Saving the World One Day at a Time

People often think of “saving the world” as a big task, too big for any individual; and on one level that’s true.  But on another level, the problems we face are actually made of up millions of small acts and decisions made by individuals around the world.  So many of the solutions can be produced the same way.  This week I’m happy to present a guest speaker from Reduce Footprints to talk about “Change the World Wednesdays.”

My philosophy is that it’s not my responsibility to save the whole world, it’s my responsibility to improve my little corner of it.  In my own family, home, yard, business, shopping choices, recreation, activism for worthy causes, spiritual practice, and various other aspects of life I can put my beliefs into practice.  Over time, small actions add up to results like startling a deer in my back yard or having a community of friends with whom to swap plants.

Small Footprints writes about green living, covering such things as tips for reducing material use and alternatives to toxic household products.  It’s a great resource for friends of the Earth.   A relatively recent addition is the “Change the World Wednesdays” project, a weekly feature with a challenge in green living.  It’s working, and I want to spread this meme as far as possible.  So, I invited Small Footprints to write about this project as a guest post here…

We’ve all heard them … the environmental buzz words:  Global Warming, Climate Control, Pollution.  Politicians talk about ending our dependence on foreign fuel and reducing harmful emissions.  Television programs inform us that polar ice caps are melting at alarming rates.  There are even programs that hypothesize about what will happen to our pets when humans no longer walk the Earth which, according to them, is imminent if we don’t change our ways.

The environment is the subject “du jour” … and rightfully so.  But what the politicians, news people and television programs don’t tell us is what we, individuals trying to do our best, can do to help.  Yes, environmental issues must be tackled at high, government levels … but there’s also a lot that each of us can do.  We can reduce our consumption (of everything), we can reuse what we have so that there is less of a requirement for natural resources and manufacturing processes that pollute, and we can recycle, everything possible, so that landfills are spared.

At Reduce Footprints one will see these words:  ”Easy ways for each of us to reduce our footprint on the Earth.”  It’s all about the little things that we can do to make a difference because … if we add up all the little things that each person accomplishes … the sum total will be a positive environmental impact. And … taking that idea one step further … imagine what would happen if a lot of us joined together to do the same “green” activity during the same week.  The impact could be huge!  That’s the premise of “Change The World Wednesdays”.  Each week, we post a new, “green” challenge. Participants are asked to not only commit to the activity, but spread the word to everyone.  We blog about it … we emails friends and family … we post about it in forums … we encourage everyone to join in … and we have fun.  Basically, we change the world … one challenge at a time.

Would you like to join us?

Last week’s challenge addressed the need to reduce our consumption … participants were asked to not buy anything new for a week (except for food, health and safety products).  This week’s challenge was recommended by one of our favorite followers, Sas_Consultant, and is all about reusing:

We all know that it’s better to reuse something we already have rather than buy something new.  But what about those items that are sitting in closets, storage sheds and the “back room” … those things that we don’t use and probably haven’t used in a long while?  I’ll bet that there is someone who could use it.  So, this week, take a look around your home and put together a box of no-longer-used items and … “reuse them” by giving them away. Donate them to local charities, shelters, retirement homes or the Humane Society.  See if your neighbors might need them or perhaps a family in need would appreciate them.  This challenge has a double impact … we’ll be making items available for reuse and we’ll be helping others.  It’s a challenge with heart!

I hope you’ll join us!

Gaiatribe Posts Relating to “Save the World Wednesdays”

• “How to Make a Mini Greenhouse”
• “Eating Less Meat”
• “Green Cleaners”
• “How to Shrink Your Garbage”
• “Standing By for the Earth”
• “Help Stamp Out Styrofoam”
• “Plant Some Fall Bulbs”
• “How to Plant Crocus Flowers”
• “Review: Enter the Earth“
• “Review: Way of Water“
• “Don’t Trash the Planet”
• “Poem: Paul Bunyan and the Warming Globe”
• “What Can Be Recycled?”