Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Start a Garden

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:

• The #CTWW Gang
• The Honor Society
• My Final Thoughts on Our Last Challenge
• This Week's Challenge

Last week we took on a fun challenge ... a family cook day! Here's an interesting fact: Research shows that family meals promote healthier eating – more fruits, vegetables and fiber; less fried food; and often fewer calories. I have great memories of being in the kitchen ... watching my grandmother, mom, and aunts working together to make raviolis; sitting at a table with my parents, cleaning fish; making traditional South American Christmas food with my mother-in-law, husband, and parents. Those times were filled with smiles, laughter, and fun. I learned about nutrition and developed a respect for ingredients. Enjoying a meal, which everyone had a hand in preparing, was special ... somehow, the food always tasted better!

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.

Charlotte wrote a wonderful post on our plastic challenge. In Plastic pollution she discusses how the oceans got to be a problem and offers 4 ways that we can take immediate action. In support of last week's task, she wrote Family Dinner, an excellent post where she talks about balance and knowledge being key methods to good nutrition.

Kimberly dropped by and shared this: "Oh my…great post! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for being part of our party. I hope to see you on tonight at 7. Lou Lou Girls"

Cooking with family is a long-held tradition for Alicia. Here's what she had to say: "Our children are grown now but when they were little I always included them in preparing a lot of things they ate. We home schooled them during the early years and when they were learning fractions I let them pick out recipes that had lots of measurements and this helped them in learning their fractions. Then they got to pick someone to give their finished product to and then they would grade them on the recipe. They loved doing this. Was lots of fun while learning at the same time. So our daughter and son both developed a love of cooking from an early age. Our daughter-in-law loves that our son is such a good cook and loves how he comes up with such delicious recipes! I now include our grandsons in the kitchen. We makes lots of wonderful nutritious snacks when they come to visit. They have such a good time doing this and always look forward to the fun things we are going to bake."

Morag accepted the challenge and shared this: "Nice challenges. I suspect I'll chat to my OH and see what nutritional changes we can make - there is always room for improvement! As for nutritional meals, ingredients, things to look out for on packaging or the best way to store food for max nutrition there are some ideas (in the form of quests) here: http://www.worldchanging.me/quest-tag/nutrition. Good luck everyone. Can't wait to hear what you get up to!"

Marla checked into our Plastic challenge and shared this: "Plastic is one of the worst contaminants to our environment plus it is filled with some much toxicity to the body. I loved your article and all the feedback from others. It's good to know that people are becoming more and more aware of the dangers of plastic. I have very few plastic containers in my house. Use glass jars to store leftovers in that are recycled from products I bought and when I make food I either use glass or stainless. It cleans up so much better too and doesn't get those ugly stains on. I am slowing getting my husband away from plastic too."

Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:

From @laalicia
- Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress. -Seth Godin

By the way ... our survey, this month, is all about nutrition so, if you have a minute, click HERE and tell us how you amp up your nutrition.

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:

@beatepdx	@biggreenpen	@brokeblokeblogs
@clift_efst	@collegegogreen	@conservationm
@debsmikdav1	@dehelen	@eco_novice
@ecoexpert1	@familyfocusblog	@freshcleanersaz
@givelocal15	@grandmasdiaries	@gronavra
@groovygreenlivi	@herbgir1972	@inmemoryoftrees
@kaitlingarder	@kayelleallen	@laalicia
@lady_bren	@ladyjcmuses	@mamasmoney
@marbaird	@marjoriemcatee	@mdgblogger
@mimibarbour	@moha_doha	@momsmadhousex6
@nolafusion	@okidoki_tv	@outdoorfammag
@rckweddings	@realityarts	@rulesofgreen
@ruralmoms	@spafloating	@theworld4realz
@treesgroup	@turningclockbac	@wary12
@wimpyvegetarian	@worldchangingme

My Final Thoughts:

We've assumed, in this challenge, that cooking with family includes the preparation of nutritional food. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. I've heard people say that they can't afford wholesome foods such as fresh produce when, for a dollar or two, they can buy a box of "helper". I personally believe that we can cook healthy meals on any budget. It takes a bit of planning and creativity but it is worth the effort. Not only is the food healthier but it is better for our environment. And that's an important life lesson to share with our family.

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:

March's theme is: Nutrition

Any space can be transformed
into a vegetable garden

One of the best ways to ensure proper nutrition in our food, and eliminate the threat of chemicals and pesticides, is to grow our own organic fruits and vegetables.

Even those who live in small spaces can grow food in containers placed on a windowsill.

It's also a fun family activity. And here's a plus ... picky eaters who typically refuse to eat their veggies have been known to love varieties which they had a hand in growing.

Here's your challenge ...

This week, start a garden. This can be on a large scale, turning a substantial piece of land into a vegetable garden, or something small like a single pot of herbs on a windowsill. The idea, this week, is to start growing food.

OR ...

If growing food is just not for you, then your challenge is to either visit a farmer's market or sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) ... click HERE to find a farm close to you.

UP THE ANTI:  Our friend, Morag, has challenged us to do a bit better on this week's activity.  Here's her challenge:  What about for those of you that don't want to grow food - what about skipping straight to the harvesting with our foraging quests? http://www.worldchanging.me/quest-tag/forage Free nutritious food is just there for the taking - now that has to be worth a few moments research to see what edible things grow in the wild near you!  Will you accept her challenge?

Are you ready to get your hands in the earth? I know that you are!

Until next time ...

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

Guest Post - How to Create a Zen Garden

Your home is your sanctuary.

You need a space – no matter how small – where you can find peace.

That space can be tiny (about notebook size) or huge (several acres). A Zen garden can fit anywhere.

But the theme is always the same. Simplicity.

Creating a Zen garden is easy if you follow these 6 steps.

Step 1: Decide on the scale

Do you want a small desktop Zen garden? A corner of your outdoor yard or garden? All of your garden? It can be wherever works best for you.

A Zen garden is traditionally made only of sand and stones. Larger gardens have trees or small plants as well.

Just remember that there is a little maintenance involved in an outdoor Zen garden. You’ll need to water any plants, weed, and rake the sand to remove debris and animal droppings.

Step 2: The Fun Part! Design your garden

Before you start work on it, plan how you want your garden to look.

For example, a simple rustic Zen garden might use old railroad ties for the frame.

Remember that your frame must support at least two inches of sand.

Google “photos Zen Garden” for some design inspiration.

Step 3: Gather your tools and equipment

If you want an indoor Zen garden, you’ll need:

1. A sheet of plywood for the base.
2. 4 pieces of lumber for the frame (or buy an old picture frame (at least 2 inches / 5 cm thick) from a thrift store – then all you have to do is fill it!).
3. Wood screws or nails and wood glue or string.

4. Sand – it should be 2 inches / 5cm deep. Measure the length x width x height of your frame, to determine how much sand you need. Buy small bags at a local pet shop of aquarium supply store.
5. Small stones.
6. A wooden sand rake.

For your outdoor Zen garden you’ll need:

1. Plastic sheeting for a “groundsheet” to protect your Zen garden from weeds.
2. Lumber to create a frame for the garden – you need to contain the sand to keep it looking sharp.
3. Wood screws or nails and wood glue.
4. Sand – it should be 2 inches / 5cm deep. Measure the length x width x height of your frame, to determine how much sand you need.
   
   Buy it from your local quarry or landscaping centre.
5. Rocks of an appropriate size for the garden. Consider old, mossy rocks, or rocks with interesting colours, shapes or textures.
6. Plants and trees if you wish. Consider moss, evergreens, shrubs and xeriscape plants like Mountain Laurel which don’t require much water.

Step 4: Prepare the area

Indoor garden: find a flat surface and cover it with newspaper or plastic to help contain the sand while you work.

Outdoor garden: remove any existing grass, plants, weeds or other items from the area.

Step 5: Build and Fill

Join your corners together. For smaller gardens wood glue may be fine, or reinforce if necessary with nails or wood screws.

Fill the garden with sand. Decorate with your chosen rocks and plants. Place them off-centre and partially submerged. Never clutter your Zen garden.

Also consider space for candles or a stone lamp, so that you can enjoy the stillness after dark too.

Step 6: Enjoy

Enjoying your Zen garden is easy. Sit down beside it and simply enjoy the peace and simplicity. Rake it to create pattern and lines. Use long, curving strokes to represent water ripples.

Find quiet, solitude and peace in its simplicity.

Make visiting your Zen garden a daily ritual.

Clare Delaney lives green on a tiny tropical island. Get a fabulous free ebook “Live Well, Live Green” from her site EcoFriendlyLink, and get a daily green tip of the day as well as up-to-the-minute environmental news by following @EcoExpert1 on Twitter.

Sneak Peek: Join us on Monday when I'll be sharing some of my favorite home remedies and cures.

Posted at Small Footprint Fridays and Fit Foodie Runs Linky Party

Growing Food - A Different Take

Our last survey asked "Which green-living practice has been the toughest for you?" The results show that growing food ranks as the hardest activity:

The "other" category, which tied for first place, included these comments:

• Buying eco friendly furniture!
• I don't have the space to grow my own food but I do support my farmers market each weekend! :)
• Purchasing goods that are local and affordable (clothing for example)- I compromise by purchasing a lot from goodwill, but the new stuff...it's hard to stomach purchasing a $150.00 dress (that is yes, beautiful and locally made) when you are on a tight budget.
• Finding useful means of reusing "throwaway" materials That package items I buy, so that less is wasted, and less "needs" to be purchased.
• While I only shop once or twice a year, I admit when I do it's usually just for basics at Old Navy or the Gap Outlet. So mine would be, shopping for gently used clothes instead.

There are many benefits to having a garden and growing one's own food. Even a small garden can supplement our diets. Fresh, organic vegetables are healthy, flavorful and reduce the strain on our planet.

Here's an idea which might surprise you ... growing food helps us reduce food waste. Why? Because while most people think nothing about tossing out molded fruits & veggies which were purchased at the market, we wouldn't consider tossing out a vegetable which we nurtured and watched grow.

Benefits aside, the obstacles to gardening make it impossible for some to take advantage of home-grown fruits and veggies.

Would you consider it a privilege to have a garden?

I read an interesting article about food insecurity which suggested that having a garden isn't simple for everyone, especially poor people. The author pointed out that people living beneath the poverty line barely have enough money to feed themselves let alone buy seeds. And what about space ... lower income families often live in multifamily housing without amenities like patios, yards or green spaces. If a landlord places little value on growing food then any request for garden space is denied. Community gardens often charge for a plot ... water costs extra ... and dealing with pests, even in a natural way, can cost money.

Other obstacles include time, storage (for the harvest and for gardening equipment), a person's physical limitations and knowledge.

I feel privileged to have a garden. I am aware that some cannot and that I am lucky to have the means to pay for seeds, plants, water, etc.

Perhaps the true green living activity isn't about growing food but rather finding ways to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, local produce. Maybe we share our harvest with others or volunteer to help start a garden or simply teach someone how to grow tomatoes. Maybe we donate our time at a community garden or purchase space for those who can't afford it. We can support edible gardens in our area ... places where everyone can harvest food for their table. We can share seeds, knowledge and even land.

Is there someone in your neighborhood who would like to grow food? How will you help remove their obstacles?