Meet & Greet (#MtaGt) – May – My Eco 20s & World Changing Me

Reduce Footprints – Welcome to Meet & Greet, a regular series designed to grow our green community.

This month I’m featuring two fabulous sites. Ready to get acquainted? Let’s go …

Please meet Emily, the creative owner and author of My Eco 20s.

Emily recently graduated college with an environmental science degree. Like many college graduates, she left school filled with enthusiasm, a desire for adventure, and … debt.

She also had questions. She wondered about the line between affordable and ethical, and if one meant sacrificing the other. She also wondered about how to balance the actions she feels obligated to take with those that make her happy.

To answer those questions, discover what may be next in her life, and even (perhaps) find a new place to live, Emily is taking a road trip across the United States in a hand-made tear-drop trailer.

My Eco 20s documents her travels and discoveries. I’ve been fascinated by her posts.

Near Asheville, NC, Emily visited an EcoVillage. In Virginia she went to a farm. Austin, Texas, appealed to her as a possible new home because of parks and natural running trails. New Orleans brought about new insights as she realized that “No city ever stays the same, but when we make it a landmark in history, we threaten it’s authenticity.”

Each post is entertaining and feels like an interesting letter from a friend. Emily’s honest approach to life makes me think about my own perceptions and beliefs, and question things which I’ve long taken for granted.

Emily’s perspective is unique. She has the innocence of youth and yet is as environmentally dedicated as any seasoned “greenie”. She is a fresh, new voice in the effort to protect the environment.

I enjoy My Eco 20s and think you will, too!

Next up, I’d like to introduce you to Morag, Co-Founder, CEO and Creative Director of World Changing Me.

Morag, a dedicated “greenie”, has done a lot of thinking, and research, about how and why we make changes. She discovered that most people respond well to games. So, she and her husband, Craig, created World Changing Me, a game-type site with an environmental “spin”.

Once signed up, a person can take on various quests … actions designed to help us live a bit greener. Some are easy, like a “Back to the Wild” quest which asks people to get outside and identify two new trees. Some are more difficult. For example, the “Banking Ethically” quests suggest that you research your financial institution to ensure that they are doing business in an ethical way. What’s ethical? Well, deciding that is part of the task.

There are ways to track your progress and here’s where the game part comes in … for every action you take, you get points, coins, and badges. These items don’t have any monetary value … they are simply fun ways to reward participants for taking a step. To make the game even more fun, you can challenge your friends and family to join in and see who can get the most points.

What I really enjoy about the quests is that each one gives us ideas (aka the Toolkit) on how to complete the activity. For example, I accepted a quest to weigh my landfill waste. Under the Toolkit tab, I found inspiration (by none other than our very own Mrs. Green), answers to frequently asked questions, and things to beware of when trying to complete the task. So, if you’re struggling with a green-living activity, find a related quest and check out the toolkit tab, and it’ll give you some great advice for stepping up your green game.

There is a real sense of community at World Changing Me. The sidebar shows what quests others are working on and lets us know that our actions count. The front page lists the number of total quests taken … and as that number grows, we truly realize our power. Check it out … and if you want to have some fun … let’s race. I’ve got 272 points. Want to see who has the most points by the end of the year? I challenge you!!

I encourage you to visit each of these sites … you won’t be sorry!

Now it’s your turn! Please use the following widget to list your blog and/or recommend a blog.

For previous features, please click HERE.

(c) Reduce Footprints – Read entire story here.