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!
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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 15 minutes to listen to the sounds around us, with particular emphasis on nature. I've spent most of my life living in a city. It's amazing how one gets used to the sounds of cars, air conditioning units, and planes overhead. At the time, I missed quiet and would actively search out areas without human noise. It was virtually impossible! Now I live in the country. It's still pretty tough to go a full 15 minutes without any man-made noise. Here's the interesting thing ... I still don't hear quiet. I hear nature's noise. At night, there's a bird (still haven't identified it) that sounds like a baby crying. During the day, the cicadas sing for rain. We have toads that croak out their message, turkeys that softly murmur to each other, and song birds singing with joy at our feeders. We still hear human sounds but they are in the distance and infrequent. Man-made noises aren't comforting ... the sounds of nature are calming and peaceful.
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.
Argentum Vulgaris went out to the "praça" to sit and listen. He lives in a busy city in Brazil. So what did he hear? Find out in Change the World Wednesday – 27th Aug.
Alicia loves to spend time outdoors. Here's why: "We live out in the country which makes this an easy challenge for us. We can sit out in the mornings and hear our neighbors horses and cows. We hear so many different species of birds singing and the breeze blowing through the trees is always such a peaceful sound! I love hearing the squirrels going through the trees and then watching them gather acorns on the ground. I also love hearing the Hummingbirds as they come to the feeder and the sound of the bees as they pollinate the flowers in the garden.We always look forward to sitting outside and enjoying all the wonderful nature around us!!"
Katie is excited about this activity. She says, "Ooh! I love the challenge. Noise pollution is something that I care about and I look forward to doing the challenge."
What does La Alicia hear? "lately, the cicadas! ;) "
Andie accomplished this challenge without even knowing it was a challenge. Here's what she had to say, "I've been camping at Ocean Shores since Tuesday, so I got lots of quiet time (spotty internet at best). I participated in your challenge without even knowing :) I heard lovely bird sounds (bush tits and finches I believe). But often these were drowned out by the sound of vehicles in the campground, people's televisions (really!), and shrieking children (a joyous sound at times). The ocean sounds were lovely—a mixture of wind and gull calls. I took a trash bag with me every time we went to the beach. I collected more than I wanted of beer cans/bottles, plastic bottles, miscellaneous plastic trash—the worst was an intact six-pack ring set. I thought we'd outlawed those things! Just glad I kept it from snaring some poor sea creature when he tide rolled in."
Mary stopped by and shared her thoughts: "Excellent challenge! We rarely stop to just listen and think what's around us or even to just take a moment in our busy lives. Hope everyone hears sounds of nature!"
Ann joined us and wrote a post about waste: save the world/Alphabe-Thursday letter P for paper bags encourages us to recycle.
Clare stopped by and said this: "I've often reflected how wonderful it is to live where I do (for as long as it lasts, anyway). We live out in the country (well, there's not really a lot of city on this island) and I wake to the sound of birds outside. Inside the geckos might be having a territorial fight on my walls and it's quiet enough to hear their little clicking noises. I do hear a car go past occasionally, and once a week we get the rubbish, water and electricity guys (well, sometimes, anyway), and that's about all.
Except it's a bit noisier than normal right now because it's mating season for the doves and the males are fighting and courting the females, so there's quite a bit flapping around! There's always a quiet beach to choose where you can hear the water lapping gently inside the coral reefs, and the occasional 'plop' of some creature emerging from its hole in the sand. I'm really thankful I'm so much more in tune with the seasons and the tides, it's lovely. To return to last week's challenge on population - I had a most interesting conversation via Comments on my blog that population control / reduction was almost a taboo subject - do you think it is?" To answer your question, Clare ... unfortunately, population control does seem to be a taboo topic. But, as it does affect the environment, I think we need to have the conversation and bring the topic out of the dark.
The upcycle DZINE mentioned one of your tweets ... was it yours?
Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:
From @GreenQueenofMod
- THANKS! I was camping w/ no internet, so missed this week :( I did my part picking up trash on the Pacific beach for 3 days.
From @GiveTreeGifts
- The surprising uses for birdsong http://t.co/rQG3k57E0g #CTWW
- Scientists to study psychological benefits of birdsong http://t.co/cJF3nN6mOz #CTWW
- What Is Sound Energy? Healing with Sound Energy http://t.co/vf9O6rIiDa #CTWW
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:
In humans, noise pollution causes stress related illnesses, sleep disruption, headaches, irritability, fatigue, nervousness, and loss of productivity. Animals also suffer from noise pollution. They experience increased heart rates and respiration, stress, the inability to reproduce, and even hearing loss. Man-made noise prevents animals from hearing important environmental cues and animal signals which, in turn, threatens their safety. It also causes some species to abandon their territory, adversely affecting biodiversity. The sounds we hear in our daily lives may not seem like a big deal, but they have serious consequences. It's something to think about before firing up that generator, turning on the air conditioner, or going out for a drive. Noise pollution is man made ... it's our responsibility to eliminate it!
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:
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| Zero Waste Week has begun! |
Here's your challenge ...
This week, look for one more way to reduce the amount of waste you generate. Need some inspiration? Check out the Zero Waste Week Facebook Page and scroll through the posts for tips and ideas. Perhaps buy "naked" produce (items without any kind of packaging), carry a reusable bag at the market, or find creative uses for leftover food. If you have a baby in the house, try cloth diapers (nappies) and reusable wipes rather than the disposable varieties. Consider reusable menstrual products instead of single-use items. Find creative ways to upcycle "trash" or donate used items to charity. The idea, this week, is to find one more way to reduce waste.
Are you up for this challenge? I know that you are!
If you have a challenge idea, please send it to me HERE.
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Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!