Growing up in the Grand Canyon State means, well, you have the chance to go to the Grand Canyon a lot! No matter how many times I’ve been I still always notice myself looking out into the vast canyon as a sense of overwhelm creeps in. I’m overwhelmed by its magnificence, which reminds me to find the same type of beauty and joy in other places and people. I’m overwhelmed by the realization of how tiny and fleeting I am in comparison as I wonder how many lives the canyon has watched unfold through out the centuries. Then I’m overwhelmed by the urge to protect these wonderful places that can make me feel in such ways. It can seem like quite a daunting task at times. There are so many special places in nature to protect and, it would seem, so many factors working against them that sometimes I think I have to be a highly qualified conservationist to make any difference. I’m realizing though that all it really takes is being an environmental enthusiast and knowing that even small acts can create change. You see, luckily, there’s so many ways to love, appreciate, and protect our world and it’s wild spaces! And it doesn’t have to be overwhelming either. It can be as simple a task as picking up trash. Which is what I did a couple weekends ago when Keep It Wild, a local Arizona company that’s dedicated to protecting our lands, held a trail clean up in Flagstaff. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by what part you can take in protecting wild spaces, then keep reading!
When you’re feeling overwhelmed with the thought of maintaining and defending places that are special to you, just take a look at this list for a reminder of some small steps you can take to make an impact.
- Support a company that funds, promotes, and educates on saving our environment!
- Keep It Wild, the company I mentioned above, sells goods, like apparel, stickers, and water bottles, that promote a love of nature with a portion of every purchase going towards funding projects or organizations that work to preserve the outdoors. They also partner with these organizations to create volunteer opportunities in the Arizona to clean up the local, wild community. Recently, Keep It Wild adopted two trails in the Flagstaff Urban Trail System and during their latest clean up removed over 3,500 pounds of trash from the area!
- The Azulita Project is a non profit that works to defend our oceans from plastic with both a coastal campaign in Mexico and inland campaign in Flagstaff, Arizona. Before the Azulita Project, the small rural town where they’re located in Mexcio would burn or discard plastic waste in open pits. Now, the Azulita Project has created a recycling project that incentivizes the buy back of used plastic and sources to responsible third party buyers. They also work to engage and educate the youth in the community, as well as local businesses to encourage responsible use of plastic. In Flagstaff, the non profit works to raise local awareness in schools and businesses as well.
- Bureo is a skateboard goods company that is also dedicated to keeping plastic out of our oceans. Through their recycling program, Net Positiva, in Chile they financially incentivize the recycling of plastic fishing nets in the local fishing communities. These nets are then broken down and used to create their skateboard decks, surf fins, Frisbees, and even Jenga!
- Clean up in your local community! If you want to get more active and really see the difference you are making, then get out into your community and start cleaning up trash. In the past, I’ve found local clean ups announced on Instagram and Facebook. The events are usually shared by local groups that care about the community and the environment so, start following organizations or clubs in your area to find out about clean ups near you. Scroll through Facebook events nearby too for any upcoming meet ups! If you’re in Arizona like me, then you can always check in with Keep It Wild to see where they are cleaning up next too. However, you don’t have to join a clean up group to make a difference. You can clean up by yourself when you’re out on a hike or a walk through a park! Bring a long a trash bag and pick up any litter you might see.
- Get Political! Contact your local representative to let them know what’s important to you i.e. the environment. Sometimes it can seem futile to make politicians even hear us out, let alone actually get them to understand where we’re coming from, but messages do get entered into a constituent management system. Recently, Emily Ellsworth, a writer who previously worked in Congress as a staffer, explained how much impact constituents can really have in Congress. She has some great tips for how to get the attention of your representative, which you can read here. Though, I will let you know that, no matter how you choose to contact your representative, the more personalized your message, the better!
Being an environmental enthusiast can be as simple as doing things you already enjoy, like, taking a hike (but picking up trash along the way), shopping for goods, or donating your time or money to a good cause. How do you choose to express your environmental enthusiasm?
