Campfire Chat: Poisoned Pasts, Purposeful Futures
🌍 Earth Day Edition
I want to thank those of you who reached out after my last Campfire Chat published. Your kind words and encouragement meant a lot—and gave me the nudge to dig a little deeper this week and share something more personal. Vulnerable, even. This one’s a longer story, but it’s one I believe is worth telling and worth reading.
Several of you have asked what led me to focus my work on the outdoors and environmental issues. I get that question a lot. And on Earth Day, it feels like the right time to tell the source of my passion.
Raised by a Planet-Loving Pioneer
I was raised by a single mom who was into saving the planet long before it was cool. I was born in 1976—Earth Day was barely six years old, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act had just passed. In later years, my sister and I stacked newspapers for recycling, drank water from natural springs instead of buying bottled water, and thrifted before “vintage” was a vibe. My mom taught us all that. My clothes came with stories—and so did my worldview.
When I had kids of my own, those lessons stuck. There were always muddy adventures in the yard, recycled crafts on the kitchen table, and conversations about protecting what we love. Somewhere along the way, each of my three children became environmental educators in their own right—through activism, diet choices, and endless curiosity. (Shoutout to my middle kid, now 22, who’s been vegan since middle school.)
But it wasn’t until my early 40s, after a rare autoimmune diagnosis, that I started looking deeper—literally and figuratively—into why my health might be off. And what I found brought me back to one of the most devastating chapters of Michigan’s environmental history.
The Poisoning of Michigan—and What It Meant for Me
I was born in Michigan in 1976—three years after a chemical disaster unfolded quietly across the state. In 1973, a toxic flame retardant called PBB was accidentally added to livestock feed. Contaminated meat, milk, and eggs found their way into nearly every Michigan household, including mine.
Because I was breastfed, I likely received a particularly concentrated dose. PBBs, like their chemical cousins PFAS, are forever chemicals—they build up in fat (hello, breast milk), and our bodies don’t easily break them down.
Years later, with some unexplained health symptoms and alarming bloodwork, I got tested. My results showed PBB levels above the “safe” limit—likely from that early exposure.
It was a gut punch. But it was also a wake-up call. You can read more of my story HERE.
Learning, Grieving, and Acting
Does knowledge fix everything? Nope. But it helps shape the questions. It gives me fire. It makes the work feel personal—and purposeful.
So now I do something. I read, I share, I advocate. I vote with my wallet. I stay curious. And on this Earth Day, I’m asking you to do the same.
Here’s what else has been guiding me lately:
📚 What’s on My Nightstand
Two books I recommend for anyone looking to connect their values to action:
• “One Green Thing” by Heather White
• “Advocating for the Environment” by Susan Inches
They’re both empowering, practical, and focused on the power of individual action.
🍷What's in My Glass?
Collective Good wine. These sustainable wines are bottled in paper Frugal Bottles. A collaboration between Latitude Wines, which sourced and imported the wines, and Monterey Wine Company, which filled the bottles, is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of wine packaging. Bonus: They are inexpensive and tasty. Find them at Target stores nationwide.
🎬 What I Rewatched This Week
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Still hits hard. A great reminder that one person really can shake the system.
🗺️ Pinned on the Map
My husband and I recently visited Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina, where hurricane damage from Helene is still painfully visible. We stayed at Spacious Skies Bear Den—a peaceful, welcoming spot tucked into the trees. You can read about our stay and why I’m such a fan of their values HERE.
🎒 In My Pack
While on that trip, we visited Little Switzerland, and I picked up a vintage-style compass from a shop called Books and Beans. Yes, I have a compass on my phone. But this one feels different—more grounded. Like a literal and symbolic way to keep finding my direction.
✨ Final Thoughts by Firelight
If today’s Earth Day news feels more overwhelming than inspiring, I get it. Some days the weight of the headlines is a lot. But I believe every action matters—every letter to a lawmaker, every sustainable swap, every water filter, every moment spent teaching a kid about fireflies.
We can’t undo the past. But we can honor it. We can protect what’s left. We can do better—for ourselves, our neighbors, and for whatever future is still possible.
So start where you are. Do one green thing. Then another.
Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and keep walking in the wild.
– Kayt
