March Moves Monday Run Down #3 (from The Hummingbird Project)

The third week of Do Something week seemed as though it might not be as productive as I had hoped. My health was not on its best behavior, but the moment that it decided to come back to me - I pounced!


I played in the dirt! 

After spending Saturday night running in and out of my house trying to catch a glimpse of the Supermoon we were promised, I awoke on Sunday ready to get into my garden! Here's what got done:

• The Dirt Emerged When I went outside I found my "garden" was covered in all types of death. Dead weeds, some debris from all of the wind as of late and a pot with a dead blueberry bush in it. I grabbed a rake and freed the dirt! It was beautiful! The soil is so dark and looks AWESOME. I have not yet explored the soil testing process, but I will be shocked if there is anything wrong with this stuff. It smelled wonderful.
• The Compost Bin is Erected After seeing all my hard work, my husband treated me to my very own compost bin. The details of the entire event and first filling of the bin is laid out in the post My Composting Adventure Begins! Long story short: I am a full-fledged composter now!

Looking Ahead: EARTH HOUR IS THIS WEEK!!

Visit the official Earth Hour Website

 Each year we are called to unplug for one hour on March 26th. It is the one big DO SOMETHING of March that is pretty simple to do and, as physically dark as it may seem, enlightening. We will definitely revisit this idea later this week, but I wanted to remind you today so you could start making plans for your weekend.
 

How did your third week of DO Something Month go?

What would you like to do during this year's Earth Hour?

Remember that the Hummingbird Project is a  MONTH LONG challenge, so join in ANY time!

What's something YOU DO that we can replicate in order to make great changes from small moves?

*If you think you might be interested in writing a guest post about this (or even Earth Hour), please feel free to e-mail me at BlogWithNV@gmail.com.

Where Are All My Hummingbirds? A Call to Action

I am going to be honest with you today. I have a problem. I want to change the world. I don't know exactly when this idea first occurred to me (college? high school? earlier?), but I know that I very much felt that was exactly why I belonged in the classroom. I am not delusional, I am completely aware of my smallness in this world, however, I believe every single one of us is capable of changing the world no matter how small we are. As I watched Dirt: The Movie last week, I saw a great story about a hummingbird who had the same problem as me. 

I am doing the best I can... Can't really ask for more than that. 

The best that I can do now is shift audiences (put out of the classroom on medical leave) and use this time to still create ripples in my small pond. Will you help me make some waves?

This Friday, March 4th, has been declared "Do Something Day," but I've been thinking - why not make this a "Do Something Month"? It's a great time of year to start something new for your health, your wealth, your family, your home or your home planet. 

Here are some ideas I am working on for my own personal challenge:

GARDENING IDEAS

• learn about and begin composting
• get soil tested in yard to see if growing food is a safe option, if not - plant other things to start to heal my soil

COOKING IDEAS

• work on meal planning and getting hubby to bring more lunches to work (save $$!!)
• do some more baking

ENVIRONMENT IDEAS

• continue to spread the word about the Farm Bill and actions that need to be taken to ensure our food is appropriately labeled and regulated
• take my dogs on longer walks and get back out to my parks

... this list is getting long and can get even longer if I allow it to. These are all small things, doable things, but right now they represent me doing the best I can. Not one of these individual little droplets of water can put out the huge forest fire around us, but, like the hummingbird, I must do something, I simply can't stand by in shock.

As I come up with new ideas, I will implement them and I will share them each Monday (since I will most likely need weekends to put some bigger things into action) in March Moves Monday Run Down! I challenge you to join me and share whatever "moves" your making this month each Monday. Also, spread the word about this challenge far and wide - who knows? Maybe we can inspire an elephant to fill his big trunk up with water to really start to extinguish this fire!

Ready to "move"? 

What things can you do this month - big or small - to help enact change in the world around you?

What things are you already doing that may be a good idea for someone else to try?

Here's a post to help you get started: March Forth on March Fourth - It's DO SOMETHING DAY