Earth Day is such a special day to me. This is my 8th year doing an Earth Day Cleanup and this year I made it just a liiiiittle bit bigger. I partnered with the brewery I work at (4 By 4 Brewing Company), to do two Earth Day cleanups today in two different green spaces close to each location. It was a chilly, but beautiful, day and we had 18 people between the two cleanups show up! That’s so amazing! Special shoutout to the friends and my parents who showed up to give some support!
Earth Day 2023 Resolutions
MORE CLEANUPS – I have definitely dropped the ball on this since having Liam because I always have a kid strapped to me, but he’s about to be able to be on my back and it’ll make it easier to pick up more trash on our hikes. I look forward to letting Charleigh participate in this activity in the next year or so.
SHOP LESS – This was resolution I made a couple of years ago and I definitely fell off the wagon. I have been trying to buy more timeless, staple items. I also am wanting to be super mindful of where I purchase my clothing from.
WASTE LESS FOOD – We can be so terrible about this. We have such hectic lives that we often have a plan to cook and get overwhelmed by all of the other things that we have to do and/or want to do that we decide to pick up something instead. We have already started making this more of a priority, but consistency is key!
GROW MORE FOOD – We have a family garden at my parents’ house, that they really generously care for so well. We also container garden at our house. The last two years, we didn’t grow anything at our house and I genuinely missed it. I feel so empowered eating food I’ve grown! Plus, we don’t have to worry about what’s in the soil, think of the carbon footprint of transportation or anything.
Nature Inspiration from Places We Visited Over the Last 2 Years
RIFLE FALLS STATE PARK, COLORADO – This was a spontaneous stop in Colorado that ended up having a tropical vibe in West Colorado, even on a day that was only 32 degrees out!
LOG HOLLOW FALLS, PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST, NORTH CAROLINA – A beautiful, less-visited cascade that we visited for the first time last year.
COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT, COLORADO – The number of times I’ve driven right by this National Monument is embarrassing. Luckily, we finally carved out the time to visit last year, and it’ll be a repeat destination! In 4 hours we saw a lot and can’t wait to see more each time we pass.
FISHER TOWERS, UTAH – This was a new trail for us last year. Moab is a favorite destination of ours – we’ll be there again next year – and we always love finding brand new things to see! Fisher Towers is a super special place that I can’t wait to return to again and again.
DELICATE ARCH – ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH – This is a fan favorite of ours, and, obviously, we’re not alone. I never get tired of this massive beauty. It’s such a special place to visit.
PRIMITIVE TRAIL OF WINDOWS SECTION – ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH – It took me 5 visits to Arches before we made it to doing this simple Primitive Trail that connects the back side of the Windows Section. It was a stunner!
CANYON OVERLOOK TRAILHEAD – ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH – My dear friend Lilly recommended this trail to us in Zion Nation Park and I’m so glad she did! It was a perfect short, but stunning hike that we were thrilled to do on our last evening in Zion.
TRAILS IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS – We’re obsessed with Northwest Arkansas. It’s our favorite natural aspect of living in the Ozarks. We’ve done a couple new trails and a handful of old favorites since last Earth Day and since buying our camper we have a whole list of new trails that we can’t wait to explore!
MOORE COVE FALLS – PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST, NORTH CAROLINA – This beautiful waterfall is situated in one of the most charming sections of forest. The trees are so tall, the way the light filters through the leaves in the spring just illuminates the trail in this fresh, green glow. I can’t gush enough about this trail.
NORTH RIM – GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA – It was such a joy to get to take Matt and Charleigh to the Grand Canyon for the first time in 2021. We were there an hour after reopening after a snow storm, so there was no real hiking to be had, but we still got to bask in her glory!
Last year we got outside a lot less because I was pregnant with our sweet Liam, but I can tell you, we’re getting outside so much more this year already and have some exciting destinations in the books for this fall. So be ready for even more Earth-love next Earth Day and in the form of more detailed content here and on social media throughout the next year!
Happy Earth Day! I hope that you guys were able to get out, see something beautiful and hopefully do a little extra something to make the earth a little more beautiful today! Do you have any Earth Day resolutions? I’d love to hear them in the comments – I love inspiration from you guys as well!
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