What is our Spring Impact theme?

Every month our Wild Keeper program has a theme that helps our volunteers find some inspiration and encouragement. We are about to start our spring 2023 term (at the beginning of February!) and invite you all to learn more about our program and consider applying to join in (it's a lot of fun and we think you'll love it). 

We are taking our monthly themes a step further this year by having an over-arching theme for the term. For Spring, our theme is: 

Earth Day IS Every Day 

What does that mean to us? We know leading up to April, we have already been having many conversations with businesses and organizations wanting to plan and organize community cleanups and brainstorming the ways they want to give back within their local spaces. We know April is the time of year that everyone gets a little more intentional and open to making changes that are good for the planet, kind of like new year's resolutions, but for the environment! 

We want to challenge everyone to take it one step further and let this not just be in April, but these months leading up to it too. You will see this laid out with our 4 themes for the months of our spring term next! 

February: Sustainability is for Sweethearts – How can we show nature our heart eyes for everything that it does for us? All the joy and love and appreciation we find in nature can so easily be translated into making some swaps and mindful decisions that translate to positive impact! So how can you be a sustainable sweetheart? 

1. Get some of these awesome reusable kitchen cloths and say buh-bye to disposable paper towels! We love lessening our single-use waste and the swaps being super cute at the same time! 

2. See litter while you're out walking, biking, hiking, paddling... anywhere where it doesn't belong? Join us in being intentional and picking it up and disposing of it properly! You can then track your impact by submitting it to our impact form where you'll get an email afterwards letting you know how much litter you've removed over time! 

3. If you're like me, the saga of losing hair ties is inevitable. But you don't have to litter the earth with more plastic with Terra Ties -- a sustainable hair tie swap! These hair ties are biodegradable and are made from natural rubber and organic cotton dyed with natural dyes.

4. Stasher bags over plastic ziploc baggies! Stasher storage bags are an incredible swap to make for storing leftovers and food items. They are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe allowing you to use them over and over again.

5. A reusable, rechargable lighter instead of always getting plastic lighters. These rechargeable lighters are convenient, can reach tough wicks and lessen your plastic use! 

March: Spring into Action!  – We want to encourage you all to get involved in your local community to spring into action! "How do I do this?" you may be wondering -- don't worry, we have some ideas for you:

1. Get involved in, or organize, a local litter cleanup in your community! You find our local cleanups coming up here, and if you don't see one in your area but would like to - contact us! Go out and pick up some litter from your beaches, your neighborhood, your park, your trailheads...anywhere! 

2. Sign up for a trail maintenance, trail building or reconstruction day. No matter what area you're in, if there are trails nearby, your local organizations are looking for volunteers! 

3. Volunteer your time at a local community garden, farm, or co-op. So many of these community-focused offerings need volunteer support to thrive. Learn how to plant, prune, harvest and care for the kinds of foods you are consuming. A true farm-to-table experience! 

4. Sign up to reach out to your local government and legislative officials, sign petitions, join lobbying days, go to local speakers that are educating on topics that your community are facing -- learning about, and using our voices, towards environmental and climate issues are so important. We are seeing more and more droughts, wildfires, agricultural impacts, air impacts, water impacts -- research what is happening in your area and the kinds of organizations you can get involved with to have conversations and get active! 

5. Learn about native vs. invasive species' to your regions. Sign up to join an invasive species removal day, a tree or native plant planting day and immerse yourself in what a natural landscape can look like and what it does for our ecosystems! 

April: Earth Day, Every Day  – Earth Day is every day and we welcome you all to join us in amping up our awareness and championing our love for mother nature during the month of April! We love this planet. The dirt, the flowing water, the mountaintops, the beautiful flowers, the animals we get to witness, the sunrises and sunsets -- let's celebrate this beauty by giving back together! 

1. Join us for a community event for Earth Month as we will be hosting all kinds of cleanups! 

2. Connect with your local water commissions and councils that care for your waterways to get involved and give back. 

3. Swap your hygiene care for refillable or package-less items: shampoo and conditioner bars, toothpaste tabs instead of tubes, recycled plastic razors, biodegradable / compostable sponges and loofahs and more -- there are so many accessible ways to make a small, but mighty change! 

4. Pick up (at least) 1 piece of litter each day this month - you will be so surprised, shocked and also proud of what you can do for your community by making this intentional effort. You will be disgusted to see how much there really is - but you will also be leaving your local community that much more beautiful and cared for. 

5. Talk to someone new about making sustainable changes - maybe it is your company and asking to use less paper and recycle, maybe it is a neighbor, or gifting a good friend something sustainable. Maybe it is a family member or your children or a community you're a part of - you never know what kind of positive impact you can have with the influence you have within your circles! 

May:  Keep Nature Blooming  – we take all of the efforts we've been making, all the seeds we've been planting and start to see them blossom! Take your starting points and continue to cultivate the practices and intentionality into your day to day life! 

1. Sign up for one newsletter, educational resource or follow a new Instagram page that focuses on educating the masses on environmental issues, solutions and current events.

2. Join us in removing litter and inviting your community to join you! 

3. Opt to visit a farmers market and support your local makers and raisers for the most fresh, seasonal items. 

4. Celebrate National River cleanup day by caring for a water space near you! No matter if it is a river, creek, lake, ocean or pond....these essential water ecosystems deserve our care and attention! 

5.  Donate to one organization (if you have the means to do so) that aligns and stands for the care and nurturing of something you believe in. So many nonprofits and agencies depend on the donations and resources that are provided from the gestures of the masses - no matter if it is $1, $5 or $50 - you are making a difference in the abilities these organizations have to function and make positive impact! Look up nonprofits and organizations in your area that support causes and issues you care about, you may never know what is out there that you want to get involved in! 

As you can see, our theme of Earth Day Is Every Day is not only a name, but a call to action. Through sustainable swaps, taking action, educating ourselves and continuing to grow and take steps towards a more sustainable, equitable and cared for planet - we can make big impacts together! 

Join us and let's all treat every day like it's Earth Day!