Leave No Trace (Especially Toenails)

I saw this on a good friend’s Facebook page a couple of days ago. She went on a 30-mile, 2-day hike down in Florida, and was having some major feet issues after the first day. Ouch! I thought this line about not leaving your toenails behind was pretty fitting for today’s Thursday Throwdown theme: Earth Day!

I love being outdoors, so celebrating Earth Day just comes with the territory! Want to enjoy that park where you take your kids, or comfortably feel the sand between your toes? We’d better take care of Mother Earth, y’all!!

One way we can all help out is by following the seven principles of Leave No Trace when we spend time outdoors. You’d be surprised how often people carelessly leave trash behind when they’re outdoors, or how many people disrupt things in their natural habitat for the sake of being the “rebel” in their group. Not cool, people.

Last year, when I visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I was really shocked at how many people just threw trash everywhere. On the streets, on the beach, you name it, there was trash. It made me sad, especially since the weather was perfect, and you were surrounded by the ocean. The things we do to disrupt the environment affect all of us, worldwide!

When I go hiking, I follow the principles of Leave No Trace to the best of my ability. I carry an extra bag with me for trash, and make sure I can tie it up so that nothing blows out of it. If the signs tell me to stay on the trail, I stay my butt on the trail. I don’t mess with the animals (I’ve seen so many jerks throw things at all types of wildlife), and I don’t mess with the foliage if I don’t have to.

For Earth Day, I’m going to try to make it out to a park before sunset. I’m going to bring a trash bag with me that can double as a glove if I turn it inside out, and I’m going to pick up bottles, plastic bags, or anything else I might see at the park (excluding dog poop, or anything else especially gross) that doesn’t belong.

How are you planning to celebrate Earth Day 2016? Are you doing a park/stream cleanup in your community? Are you going to get outdoors?


Now, on to the Thursday Throwdown Linkup! As I mentioned before, this week’s theme is Earth Day! Do you have a post about how you’re planning to spend Earth Day, some outdoors activities in which you’re planning to be involved, or, gee, I dunno, maybe even something about conservation (is that a bit of a stretch?)? If so, please link up with us!

How to Participate

1. Post our badge on your participating blog post so others can see what else is going on! 
2. Leave a comment on each of the 3 blog posts by the hosts: Lex (that’s me!), Sarah, Tamieka. 
3. Add your link to the InLinkz at the bottom of Lex, Sarah or Tamieka’s #ThursdayThrowdown 
4. Comment on the link-up post before yours! 
5. Share the love! Make sure to use the #TTLinkUp and #ThursdayThrowdown tags on Instagram and/or Twitter!

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