Helping Families Explore Outdoors
In honor of Earth day April 22, 2017, I thought I’d share 50 Ways to Go Green That I’ve Personally Tried. Over the last eighteen months I’ve been motivated to change my habits to be more environmentally friendly. Some of these habits became easy lifestyle changes, others…well…not so much.
Continue reading “50 Ways to Go Green That I’ve Personally Tried + GIVEAWAY”
This week is not only National Park Week, it’s also Earth Day today – Friday April 22nd. Earth Day started in 1970. This year the Tots and I are saying Happy Birthday Earth Day with a special project we’re doing with our local Hike It Baby branch.
Every week since St. Patrick’s Day the tots and I have biked, strolled and cleaned up along the Provo River Trail. This trail is my Go To Outdoor space, the place I escape to when I need a little outdoor time in the midst of daily life. Because I love this space, I want to see it taken care of. Thus began the Hike It Baby litter clean up series.
Every week the tots and I join other parents of young children to pick up litter on a different section of the trail. The Provo River Trail spans 30 miles from Utah Lake to South Fork Canyon and so far we’ve picked up litter along about seven of those miles. Our efforts combined have removed several gallons of trash from along the Provo River, improving the environment for the ducks, fish and people enjoying the trail.
It would be easier to ignore the beer cans, plastic wrappers and paper bits we pass. Stopping every few feet means slow going – nobody’s getting a cardio workout on these hikes. But I want to teach my kids to take care of their wild spaces, and what better way to do that than through example?
It’s interesting that for one hour a week my Tots and I are aware of the trash around us and we choose to do something about it. But for the rest of the week I find myself ignoring the litter around me, even the wrappers and discarded plant pots in my own yard. It’s like I have an edit in my eyesight that I disable on the assigned day and time.
It makes me wonder what it would take to make more lasting change. I feel good about the trash our Hike It Baby group has removed from the trail. I feel good about getting my kids outside. I feel good about helping my kids practice riding balance bikes. But I feel bad that I only care for that one hour each week. Green guilt isn’t useful unless it motivates change, but I’m not ready to adjust my life any more than I have already.
This weekly litter pickup adventure will continue until the entire trail is clean. Not only because its good for the environment, it’s also good exercise. And we’ve got to get ready for our daily hiking and biking on our National Park to Park Highway Adventure.
Whether you’ll be spending Earth Day at a National Park or cleaning up trash on a local trail, let me know about it. Tag @mountainmomtots on instagram, twitter or facebook and tell me how you’ll spend Earth Day today. You’ll have a chance to be featured in the Mountain Mom and Tots Newsletter.
It’s a day to be grateful for the beauty around us and do something nice for the environment. Now’s your chance to do that something nice. What’s it going to be?
Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday not really worth celebrating unless you’re Irish or want to be. Normally I don’t think much about March 17th except to dress my children in the obligatory green. But this year I decided that instead of just wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, I would Go Green by doing a little something for the planet.
At the park last week, my Mountain Fam explored the river. The water bubbled, birds chirped and the adventure would’ve been perfect except for one thing. Trash.
Beer cans, food wrappers, an old shoe, a discarded shirt, even a broken bundt pan were left on the ground. With the snow melting, previously covered litter is coming to light and it’s pretty gross.
A few years ago my husband started a group titled WTF!?! It had a membership of two, myself and Mountain Dad and it was committed to picking up trash along trails when we went into nature. WTF technically stands for World Trash Federation, but mostly it describes our reaction to the bags of garbage we hauled away.
Several years have passed since I thought about WTF, but Thursday I’ve decided to revive the group and invite some friends to join. And by some friends I mean everyone on the internet. That’s you.
Thursday March 17, 2016 I invite you to Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day! If cleaning up litter doesn’t suit you, do something else. Buy reusable produce bags at the grocery store. Start a compost pile in your backyard. Plant a tree. Plan a garden. Contact your state representative about an environmental issue. Whatever it is, make this Green loving holiday work for its national importance.
If you’re in Utah County and want to join me on a Hike it Baby Go Green hike there’s more information here. Whatever you choose to do with your St. Patrick’s Day please let me know. I’d love to hear all the Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day projects!
