference. While there will always be fluctuations in our "numbers", we can better control overall use by understanding the affects of our activities.
Great job, 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:
January is typically the time of year that we set goals, make resolutions and start anew. So, in that spirit, let's take a look at "road blocks" to green living and find some solutions. Here you go ...
This week, please share road blocks to green living. For example, perhaps you'd really like to compost but don't. We'd like to know why. Maybe you don't recycle ... let us know why. We're looking for all the reasons for NOT adopting a green activity. If you're not struggling with any road blocks at this time, then please share ones which you've heard from others. For example, one of the most common reasons is that it's too expensive.
Then ...
Take a look at the road blocks shared and offer solutions. For example, to people who say green living is too expensive, we might share examples of how green living is actually frugal. The idea of this challenge is to help us all find solutions and "bust" all excuses for not living green.
Then ...
Take a look at the road blocks shared and offer solutions. For example, to people who say green living is too expensive, we might share examples of how green living is actually frugal. The idea of this challenge is to help us all find solutions and "bust" all excuses for not living green.
So what do you think? Are you up for this challenge? I know that you are!
And ... for the first time this year ... please join me in our mantra:
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)
Are you here looking for Change The World Wednesday? If you missed the special announcement on our last challenge ... let me fill you in:
I'm currently on a break and spending time with my family. It has been an amazing year of Change The World Wednesday ... we have taken on so many activities and, in my opinion, made the world a better place. You can all be proud! Thanks to each and every one of you for participating, sharing ideas and for your true willingness to search out the truth and live in an Eco-friendly way. I'll be back towards the end of January with more challenges and, perhaps, a few surprises. Until then ... click on the following link to participate in our current challenge:
CURRENT CHALLENGE
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
I'm currently on a break and spending time with my family. It has been an amazing year of Change The World Wednesday ... we have taken on so many activities and, in my opinion, made the world a better place. You can all be proud! Thanks to each and every one of you for participating, sharing ideas and for your true willingness to search out the truth and live in an Eco-friendly way. I'll be back towards the end of January with more challenges and, perhaps, a few surprises. Until then ... click on the following link to participate in our current challenge:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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