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 "greened" our shaving routine. Did you resemble "Bigfoot" or did you find an Eco-friendly way to remove hair? I use a razor with a replaceable head. To get maximum use, I employ some techniques to extend the blade's life. Keeping the blade clean and dry is important because water will encourage metal corrosion. Stropping keeps tiny particles off the blade. To do this on the razors which most of us use today, simply wipe the blade in the opposite direction from shaving. Another method to prolong the blade is to apply a bit of oil (something which is skin-safe) which slows the oxidation of the metal. Shaving creams, especially the ones which come in a pressurized can, are not kind to us or the environment. I use Eco-friendly soap, hair conditioner or olive oil as my shaving "cream".
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.
Alicia uses very Eco-friendly hair removal strategies: "I use our shaving bar for my legs and underarms. It has Bentonite Clay in it and it makes your razor last almost twice as long. This is great because we don't have to buy razors that often! I do wax above my upper lip and for this I make my own "wax". The recipe I use calls for 2 cups of sugar ( I use the organic evaporated cane juice ) 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. You put it all in a saucepan and stir frequently until it reaches 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. You let it cool and then pour in a glass container with a top. When you want to use it just apply with a wooden Popsicle stick. Then take some cotton strips press down and pull quickly. It works so well and is all natural."
The McBride’s Organic Farm Daily included a CTWW mention. Other stories include 30 Tips for Someone Just Diagnosed with Food Allergies, Antibiotics Used in Livestock: Making Us Even Sicker Than We Thought and Washington state testing alfalfa for GMO contamination.
Lois wasn't ready to go "au naturel" but she does extend the life of her razors. Her current model has lasted for eight years. How is that possible? Find out in Change the World Wednesday: Hair Removal.
Are you interested in milk pasteurization? How about probiotics? Are you concerned about nut allergies in school lunches? Read about those topics and CTWW in this edition of The Flora Foster Daily.
Katie accepted our challenge. She shares, "Great challenge! I use natural soap to shave with (same soap as used for showering) and moisturize with coconut oil afterwards. For some body parts, I borrow DH's electric trimmer. I will think about making more improvements to be green with hair removal!" By the way, on a recent visit to Katie's blog, I saw a great article about the difference between apple sauce and apple butter. Who knew ... I didn't!
Amber gave us an update on the banana/refrigerator challenge in Eco-friendly Hair Removal: #CTWW. She also shared some tips on razors ... have you ever heard of a razor made from yogurt cups? Oh yeah!
In this edition of Tweets for Good, you'll find a bunch of CTWW posts ... is one of them yours?
I love how (sometimes) our challenges encourage interesting dialogue. For example, consider EcoGrrl's comments: " "hair removal routine" - you mean like waxing? I never understood that. I use a Preserve razor made from recycled plastic and just buy refill blades, and shave legs/pits twice a week. I use the lather from my soap or shampoo on my legs - have been doing this since I started shaving and not only does it work better than shaving cream, it's not creating more waste. Waxing to me is just strange, particularly around the privates - there is a major lack of self-acceptance out there and a whole lot of women with the twisted perception that they should look like 9 year old girls down there and it's creepy as hell to me. Any behaviors where we are deliberately causing pain to ourselves in order to please someone else disturbs me."
Argentum Vulgaris uses the "Mother Nature" method of hair removal. What??? Yep, check it out in Change the World Wednesday – 11th Sep ... he includes pictures!
The Sustainable Education Initiative gave CTWW a headline spot. The paper also includes a savory cream of spinach soup recipe, a guide to drying herbs/spices and information on 2 newly established Amazon parks, covering 2.4m acres, in Brazil.
Kristina had no problem meeting this challenge. She says, "I don't use disposable razors. I have the kind that just needs the blade replaced every so often. My daughter recently started shaving her legs and I bought her one too. No disposables here! I have never used a shaving cream - just soap. Seems to work fine for me." Kristina recently wrote an article about recent announcements that Walmart and P&G are phasing out harmful chemicals. She voices a concern, however, towards the end of the post. What do you think about their efforts?
This edition of Shopping Charity included CTWW as well as several other tweets I shared this week. You'll also find information on Personalized Boxed Tree Gifts by Joanne, a regular CTWW Gang Member (did you know that she has a company called Give Tree Gifts?).
Sunflowers & Edibles included one of your CTWW posts ... was it yours? You'll also find an article entitled Planting Apple Trees in Autumn which I tweeted this week.
Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:
From @officialcwerner
- My #CTWW You can have an herb garden in small spaces!! Planted in a plastic tub, backyard is limited for space. pic.twitter.com/Vd08GZuRSE
From @sammyobeid
- Not shaving helps save the Earth. Yea, so when I don't shave say "Thank You Sammy!"
From @evelynmccpeters
- your post about the bananas inspired me to make peanut butter, yogurt and banana homemade Frosty Paws for the dogs!
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:
Once again, it's all about our choices. Something simple like shaving can serve it's purpose in an Eco-friendly way or can add waste to landfills and toxic chemicals to waterways. Even when the market's shelves are stocked with less-than-desirable products and it seems that we don't have options, we can raise our voice and let manufacturers know that we want a green product. Perhaps, if we keep insisting on "green", they will accommodate us! It is certainly worth the effort!
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:
If you saw Yesterday's Post, then you know what this week's challenge entails. If you didn't read that post, hop over and check it out ... and then ... accept the challenge:
This week we are joining my friends at Fanimation in celebrating the the first ever National Ceiling Fan Day (NCFD). Did you know that the average central cooling unit draws anywhere from 3,500 to 5,000 watts of energy? Compare that to the 6-30 watts used by a ceiling fan and we quickly see why ceiling fans are energy efficient. So, for at least one full day this week, power off your air conditioners and rely on ceiling fans and/or portable fans to keep cool.
OR ...
If you don't use/have an air conditioning unit, please offer tips for staying cool in Eco-friendly ways.
If you don't use/have an air conditioning unit, please offer tips for staying cool in Eco-friendly ways.
OR ...
If it's cold in your area, please turn off your heating system and find alternate ways to keep warm (put on more clothing, use blankets, reverse the direction of your fan, adjust curtains, etc.).
If it's cold in your area, please turn off your heating system and find alternate ways to keep warm (put on more clothing, use blankets, reverse the direction of your fan, adjust curtains, etc.).
Are you up for this challenge? I know that you are! Let's conserve some energy!
Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!