Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - What do you see?

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 used photos to show the world why we live green. Here are a few of my reasons (all taken on our property):

Why I live green (Change The World Wednesday)
I live green to protect wildlife.

Why I live green (Change The World Wednesday)
I live green to protect beautiful spaces.

Why I live green (Change The World Wednesday)
I live green to protect native plants.

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.

Deborah stopped by and shared this: "Change the World Wednesday has meant a lot to me (and to so many others). It really helps us learn, share, think, assess and ultimately improve! I am so delighted that you will continue the tradition on a monthly basis this year.Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop. I'm sharing!"

Catarina wrote Why I live green? (or try to) where she shares a photo and a terrific video. Please take a moment to view the video ... it's excellent!

Nancy shared an interesting photo ... it's a bit different but speaks volumes. Rather than show something which needs to be protected, she chose a photo of something which needs to be fixed. Check out Photo Challenge That Illustrates Why I Live Green. Once you've looked at her first photo, continue reading and view her list of actions. It's awesome!

Alicia joined us. Here's what she had to say: "I am running behind on my blog post for the week but will have one up hopefully tomorrow. One of the reasons we live green is that while we were living in California we got educated on how awful the products we use everyday are. We know that we absorb the things we put on our bodies so we need to be aware of the ingredients that are in them. Toxic chemicals are in so many of the products that are found on our grocery shelves. So we decided to work at eliminating as much of the harmful chemicals in our home as we could. We thought that it was going to be really hard to replace the chemical laden cleaning products but found that it was extremely easy! Vinegar. lemon juice, and soda are excellent cleaners. Because of our Eco Natural company we have eliminated all of the chemicals that we use on our bodies. I have seen in the past few years that with a lot of other people doing the same thing companies are taking notice and changing bad ingredients to better ingredients in the products they are producing! Another way we are living greener is by producing quite a bit of our own food, I don't eat any meat or dairy but still eat fish on occasion. My husband eats meat a few times a year but thats all so I feel we are helping produce less greenhouse gases.There are so many reasons we chose to live a greener life and these are just a couple of them."

Lois accepted the challenge with these poignant words: "Why do I care? Growing up I was alone a lot, I spent time outdoors in forests, untouched areas or the beaches. I grew to know the sounds of each of the animals and insects and felt comforted by them. I hate watching and hearing about the loss of these living things. I see deer walking through residential neighborhoods because we have taken their habitat. Then I look at my grandchildren and wonder if they will only see these animals in protected habitats or zoos. I want them to experience what I did."

Our Twitter friend, @WorldChangingMe, joined the conversation and shared this:
Take that buying green drinks challenge to the next level! Check out our Creative Director Morag's comments at http://t.co/q4BBsQXGyB #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:

@adam_gainer @beatepdx @biggreenpen
@collegegogreen @debsmikdav1 @dehelen
@freshcleanersaz @ginavalley @groovygreenlivi
@herbgir1972 @itsadomelife @kaitlingarder
@kayelleallen @laalicia @ladyjcmuses
@mamapoolecooks @mamasmoney @mdgblogger
@mimibarbour @nolafusion @rainyofthedark
@rckweddings @realityarts @rulesofgreen
@spafloating @sweatergetter @theworld4realz
@treesgroup @wencdj @wimpyvegetarian
@worldchangingme

My Final Thoughts:

Taking photos is a great visual reminder of why we've chosen the path of green living. It's not always easy to walk gently on the earth. During the tough times, a photo can bolster our resolve to protect the world.

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:

January's theme is: Why we do it

I believe that we protect what we love.

If we love the earth, we'll protect her.

Here's your challenge ...


This week, go outside and look for something special ... something to appreciate and love. Perhaps it's the way snow melts off a tree or how early flowers are pushing their way through the earth. Maybe it's the feel of crisp air on your face or the way the sun looks in winter. The idea is to look ... really look ... for something positive and wonderful ... something to love ... and protect.

OR ...

If going outside isn't doable, please stand at a window to complete this exercise. Tell us about what you see ... something worth loving and protecting.

Are you up for this task? I know that you are!

Until next time ...

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