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 took on the Tar Sands Oil Pipeline and, by signing a petition, told the world that we are NOT okay with the extraction and use of fossil fuels ... that we insist on sustainable, clean, environmentally-friendly energy. My personal philosophy is that we can't expect our political leaders to know what we want unless we tell them. While I would hope that their choices are based on doing the right thing, the fact remains that they are under a lot of pressure from special interest groups. It's easy for our voices to be drowned out by those who care more about the bottom line. A petition is one way that we can band together and elevate the sound of our collective voice so that we can't be ignored.
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.
Please note: Political activism is very personal. On challenges where we sign petitions or in any way contact our officials, I won't include my own commentary about your posts and comments. I'll simply list them for you to read.
Argentum Vulgaris wrote Change the World Wednesday – 31st Jul.
Lois wrote Change The World Wednesday, Environmental Concerns.
Jacqueline says, "Oh that's funny. I just got involved in this action just TODAY!!! I sign as many petitions as I can and I do make phone calls to senators until my ears bleed. This pipeline is a disaster. People, get involved!!!"
EcoGrrl says, " One of the reasons I use Twitter is to get all my enviro info from my fave nonprofits (esp NRDC) in one feed so that I can stay abreast on all the important work going on and sign their petitions. Great post!"
Ann wrote Thursday Challenge: Green Cool Wall.
Tammy wrote Sustainable Education Initiative.
Petunia GreenBeans wrote Tweets for Good
Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:
From @givetreegifts:
- Keystone XL tar sands pipeline does not pass President's climate test ow.ly/nuNpn
- Tar Sands Oil Has Been Leaking Into Alberta For 10 Weeks And No One Knows How To Stop It ow.ly/nuNHq
- New Report: Less than 1-percent of Tar Sands Environmental Infractions Penalized ow.ly/nuNV6
- OpEdNews - Article: Fighting Tar Sands Oil: The Devotion and Hard Work of Activist Bill McKibben ow.ly/nuO6S
- Oil-sands rally overflows with activists ow.ly/nuOo3
From @EcoWarriorMe:
- signed (I hope they don't use trains instead)
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:
My Final Thoughts:
By living a green life, we can have a positive impact on the environment. Often, however, important decisions are made by our leaders ... people who don't always have their constituent's, or the environment's, best interest at heart. We can sit back and feel powerless ... or ... we can speak out. Doing so together gives us a louder, more powerful voice.
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:
In May of 2013, the world crossed the 400 ppm threshold. That is a CO2 concentration of 400 parts per million and the highest concentration of CO2 on earth in 2 million years. To put that in perspective, 350 ppm has been noted as the highest "safe" concentration for humans. Does that scare you? It does me! The biggest cause of the increase is the combustion of fossil fuel. That is a broad category which includes the electricity we use (most electricity in the US comes from coal), fuel for our cars and the trucks which transport our food and other products, and industrial processes which make our "stuff". Let's focus on a few things and help reduce the numbers. Here you go ...
This week, unplug household appliances on standby. Pay special attention to any appliance with a clock or lighted panel (microwaves, coffee makers, etc.) ... those are the obvious signs that energy is being used even when the appliance isn't. Also look for phantom energy use ... phone chargers, TVs, recording devices, etc. They all use energy when plugged in. Turn off the computer and monitor when not in use. Worried about maintaining your internet connection? Then, leave the modem on but turn everything else off. Consider a power bar to make this task easier.
OR ...
Buy only local foods and products this week thereby reducing the amount of fuel used to get products from their origin to your shelf.
Buy only local foods and products this week thereby reducing the amount of fuel used to get products from their origin to your shelf.
OR ...
Go on a "no spending" diet this week. Refuse to purchase anything but the bare necessities thereby reducing the industrial processes required to manufacture stuff.
Go on a "no spending" diet this week. Refuse to purchase anything but the bare necessities thereby reducing the industrial processes required to manufacture stuff.
Which will you choose? All of them?
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Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!