Let’s talk plastic.
I finally made it to an Earth Day clean-up activity this year. After being
handed a biodegradable trash bag (more on that in a minute), our group spread
out across a random stretch of woodlands and began to clean.
Earth Day is a long-celebrated holiday, but lately it’s been feeling more
like an excuse for companies to barrage us with marketing than the purposeful
rabble-rousing call to dig our hands into a task for which the sole
beneficiary is Mother Earth.
When traffic slows and horns honk on the many highways of the San Francisco
Bay area, the confines of the city can feel extremely close at hand.
No matter what your interests are, it’s only natural to want to “spread
the stoke” for the activities you love. In a community of outdoor
enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies, it’s easy to state a case for the
benefits of being outdoors. It’s where you hit those natural highs, break
personal records, learn to trust your friends, and ultimately where you are
the best version of yourself.
Crooked Trails is a nonprofit, community-based travel organization based in
Seattle and founded in 1998.
Interview with Jake Quigley and Kyle Martin
When I received Jake Quigley's email introducing Outdoor Mindset [1] to us at
Outdoor Project, I was thrilled to find out such an organization exists.
Outdoor Mindset is an outdoor recreation community specifically for people
experiencing neurological conditions such as brain tumors, epilepsy, multiple
sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and traumatic brain injuries.
There's no denying that it is an interesting time in the outdoor industry.
More and more people are gaining access to nature and integrating the joy
that outdoor recreation brings to their lives into their daily, weekly, and
monthly routines.
"/Instagram is ruining this place./"
You've probably heard a sentiment like this before, or said it yourself. Many
people are blaming social media for the degradation or overcrowding of
outdoor destinations. The fact is, outdoor recreation is becoming more and
more popular worldwide. More people are getting outside, which means
increased visitation and higher impact on a lot of destinations.
Making the outdoors a more inclusive space for women and people of color
Agnes Vianzon is lightning-quick to respond when asked about the state of the
outdoor industry. “The narrative is changing. What would I change? There
needs to be more representation. Period.
The outdoors has always been my go-to and the answer to any questions I might
have. What should I do next? Where do I go from here? Outside.
I found out I was pregnant with my first son when I was 22. The whirlwind of
emotions were fleshed out under the shadows of the Rocky Mountains and
among tufts of bear grass.
Our world has a grossly excessive dependency on plastic. The sheer number of
single-use plastic items that permeate our daily lives is staggering.
On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the
National Park Service.
