Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Reusable Batteries

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

For the past two weeks, we've been eliminating plastic bags from our lives. I found that avoiding them isn't as easy as it sounds. In some stores, items are placed into a plastic bag before one has a chance to tell the cashier "no". The interesting part about that is when the cashier learns that we don't want plastic, items are removed from the bag and then, the bag is tossed into the trash bin. Yep, you heard that right! I've gotten in the habit of telling them, before they even flip the switch on the conveyor belt, that we have our own bags. The trick is to tell them before they touch a single item.

On a side note, "Art" and I have moved out of our apartment and now live on our beautiful, forested property. We are thrilled to be homeowners.

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 (AV) wasn't able to ban the bag from his life but he did use the challenge as a means of raising awareness in Brazil. In Change the World Wednesday – 16th Jul he shares his one-man education system. During week #2 of the challenge, AV's cell phone died. Since most everything comes wrapped in plastic (and is made of plastic), he went on a search for a new phone without plastic. How did he do? Find out in Change the World Wednesday – 23rd Jul.

A few challenges back, we greened up our kitchens. My bloggy friend, Robert, wrote a terrific article on this very topic: How To Make Your Kitchen More Eco-Friendly. Check it out!

Alicia joined us and shared this: "We use reusable bags and love them. I have made almost all of the bags we use by recycling tee shirts and other fabrics.We don't buy many products that come in plastic but I have to admit that I am still buying our organic spring mix in plastic containers. I can buy it loose at places like Whole Foods but there is not one really close to us.Our regular grocery stores and places like Sam's Club all carry it in either plastic bags or those thick plastic containers. Since the Farmers Markets are open now I can find it at some of them. We plan on planting a Fall crop of the Spring mix varieties. I think I may look for some smaller produce markets that might sell things like this that are not prepackaged or just wait and only buy it when I am in the area where there is a Whole Foods."

In Change the World Wednesday, Plastic, Lois shares a conversation she recently overheard at the checkout stand. It was interesting ... and sad. She goes on to talk about her plastic-free July and how that's been working out. She's still searching for appropriate freezer containers. A good alternative to plastic turned out to be coated in plastic. Ugh!

Mary stopped by and left this comment: "Crazy stats! This is always a good idea because it's easy to switch to reusable bags. Many stores make them very affordable and sometimes even give you discounts for bringing your bags. They're useful beyond carrying groceries too for many purposes!"

This edition of The #Green Daily included my retweet of one of your tweets. Was it yours?

Vicki accepted our challenge on greening the kitchen. Here are her comments: "... This is a great challenge - I need to remember to put away the laundry on time so I always have dishtowels and washcloths available and dont resort to paper towels!"

Katie's comment shows just how hard it is to avoid plastic when preparing a meal: "I went to the grocery yesterday to buy ingredients for a meal I am making for a family that was in a car accident. Between the salad, the main dish ingredients and the fruit for dessert, I think I ended up with at least 5 plastic containers. Yes, they can all be recycled, but still! That is a lot of waste. I don't even know how you can get things like ricotta cheese not in a plastic container. Maybe I can find a local dairy farm. :) "

Lisa wrote a fabulous post, entitled The Sustainability R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and More. In it, she talks about 6 R's and then goes on to list all the R's she's found on various sites. The result is a much more holistic view of living green. One of the R's directly affects our "ban plastic bag" challenge ... can you guess which one it is?

Our Twitter friends joined the conversation and shared the following:

Please note: I was offline for the majority of the last two weeks so I was only able to gather a few tweets. I apologize if I missed anyone's contribution!

From @GiveTreeGifts
- Ocean Plastic — SEE Turtles ow.ly/zeKSp
- Pollution from Plastics-Videos on Plastic Pollution ow.ly/zeKZn
- Plastic Bags Pollution – Effects and Solutions ow.ly/zeKtT
- Environmental Pollution: The Harmful Effects of Plastic Bags ow.ly/zeKwR
- 22 Facts About Plastic Pollution (And 10 Things We Can Do About It) ow.ly/zeKA2
- 10 Reasons Why Single-Use Plastic Bags Blow | Plastic Pollution Coalition ow.ly/zeKFG
- Plastic Bag Pollution ow.ly/zeKJ3

From @AndreaPtak
- Ban #Plastic Bags from your life, ow.ly/zeqPJ then work to have it made law. #Seattle did! #Reduce pic.twitter.com/x7nZfN78Cj

From @GreenQueenofMod
- Ban Plastic Bags New maps reveal extent of ocean #plastic, Florida Keys #turtle cam. ow.ly/zehOn @Oceana #environment

From @KrmbalClothing
- If you have any #microbead cleansers you want to get rid of, did you know you can donate them for research? #CTWW grist.org/living/ask-umb…

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:

As I mentioned above, I have been offline, so there won't be a list of gang members this week. We'll be back to normal next week! Thanks for your patience!

My Final Thoughts:

Plastic bags seem innocent enough. They are useful and can be recycled. So what's the problem? Here's the thing, the majority of bags are not recycled. That means that most of them end up in landfills. Plastics do not biodegrade. They photodegrade. That means that they break down into smaller and smaller fragments of plastic. These small bits and pieces soak up toxins. They then contaminate the soil and waterways. Considering their impact on the earth and all life, they are anything but innocent!

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:

According to Earth 911,
3 billion single-use batteries
are sold each year

Did you know that rechargeable batteries can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 1,000 pounds over the life of the batteries?

Here's another fact: most single-use batteries are tossed into the trash bin and end up in a landfill where they leach out toxins.

Here's your challenge ...

If you are not using rechargeable batteries, please make plans to buy them when you next need batteries. As you replace single-use versions, be sure to recycle them rather than toss them into the trash bin.

OR ...

If you have already made the switch to rechargeable batteries, please find one single-use item in your home and replace it with a reusable version.

OR ...

If you've banned single-use items from your life, please share one of your favorite "upgrades" to reusable.

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

Until next time ...

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

Vendors who care about the earth

This post will introduce you to the companies listed on our Special Offers Page. I am receiving no compensation for this post ... I simply want to introduce you to companies doing their best to operate in an earth-friendly manner.

Every few months, I like to take the opportunity to feature vendors who are making a difference in our world. They embrace environmental sustainability and make protecting the earth the main focus of their business model.

Let's meet them:

Micah Toll takes green transportation seriously. He discovered just how easy, and inexpensive, it is to build an ebike. Ebikes are perfect for those times when pedalling isn't enough power and a car is too much. "The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide (an ebook)" offers readers everything they need to know to turn their bicycle into an efficient, Eco-friendly mode of transportation. Reduce Footprints readers can pick up their copy at a discount of 15% off the list price.

Essential oils are ... well ... essential in a "green" home. Some oils act as a natural disinfectant, perfect for removing mold and mildew. Others can be used in place of commercial air fresheners. They can enhance our moods and even repel bugs. doTERRA is giving readers a free sample.



Sometimes we may not "need" an item but it serves to make us happy.

And happiness is important! Eco-friendly accessories for a little girl's hair can bring a smile to her face. Pretty "green" items for a home can help us feel content. And what woman doesn't feel a bit special when wearing a beautiful headband. The folks at Violet's Buds are offering us 20% off any purchase from their shop.

Environmentally sound products can be both beautiful and functional. Paloma Pottery uses recycled glass to create items such as goblets, bowls, home furnishings, jewelry, and more. For a limited time, you can get 15% off your entire order.




Vacations add vitality to our lives. More and more vacation spots are going "green". La Francesca resort is one such spot. Located along Ligurian Eastern Riviera, in a 15 hectares' protected area, La Francesca is a self-sufficient settlement. Eco-friendly accommodations offer visitors a chance to discover landscapes, scents and natural flavors. Reduce Footprints readers can get a discount of 5% to 15% off their stay in this unique resort.

Using recycled products, natural dyes, and earth-safe materials is important. What if your purchase could not only protect the earth but protect the people who create the products as well? Oz Fair Trade Pty Ltd has a simple goal: to help artisans, living in extreme poverty, by providing a platform for their beautiful products. Get 15% off their Eco-Friendly product range.


The most Eco-friendly purchase is, of course, no purchase. But when we do buy a product, we have a great opportunity to support "green". There is power in our purchases.

When you choose to buy, I encourage you to support vendors who care about the earth. And, of course, check out our Special Offers Page for exclusive deals.



If you have an Eco-friendly product and would like a free listing on our Special Offers Page, please contact us at reducefootprints at gmail dot com.

Are there exceptions to green living?

Earlier this month, we asked if there are times when you ignore your green living rules. Here are the answers:

Survey Results

Individual Responses

• When dealing with hospitals, which is what we do all to frequently,We are given plastic plates covered in cling film with plastic cups etc but we are not allowed to take in food and drink from home. Also all the medical gear and cloths are disposable. All tablets come in blister packs , in the EEC this or disposable weekly trays are all that are allowed. Also unfortunately we can not afford organic food but we try to grow as much as we can.

• there are certain convenience items, like feminine products, that I refuse to give up. I try to make up for it by reducing my carbon footprint in other areas.

• Peer pressure when I'm at an event

• Traveling by plane I buy bottled water, but bring my own snacks. - Occasionally use compostable paper plates for large parties as water is a valuable resource in the PNW

• I do take flights when we go for holidays

• During home clearouts due to a death or during housemoves, things mostly gets binned rather than sorted for recycling or charity shops.

• When I'm tired I get lazy with taking my bags into the grocery store and just use their plastic ones. Then when I'm feeling energized I take the plastic bags over the road to the kindergarten

Discussion

The results are interesting! I felt that three exceptions to living green presented themselves: 1) The use of Eco-UNfriendly items which are either mandated by laws and/or company policies or convenient, 2) air travel, and 3) emotions. Let's take a closer look.

Mandated and/or Convenience Items. Plastic is hard to avoid. Sometimes, we have no other choice but to use this material. For example, in my area the county mandates that recyclables be placed in a clear or blue plastic bag. Independent trash collectors require the same.

Convenience items can be much easier to deal with than green alternatives. Hygiene products are especially difficult because of the "ick" factor. Reusable toilet paper, menstruation products, diapers, and handkerchiefs fall into this category.

While our green ethics can be compromised in these areas, they do present us with an opportunity. Often, official policies can be changed when an individual suggests an appropriate solution. Thinking creatively can result in a method which removes the "ick" factor in using certain reusable products.

Air Travel. My family lives across the country from where I live.

Driving, taking a bus, or riding the train would be more environmentally friendly but it would also take more time ... time which, with work schedules, is limited. So, like many folks, I fly.

In addition to the fuel used, air travel generates a lot of waste. Refreshments are served in single-use containers, and things like pillows and earphones are wrapped in plastic.

To mitigate the large Eco-footprint of air travel, patrons can buy carbon offsets ... it's not ideal but it does help. Travelers can also bring their own refreshments, pillows, and earphones. Here's a tip for bringing reusable water bottles onto a plane ... carry it empty through the security checkpoint and fill it once you're at the gate.

Emotions. I had a recent conversation with a person who was having a last will & testament drawn up. The lawyer doing the paperwork suggested that nothing personal be left to beneficiaries because, in most cases, personal affects are tossed into the trash. In thinking about that, I wondered if the emotions of losing a loved one are too intense to deal with "stuff". It's often easier not to have to look at personal items.

Sometimes our emotions "jade" our commitments. That little voice in our head says that it's okay to ignore or bend the rules. It might be because we're tired or upset. Or maybe it just seems like too much effort.

We are, at times, our own worst enemy.

Battling our emotions is both the easiest and hardest problem to solve. I find that not allowing the negative possibility to enter my head is the easiest way to battle the "devil on my shoulder". I simply refuse to think about the options and take "green" action before I can talk myself into doing otherwise.

Writing down our Eco-rules can be helpful. We can remind ourselves to do the right thing during times when it would be easier to do the opposite.

Talking with a friend may reinforce our ideals. They may point out that, in the time it takes to think things through, we could have taken appropriate action.

Conclusion

If we take a serious look at the obstacles to maintaining our green living ideals, we'll see that they are, in most cases, a matter of choice. Yes, there are situations where it is impossible to be environmental ... where someone else dictates the rules. Typically, however, we simply choose to take the non-green route. Whether it's a matter of convenience, time, money, or emotions, we choose our path. And that offers us a wonderful opportunity to find ways to make the right choice.

Living green may not always be the easiest route ... but it is the one which offers us the greatest benefits.

When you face a tough environmental choice, how do you put green first?

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