Vote for Small Footprints! (#green)

My bloggy friend Small Footprints (of the "Reduce Footprints" blog) needs you to vote for her article to win a contest! Simply click
HERE and vote for "Create Rather Than Recreate"
on or before 9/21/11

Now, you should of course cast an honest vote. If you prefer another entry, by all means, vote for that one. However, I think you'll like her article because it expresses the most important idea in enjoying vegan food: that you should CREATE food that tastes good (and is healthy) rather than try to RE-CREATE the taste of foods that aren't healthy. What a fine idea! I am not vegan but I enjoy vegan food; it can stand proudly with any meal so long as it is proud of what it is and not pretending to be what it is not.
I've known Small Footprints for several years as she's been running the Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) challenge.  Every week, we have a different challenge to make this world a better place, mostly by making our lives less wasteful. This has been fun and practical - a great combination!

This week's CTWW challenge:

"Refrigerators use a lot of energy. We can minimize their impact by making sure they operate efficiently. So this week let's do a little refrigerator maintenance. Here you go:
Check that your refrigerator is level ... the door should automatically swing shut instead of staying open. Check the seal on the door ... try closing it on a piece of paper. If you can pull the paper out easily, it's time to replace the gaskets. Check the back of your refrigerator to be sure that it's clean ... vacuum coils if you have them to ensure that the compressor runs efficiently. How full is your refrigerator? Be sure that it isn't too full ... allow room for cool air to circulate which will keep everything at the right temperature.WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!"

I took the challenge and checked our fridge; it's both level and airtight. I'd cleaned the back with my shopvac a week or two ago, so I think we're good to go. Still, this is one of those maintenance things that creeps up on you. Time goes by and before you know it, it's time for another 6-months-maintenance. The rhythms of life that used to be determined by school and vacation are now set by spring and fall household maintenance.

That's o.k.