How serious are you about local products?

Would you spend more
for local products?

I recently read an interesting Facebook discussion on our friend, Rewinn's, page. He asked if people would be willing to pay a premium for locally produced products.

The answers were interesting. Some people talked about the "catch 22" of poverty. Others mentioned the need to support local economies. As I read through the answers, I wondered if "greenies" would answer the question in a similar fashion.

We all know that local products are "greener" than products which travel across the world. But the reality is that local items are usually more expensive.

When our green ethics clash with our available income, which side of the fence do our decisions fall on?

That's the focus of this month's survey.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Join us on June 19th for the results.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Plant Some Food

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 addressed the plight of the Monarch Butterfly, whose populations are rapidly decreasing due, primarily, to the use of herbicides. I signed a petition asking the EPA to adopt tough new restrictions on weed killers. A few weeks ago, I planted wild flowers; however, I wasn't sure if Milkweed (the Monarch's primary food source and where they lay their eggs) was included in my seed mix so I went on a hunt for them. I found a great site (http://www.livemonarch.org/donation.htm) where one can get seeds for a small donation. I also found a local Asheville store, The Compleat Naturalist, which is giving away free Milkweed seeds ... no purchase necessary, no strings attached, just a firm desire to help our winged friends. I'll be planting a dedicated butterfly garden in the next few days.

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 accepted the challenge and planted Milkweed. Or did he? Find out in Change the World Wednesday – 28th May.

Betsy accepted the challenge and shared this: "I am trying to cultivate milkweek in my yard. Petition SIGNED! Thanks for hosting as always, Small Footprints. I can't help myself from coming over here from Triberr when I see you have a new post up : ) " Thanks, Betsy ... I love that we're Triberr mates!

Alicia joined us and shares a bit about one of my favorite places, "BUTTERFLY TOWN, U.S.A.": "Thanks so much for the link to the petition! I am excited to try Milkweed this year and hoping that it will draw lots of butterflies. This is going to be a fun challenge to see if what we plant will draw them. I also read that daisy's, goldenrod and coneflower are some others that will draw them.I think we will try planting all of these and see how it works out! When we lived in Northern California we meat to go to Pacific Grove to see all of Monarch Butterflies that come there each year and hang out ( literally ) in the Eucalyptus groves They are there from October -February then they continue their migration south. They hang in clusters from the branches to maintain their body temp.Pacific Grove created this sanctuary to preserve the Monarchs but also make available an awesome opportunity to observe these amazing butterflies.If you live anywhere near there you should definitely check it out.Here is a link if anyone would like to read more about this sanctuary. http://www.pacificgrove.org/things-to-do/top-attractions/monarch-butterflies/3 The numbers have been down there also and I believe that it has a lot to do with pesticides and herbicides. We all should be aware of not using these harmful chemicals. There are many organic chemical free options to choose from."

CelloMom stopped by. Here's what she has to say: "Signed! A few years ago, we brought home a monarch chrysalis, attached to - you may guess - a milkweed twig. We watched the magic of the hatching. And after the monarch had flown away, my CelloPlayer carefully collected the seeds, and scattered it all over the yard. It's still coming back. The monarch is also one of the main characters in Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel, "Flight Behavior", which highlights how global warming also affects the monarch's migration. She paints a wonderful - and hilarious - picture of the main characters, improbably named Dellarobia. A great read." Sounds like a great book, CelloMom ... thanks for the recommendation! By the way, if you haven't visited CelloMom recently, head over ... she's got a terrific post on "size creep".

Ann included our CTWW Banner in a post entitled, Living Landscapes Connected Communities - Areca BooksAreca Books. Thanks, Ann!

Deborah joined us and shared this: "Thanks for raising our awareness of this important issue. I am so delighted that you shared #CTWW Monarch Butterflies with us at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop! We appreciate it!"

Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:

From @AndreaPtak
- Change the World Wed. #CTWW Start with simple steps bring your own bags when shopping: http://t.co/RUS5Od4L5G #green #sustainability

From @GiveTreeGifts
- How to Banish Junk Mail from Your (Real World) Mailbox http://t.co/0mUaH5LsD6 #CTWW
- Junk mail scam warning http://t.co/kCZJGK5glD #CTWW
- Students' project mimics Monarch butterflies' paths http://t.co/cW4m6XcnYW #CTWW
- Monarch butterfly decline due to lack of milkweed; wildlife enthusiasts ask for help - http://t.co/TnIg3kJS0y #CTWW
- North Jersey homeowners urged to plant milkweed to save monarch butterflies http://t.co/olRlqbG5va #CTWW
- How to give a hand to Monarch butterflies http://t.co/N9naLgj4ho #CTWW
- Stopping Unsolicited Mail, Phone Calls, and Email http://t.co/vmy7N6x7Go #CTWW
- How to Get Rid of Junk Mail: 22 Steps http://t.co/LY6uEsCPrp #CTWW

From @acuriousgal1
- Hand-pulling weeds, great way to help eliminate herbicides and also good exercise #CTWW #flowers #exercise http://t.co/vtbCM3Xmh8

From @Forests_Ontario
- @acuriousgal1 pulling weeds great way to eliminate herbicides + good exercise #CTWW #flowers #exercise Same with pulling invasive species!

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:

@12tmimi	@89linz	@a_kiasi
@acuriousgal1	@allnaturalkatie	@andreaptak
@awrobley	@biggreenpen	@bythelakewithme
@ccbstarr	@clctreeservices	@compingcrazzy
@debsmikdav1	@dehelen	@dieselelephants
@dmilly1234	@eco_novice	@ecocountrytable
@ecofriendlyfurn	@ecothrifty	@erbaviva
@factorydpromos	@familybetty	@familyfreshmeal
@flapi777	@foodretro	@forests_ontario
@geekgirlusa	@givetreegifts	@green_vibes
@greenecoswing	@greenglobaltrvl	@greenqueenofmod
@greensoil	@groovygreenlivi	@hashtracking
@herbgir1972	@hismerecry	@imgreenareyou
@izumiokumura	@jnaquins	@jpmozart
@junestoyer	@justanotherhat	@kaitlingarder
@kayelleallen	@kingyo3_dama	@kiser_krafts
@krmbalclothing	@laalicia	@ladyjcmuses
@lee4leeby	@legsetobicoke	@liuwailing
@lovecanal2020	@luckytobeyou	@magnushrm
@marikokoloco	@marizulca	@marjoriemcatee
@michaelinla3	@mirai1201	@momgamerwriter
@mrsstinno	@nauticabrinegar	@ndigallery
@nikidanforth	@nolabelle72	@nonhomogenized
@nutmeg3isme	@pamela_o_plays	@pandatropia
@panthere_la	@pberk	@petception
@prtndurgoodatit	@redpandanetwork	@roihara
@rulesofgreen	@ruralmoms	@s_hentzschel
@sensuouspromos	@sergeimerinov65	@sfcouncil
@shionnomusumeta	@skenja	@sobakasu4
@socialavenues	@spafloating	@superbsolutions
@tammycurry	@tegoory	@theworld4realz
@twicecreations	@vanbordelon	@veggiebeet
@voiceboksmedia	@wadiham101	@wasd12456787
@wellminded	@wencdj	@whywelovegreen
@women4earth	@wowchub1	@xefir_destiny
@yogagirl4776

My Final Thoughts:

At the beginning of the Monarch challenge, I suggested that the loss of these butterflies indicates a larger environmental problem. Monarchs use the same resources as a large number of pollinators. The size of their population reflects, in part, the health of pollinators in general. Our food sources and ecosystems are dependent on healthy pollinator populations. So, preserving Monarchs is more than saving pretty butterflies ... it's about preserving all life on earth, including our own. What if killing one ant would end your life ... would you step on it? Killing pollinators, including the Monarch Butterfly, may end our life. One may say that it isn't that simple and perhaps it isn't. But then again, maybe discontinuing the use of herbicides and pesticides is exactly that simple.

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:

Planting food is fun
for the whole family

In my part of the world, temperatures are rising as spring comes to a close. We're getting a bit of rain on most days making it the perfect time to plant (or finish planting) vegetables.

Autumn is a good time
to plant fruit trees

Our friends on the other side of the world are coming to the end of autumn. Autumn is a great time to plant fruit & nut trees. Their root systems will get a good start during cooler weather and, hopefully, thrive next spring.

So let's plant some food! Here's your challenge ...

This week, plant something edible. Plant in a garden, raised bed, a container, etc. If you don't have space outside, consider herbs or lettuce in a small pot placed in a kitchen window. Try placing some seed potatoes in the ground (dig a small hole and drop them in) ... then sit back and watch them grow. If you're moving into autumn, consider planting a fruit tree or perhaps a nut tree. The idea this week is to plant food.

OR ...

If growing food just isn't going to work for you, please offer other ideas for enjoying local, organic produce.

This is going to be a delicious challenge. Are you with me? I know that you are!


Want an easy way to keep up with our challenges?
Just add the banner below to your blog by
copying the code & pasting it into your site!

<br /> <a href="http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/p/change-world-wednesday-ctww.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="Change The World Wednesday on Reduce Footprints" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJS8XLt55nZPJjkT0QME1YmU2hvd_ASaJDg03fW0NoYBcclCzkgCSbU1czatVGm73bcO3ox4QNXH_JN-pTiGX0iJ3fLX4UMpDHjjmzI_1ftBLn84UNbotteiHJstShUzdjeQwh6xvdc2A/s220/CTWW1Graphic1.jpg"/></a><br />
As always, our mantra ...

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

Guest Post - Why buy an electric bicycle? Go green and electrify your own bike!

Have you ever consider a DIY ebike? I'd like to introduce you to Micah Toll, author and ebike builder. He's going to talk to us, today, about this exciting, Eco-friendly mode of transportation. Take it away, Micah ...

Electric bicycles have become a popular alternative to cars and public transportation in cities and suburbs across the country. Ebikes can travel at city speeds for dozens of miles on just pennies of electricity, give you the freedom of choosing between the road, bike lane or sidewalk to beat traffic jams and can save you lots of money by never needing to pay for insurance, parking, public transportation or gasoline, not to mention helping you live a more eco-friendly lifestyle!

Buying a commercially available retail electric bicycle is a great way to get going quickly and enjoy the immediate gratification of traveling by ebike, but converting your own bicycle into an ebike comes with many additional advantages over buying a retail ebike. Some of the best reasons to go the do-it-yourself route include saving money, increased customization opportunities and better quality parts, not to mention the pride of commuting on your own sweat and labor.

How can building a DIY electric bicycle save you money over a retail ebike? When you buy retail, you aren’t just paying for the ebike, you’re actually covering all of the research, development, design, fabrication, assembly, marketing, shipping, storage, markup and overhead that goes into that getting that retail ebike out of the store and into your home.

When you decide to convert your own standard bicycle into an electric bicycle, you cut out all of that extra stuff and just pay for the ebike parts themselves. That’s why you can actually get the same parts from, for example, a $2,000 electric bicycle for a quarter of the price. Ebike conversion kits and individual ebike parts are available all over the internet. You used to only be able to buy them from Chinese suppliers, but now there are many American ebike kit companies in market.

By choosing exactly the parts you want and not paying for extra accessories or specs of a retail ebike that you don’t need, you can save even more money. A complete conversion kit is usually the best way to go if you want convenience and a good deal, but sometimes you can actually find a better price by shopping around and buying parts from different suppliers.

Don’t worry if you aren’t a handyman/woman; ebike kits are really easy to install on nearly any bicycle. They’re specifically designed for absolute beginners so that pretty much anyone can convert a bicycle into an electric bike. You usually only need a couple of wrenches and a screwdriver.

What I love about DIY ebikes is that when you get the chance to choose your own parts, you have total control over the performance of your ebike. There are so many different ebike kits out there that it is possible to find something for everyone, with speeds from as low as 12 mph (20 km/hr) or as fast as 35 mph (56 km/hr). The kit you choose will largely depend on your own desires. Are you looking for just an around-the-town-grocery-getter or more of a hot rod that can beat cars at traffic lights? Both options are entirely possible with different ebike conversion kits available all over the internet. Planning out your build with the right parts for you and then choosing the best vendors is something I cover extensively with many chapters in my book.

Another great reason to build your own ebike is that you can start with a much better quality bicycle than standard retail ebikes. A dirty secret of the retail ebike industry is that many ebike manufacturers skimp on the quality of the actual bicycle, including the frame and components like brakes and shifters, so that they can try to bring the final price down enough to draw in consumers. By converting a bicycle yourself, you’re already saving a bunch of money, so why not put some of that back into a better quality bike? There’s a good chance you’ve already got a great bike just gathering dust in your garage or basement, so why not convert your bike into an ebike? Or you can get a bike you really like from your local bike shop and start the conversion on your new bike. This way you’re using a bike you already know and love, instead of settling for whatever bike the ebike manufacturer chose based on their bottom line.

The last and perhaps best reason for converting your own bicycle to electric drive is simply the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel. It’s a great feeling every day when I commute on my ebike, knowing that I’m both doing a good thing for the environment by foregoing a car (I haven’t owned one in 6 years since I built my first ebike) and I’m also commuting on something I built with my own two hands.

Converting an ebike is fairly easy to do, but some extra help will definitely make things easier. I’ve written a book to help first-time ebike builders through every step of the process, from the planning stages through installation of ebike parts all the way up to routine maintenance to keep an ebike in tip-top shape. You can check out my ebook at www.UltimateEbikeEbook.com and use the coupon code on the special offers page, or for the next few weeks you can get a copy of my book for a deep discount through my Kickstarter campaign.

All images courtesy of Micah Toll

This post is shared at Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Party Hop and Anything Goes