Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Use Counter-Top Appliances or Eat Raw

Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)!

Wondering how to live greener? You've come to the right place. Each week we challenge ourselves to try a new task ... or "amp up" something we're already doing. We raise our awareness, learn from each other and develop Eco-friendly skills which will improve our lives and protect our planet. Doing so together gives us power ... the power to Change The World!

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.

This post contains great information and I encourage you to read through it at your leisure ... however, if you are short on time, you might find the following quick links helpful:


Last week we attempted to do one more "green" thing. Walking gently on the earth is part of my life so finding that little extra was difficult ... not impossible, though. We made a conscious effort to drive even less than we already do (which isn't much since we work from home). Little things helped like scheduling both of our dental appointments at the same time (or close). We also succeeded in reducing our water use even further this week. We've had a LOT of rain in western North Carolina so we simply took our houseplants outside and let the rain water them. I plan to continue to search out ways to reduce my 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.

Mrs. Green, a devout "greenie" accepted the challenge. She has a list of things to accomplish but, as she points out, these are all things she would regularly do and not something new. Recruiting her "Robinson-Crusoe", however, paid off ... they came up with an exciting way to reduce waste. How? Read How to reuse non-rechargeable batteries to find out.

EcoGrrl chose the "Fourth R" as her "one more thing". Here's what she's doing: "Right now my focus is on one of the R's that is not part of the standard 3 R's - and that's "repair"! I have a wish list of stuff I want for my house and one of them has been to have a new medicine cabinet for my bathroom, when I realized the silly thing was, I just hate the icky plastic shelves on them that are cracked. After some online research, I discovered that several places nearby will cut glass to size, so rather than buying an entirely new medicine cabinet that's 99% probably made in China with toxins by overworked and underpaid citizens, I'm just getting new shelves made. One of my primary resolutions this year was to build more. Here's a step in the right direction!"

This challenge was very timely for Alicia. She shares, "Our washing machine decided this past week that it no longer wanted to work correctly! We have had it a long time and to repair it was really more than what we thought it was worth. So we have bought a new energy efficient one. I am really excited to be more "green" in this area. It will save us money by being so much more energy and water efficient!! What started out as a problem the Lord turned into a blessing!! I agree with EcoGirl to build more is such a great thing to do. We have a lot of scrap wood and I have several things I want my husband to build for the house out of it. We had some hardwood flooring left over several years back and he made some wonderful tables using the pieces leftover. They are so unique,pretty and very sturdy."

McBride’s Organic Farm Daily gave CTWW a nice mention. There's another article in this edition that I found fascinating entitled Monsanto. Broccoli. I Love This. Really! It suggests that GMO seeds are not always a bad thing. Check it out and see if you agree.

Lois and I are on the same "brain wave": " We were thinking alike again today. I went out to find a way to protect the garden with what I could find on hand from the deer. Coming inside to cool off I checked today's challenge and had to laugh. My morning fit perfectly with the challenge." In Change the World Wednesday, Greener Living, she talks about how getting creative helps her to do "one more thing". She also shares a bit about her "No Plastic In July" efforts.

Argentum Vulgaris came up with a great idea ... green our pets. He offers a few tips in Change the World Wednesday – 17th Jul. He also shares a recipe for left-over bread ... Mmmm!

CTWW got a headline spot in The Flora Foster Daily. There are other terrific articles like one entitled Best DIY Projects.

Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:

From @dusdifissette
- Zero Food Waste Challenge Win! @smallftprints George Golmassian taught me how 2 grow my SaladSandwich Garden pic.twitter.com/mRqQ0xoQhX

From @laalicia
- recent paper fun http://t.co/AbNWKmktrx #CTWW #Eco

From @UntreedReads
- Don't forget to catch up on great blog content under the #ctww hashtag. Let's Change the World (this) Wednesday!

The #CTWW Gang are those folks who tweet our challenges using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I recommend following them ... they share great things. Let's meet them:

@89linz @a_kiasi @allnaturalkatie
@anitaadamsnc @beckymcneer @biggreenpen
@bstoneblog @changes4charlie @conservationm
@counselorholley @crazedkitchen @crazedmom
@dusdifissette @eco_novice @ecoexpert1
@ecopro_co @ecothrifty @evelynmccpeters
@familyfocusblog @florafoster2 @frederickbrooke
@friendsoftrees @ginavalley @givetreegifts
@gr8fulgirl11 @greeningwestfor @groovygreenlivi
@hismerecry @irishcarter1 @ithoughtiknewma
@jadekerrion @jnaquins @juliarbarrett
@kayelleallen @laalicia @lady_bren
@ladyjcmuses @lavishandlime @leighanneramsey
@lifelovemusic1 @linap @lorcadamon
@lottie51 @mamapoolecooks @marjoriemcatee
@mcbridesorganic @mom2tle @momgamerwriter
@murilonagyidai @nolafusion @organicvixen
@ppatch_blog @rckweddings @realityarts
@rulesofgreen @shannongrissom @skipbang
@soulfullab @soundless2 @theworld4realz
@treesgroup @tristinandtyler @truenatureed
@untreedreads @wencdj @whopaysthepiper
@whywelovegreen @women4earth

My Final Thoughts:

At the end of most Apple events, Steve Jobs introduced a surprise by saying, "One more thing ...". It was his trademark move and his "one more thing" was often just as exciting as the main announcement. It was a measure of excellence, a commitment to going beyond the expected and doing more than required. In a way, that's how I viewed this challenge. Finding another way to walk gently on the earth is a surprise ... an exciting surprise. It's also a measure of our willingness to aim for green perfection, to do more than the basics, to exceed our own expectations. What if our "one more thing" is the one thing that tips the scales to the side of the environment?

Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share features located below this post.

This Week's Challenge:

Using the oven/stove not only heats up our kitchen, it uses a lot of energy. So, let's do something to keep our homes cool and save energy at the same time. Here's your challenge ...

This week, rather than use your stove/oven to prepare meals, use counter-top appliances (crock-pot, toaster oven, electric skillet, etc.) or eat raw foods. No cheating ... we're not suggesting that you buy prepared foods or head for the nearest restaurant. The challenge is to prepare meals at home using the least amount of energy. Can you do it for one day? How about seven?

Can you manage this one? I know that you can!!

Until next time ...

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