This post will introduce you to my vision for Watch Our Step. It is intended as a creative overview, compass, and thoughtful vision of the work that Watch Our Step strives to carry out. The way people move through the world differs for each unique individual, and this post aims to embrace and empower people of all abilities, however you exist in the world, to go out and be a changemaker.
How do you move through the world? Perhaps you walk or skip, maybe you roll, others cycle, skate, scoot, inch, glide, float, or walk on their hands. However we move through our days, we leave an impression. Maybe today you left a footprint in the grass, a wheel track in the mud, or perhaps you adventure in the woods sometimes and, like me, work hard to ‘Leave No Trace.’ However you may roam, let’s call that your footprint.
I recently completed a four-day, three-night backpacking trip in Mt. Rainier National Park. After spending one entire day descending about 2,400 feet in elevation and another entire day ascending to 6,400 feet in elevation, it really encouraged me to consider the ways in which we make an impact on our surroundings. We make an impact not only on nature but on the world as a whole. At the time, I was thinking about it in a quite literal sense, having spent four days putting hiking boots to trail, in the ‘leave no trace’ mindset. I tried to be diligent about leaving campsites better than I found them, and I worked hard to ensure that the wildlife would not be worse-off after my presence in their home. In many ways, I was watching my step. And like I said, however you move forward, that is YOUR step.
But a step, or a scoot, or a roll, or a leap can be so much more than the physical and visible impressions that we may or may not leave behind, some positive and some negative. Our impression impacts the people we don’t always think about. Our impression impacts the wildlife we either protect or harm based on our consumption habits. Our impression affects the communities we read about in the news that are building greater sustainability and climate resilience, and those who are being unjustly and disproportionately impacted by the consequences of the climate crisis. So that is why we, Watch Our Step, are here. I hope that Watch Our Step can be your guide, your resource, and your source of energy for building a future that exists more harmoniously with nature. I hope it makes you think about where we put our time and energy, how we use the gifts of the natural world, and even better…the way that we individually and collectively traverse and tread. This thought process, the way we choose to act, and perhaps eventually the adoption of a new mindset, is what it means to Watch Our Step. It is our mutual responsibility to care for each other and to care for the planet.
I am so glad you’re here! And I’m excited for you to join us in our mission to build a more sustainable future and empower young people to be active leaders in laying the foundation upon which we will build for years to come.
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