From Tampons to Toys: How to Green Your Sexual Wellness Game Let’s talk about sex, sustainability, and the weird amount of plastic hiding in our most personal routines. Yup. We’re going there. Because “green living” usually gets framed as reusable grocery bags, compost bins, and remembering your water bottle. But what about the bathroom drawer? The bedside table? The tampon stash? The mattress you sleep, sweat, snuggle, and do indoor recreational activities on? Sexual wellness is still wellness. And if we care about what touches our food, skin, soil, and water, it makes sense to care about what touches our very absorbent, very personal bits. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about asking better questions, buying fewer throwaway things, and choosing products that are kinder to your body and the planet. Let’s poke around. Respectfully, of course. First: What’s Actually “Green” in Sexual Wellness? The phrase “eco-friendly sexual wellness” can mean a lot of things, and some of them are more marketing glitter than substance. Here’s what I look for: Does it reduce single-use waste? Is it free from unnecessary fragrance, dyes, plastics, and mystery ingredients? Is it made from safer, body-conscious materials? Does the brand explain what’s in the product without making you dig? Is it durable enough to use for a long time? Can it be cleaned, stored, and maintained safely? That last one matters. A reusable thing that’s impossible to clean is not a sustainability win. Period Products: What’s Touching You All Day? Tampons, pads, liners, and wipes are easy to grab without thinking. But conventional period products can come with plastic components, synthetic materials, fragrances, and a whole lot of extra packaging. What to look for instead: Choose organic cotton when possible. Look for products that are fragrance-free, chlorine-free, and transparent about materials. Bonus points for plastic-free packaging, compost-conscious materials, and third-party certifications. Field Trip Pick: Natracare Natracare fits the bill here with organic and natural period care, including tampons, pads, liners, and wipes. The brand emphasizes organic cotton, plastic-free options, and products made without fragrances or chlorine. More at www.natracare.com. This is one of those swaps that feels small until you remember how many period products one person can use over a lifetime. Tiny choices, big trash math. Flushable Wipes: The Lie That Launched a Thousand Plumbing Bills I have serious beef with “flushable” wipes. They aren’t good for pipes, septic systems, or waterways. They also aren’t always great for your body. “Gone from sight” is not the same as “gone from the planet.” What to look for instead: Bidets can be great at home — less wiping, less trash, happy little tushy spa moment — but they still use water and aren’t exactly useful in a gas station bathroom, at a campground, or on a road trip when the restroom situation is… character-building. Field Trip Pick: The UnWipe The UnWipe is a portable alternative to flushable wipes and bidets. You add clean water, press toilet paper into the device, and use the textured, lightly wet paper instead of a disposable wipe. It’s designed as a one-time purchase that works with regular toilet paper, which makes it especially handy for travel, RV life, camping, public bathrooms, and anyone trying to ditch wipe waste. More at www.theunwipe.com. Field Tip: If a wipe says “flushable,” I still wouldn’t flush it. Your plumber agrees. Herbal Support: What Are You Putting In Your Wellness Routine? Sexual wellness is not just toys and tampons. It’s sleep, stress, hormones, hydration, mood, postpartum recovery, perimenopause, menopause, and the general body chaos of being a mammal with a calendar. What to look for: Choose brands that are transparent about ingredients, dosage, sourcing, and intended use. Be extra thoughtful with herbs if you’re pregnant, nursing, taking medication, managing a health condition, or trying to conceive. “Natural” does not automatically mean “for everyone, all the time, in all quantities.” Poison ivy is natural. So are bears. Field Trip Pick: WishGarden WishGarden makes liquid herbal tinctures for categories like stress, sleep, immune support, postpartum, and more. The brand describes itself as woman-owned, family-run, and Boulder-based, with roots going back to 1979. More at www.wishgardenherbs.com. Not medical advice, obviously. Just a reminder to treat plants with the same care you do medications and always consult your healthcare provider. Menopause, Dryness, and “Why Did Nobody Warn Me?” There are whole chapters of sexual wellness that still get whispered about. Vaginal dryness, painful sex, libido shifts, UTIs, hot flashes, and hormone changes are common, but somehow still treated as niche. What to look for: For intimate-care products, look for clear ingredient lists, fragrance-free or low-irritant formulas, and guidance about who the product is for. If hormones are involved, talk with a qualified healthcare provider, especially if you have a personal or family history that makes hormone use more complicated. Field Trip Pick: Parlor Games Parlor Games focuses on hormone-aware intimacy and menopause support, including vaginal dryness, painful sex, hot flashes, sleep issues, mood changes, and libido shifts. I appreciate that they’re upfront about what they are — and what they aren’t. Their products are bioidentical and made as organic as possible, but they do contain preservatives for shelf stability, and their plastic bottles are not recyclable because they can contain hormone residue. That kind of transparency matters. Greenwashing is easy. Saying, “Here’s the tradeoff,” is harder. More at www.parlor-games.com. Another option to know about: Parlor Games also pointed me toward Carlson Labs’ vitamin E vaginal suppositories, which are hormone-free and designed for soothing moisture support. Each suppository is foil-wrapped, so the packaging is minimal. More at www.carlsonlabs.com. Because bodies are not marketing categories. They’re bodies. Sometimes they need moisture. Sometimes they need hormones. Sometimes they need a doctor, a better product, a frank conversation, or all three. Sex Toys: Buy Better, Not a Drawer Full of Regrets Sex toys can be empowering, playful, useful, and fun. They can also be made from questionable materials, impossible-to-recycle electronics, mystery gels, and plastics that don’t belong anywhere near mucous membranes. What to look for in sex toys: Choose body-safe, nonporous materials like medical-grade silicone, stainless steel, borosilicate glass, or ABS plastic from reputable brands. Avoid jelly rubber, mystery “realistic” blends, strong chemical smells, and products that don’t disclose materials. Rechargeable toys are usually better than battery-gobblers. Waterproof designs are easier to clean. A good warranty is a green flag because it suggests the thing is meant to last. Field Tip: Buy the right lube. Silicone toys usually pair best with water-based lube because silicone-based lubes can degrade some silicone toys. Questions to ask before buying: What is it made of? Is the material nonporous? How do I clean it? Is it rechargeable? Can I replace parts or recycle the electronics? Does the company provide real material and safety information, or just vibes? Literal and otherwise. Condoms and Barriers: Less Waste, Same Common Sense Condoms, dental dams, gloves, and other barriers are not the place to get overly precious about zero-waste purity. Safer sex comes first. Full stop. But there are still better questions to ask. What to look for: Consider vegan, fair-trade, or sustainably sourced latex when appropriate. Look for brands that are transparent about ingredients, sourcing, and packaging. Avoid novelty products with unnecessary fragrance, flavoring, dyes, or mystery additives if you’re prone to irritation. And please, do not reuse barriers in the name of sustainability. Ever. Aftercare and Cleanup: The Less-Trashy Tidy-Up The post-sex cleanup zone can be sneakily wasteful: wipes, tissues, paper towels, fragranced cleansers, disposable pads, and single-use packaging. What to look for: Washable towels, fragrance-free cleansers, and wipe alternatives (like The UnWipe) can reduce trash. Keep a few dedicated cotton or bamboo washcloths nearby. Choose simple, gentle products over perfumed intimate cleansers. Pelvic Floor Tools: Not Just Kegels and Hope Pelvic floor health deserves a bigger, smarter conversation. Leaking when you laugh, pain with sex, postpartum recovery, perimenopause changes, and pelvic tension are common — but common does not mean you just have to live with it. What to look for: Choose pelvic floor tools made from body-safe materials and brands that provide education from qualified professionals. Look for medical-grade silicone, clear cleaning instructions, and guidance on whether a product is meant for strengthening, relaxation, recovery, or sexual wellness. Also: more kegels are not always the answer. Sometimes the pelvic floor is too tight, not too weak. A pelvic floor physical therapist can help you figure out what your body actually needs instead of sending you into the wilderness with a silicone gadget. Mattresses: Because Your Bed Matters…A Lot A mattress is one of the biggest, most intimate purchases in your home. You spend hours breathing near it, sweating into it, and often making it squeak like a cabin screen door. What to look for in a greener mattress: Look for organic cotton, organic wool, natural latex, and low-VOC materials. Certifications can help separate real standards from greenwashing. Keep an eye out for GOTS for organic textiles, GOLS for organic latex, OEKO-TEX for harmful substance testing, GREENGUARD Gold for low chemical emissions, and MADE SAFE when available. Also consider durability. A mattress that lasts 10 years is generally better than one that sags in two and heads to the landfill. Questions to ask before buying: What materials are inside each layer? Is the latex natural, synthetic, or blended? Are flame retardants used? If so, what kind? Does it have third-party certifications? Can it be flipped, rotated, repaired, or recycled? Is there a real trial period and warranty? And because this is a sexual wellness article: think about edge support, motion transfer, bounce, cooling, and noise. What About Lingerie? Lingerie doesn’t have to be scratchy lace and pinchy elastic. And it doesn’t need to be made of cheap fabric that won’t last past one rambunctious play session. What to look for: Natural fibers like organic cotton, silk, hemp, bamboo lyocell, and TENCEL can be good options, especially for everyday pieces. For spicy numbers, prioritize durability, comfort, ethical production, and washability. The greenest lingerie is the kind you’ll actually wear more than once and not immediately shove into the back of the drawer. The Bottom Line: Greener Sex Is Still Supposed to Be Fun You do not need to overhaul your entire bathroom and bedroom in one weekend. Honestly, please don’t. That sounds expensive and annoying. Start where you are. Swap the tampons. Switch from the “flushable” wipes. Check the toy materials. Read the mattress label. Ask why your lube has 47 ingredients. Buy the lingerie that doesn’t make you itch physically or emotionally. Choose better where you can. Especially on the stuff going near your downstairs wilderness. Note: Some products featured in this article are sponsored partners. All picks are included because they fit the conversation around more intentional, body-aware, and lower-waste sexual wellness choices. When a product has tradeoffs — like preservatives, plastic packaging, or hormone residue concerns — I’ve tried to include that context, because transparency is part of the point.

Do Butterflies Remember Being Caterpillars? The Science Is Weirder Than You Think I need to tell you something mildly upsetting. A caterpillar does not simply “grow wings.” I know. That’s the cute version. That’s the kindergarten-poster version. That’s the version where nature feels tidy and inspirational and maybe comes with a coloring worksheet. The real version is much weirder. A caterpillar eats and eats and eats, molts a few times, hangs itself up like a tiny sleeping bag, forms a chrysalis, and then proceeds to reorganize its entire body into something with wings, antennae, compound eyes, and a completely different lifestyle. And scientists have found evidence that some moths may actually remember things they learned as caterpillars. First, Let’s Talk About the Goo If you learned that a caterpillar turns into “butterfly soup” inside its chrysalis, you’re not totally wrong. You’re just not totally right either. During metamorphosis, much of the caterpillar’s body breaks down. Tissues are dismantled. Structures are recycled. Things get extremely gooey in there, which I’m sure is the scientific term. But it’s not a complete reset. Certain organized groups of cells survive the process and help build the adult insect. These structures are called imaginal discs (there’s a trivia answer for you), and they’re basically little biological blueprints for butterfly or moth body parts — wings, legs, antennae, eyes, the whole glow-up package. Scientific American describes these discs as using the nutrient-rich material around them to fuel rapid growth into adult structures. Which means the caterpillar was carrying the instructions for its future self all along. Nature is so cool. Metamorphosis Is Not a Makeover. It’s a Total Career Change. A caterpillar and a butterfly are technically the same animal, but they live like entirely different creatures. The caterpillar’s job is basically: eat leaf, become tube, eat more leaf. The butterfly’s job is: fly, find nectar, mate, lay eggs, look delicate while secretly being a marvel of biological engineering. That’s part of what makes complete metamorphosis so brilliant. The young and adult stages don’t have to compete for the same food or live the same way. The caterpillar can focus on growth. The adult can focus on reproduction and dispersal. It’s less “awkward teen phase” and more “one creature occupying two different ecological jobs.” So… Do They Remember Being Caterpillars? Here’s the part that sent me down a tiny science rabbit hole. In 2008, researchers published a study in PLOS ONE with the title: “Retention of Memory through Metamorphosis: Can a Moth Remember What It Learned As a Caterpillar?” The study looked at tobacco hornworm caterpillars, which become hawkmoths. Researchers trained caterpillars to associate a particular odor with a mild electric shock. Later, after those caterpillars went through metamorphosis and emerged as adult moths, some of them still avoided that odor. Whoa. A caterpillar learned, transformed into a moth, and the adult moth still seemed to remember the lesson. Not all of them did. The memory seemed to persist when caterpillars were trained later in their larval development, which matters because parts of the nervous system change during metamorphosis. But the big takeaway is still wild: certain learned associations can survive the transformation from crawling leaf-eater to flying adult. It suggests that metamorphosis is not the clean slate we might imagine. Not Childhood Memories. More Like Survival Notes. This is where we need to be careful, because “butterflies remember being caterpillars” sounds like the setup to a Pixar movie where everyone cries happy tears in the end. The science is more specific than that. Researchers weren’t proving that moths remember their caterpillar lives in a human sense. They were studying associative memory — basically, whether an animal can learn that one thing predicts another thing. In this case, odor equals an unpleasant experience. That kind of memory is practical. It could help an insect avoid danger, choose a better habitat, or respond to environmental cues. The PLOS ONE researchers noted that memory surviving metamorphosis could have implications for things like host choice and habitat selection. So this is not nostalgia. The More You Learn, the Less “Simple” Nature Gets I think this is what I love most about the whole thing. Butterflies are often treated like nature’s motivational posters. Transformation. Beauty. Change. Growth. You know the drill. But the actual science is so much stranger and better than the metaphor. A caterpillar doesn’t become a butterfly because it believes in itself. It becomes a butterfly because its body contains hidden developmental instructions, because hormones trigger an ancient biological process, because tissues break down and rebuild, because evolution figured out that one animal could live two wildly different lives in a single lifetime. And maybe, somehow, some tiny trace of experience can make it through. That’s no less magical in my opinion. That’s more magical. A Tiny Identity Crisis, With Wings If one creature can dissolve, reorganize, emerge as something almost unrecognizable, and still carry some small lesson from before… what exactly counts as the same self? That’s the thing about nature. You go looking for a cute bug fact and come back wondering whether change means becoming someone new or becoming more fully what you were already built to become. So, do butterflies remember being caterpillars? The honest answer is: not the way we remember childhood. But research on moths suggests that at least some learned associations can survive metamorphosis, especially when learned later in the caterpillar stage. That means the transformation from caterpillar to winged adult may be less of a total erasure and more of a radical renovation where a few important wires stay connected. Which is somehow even cooler. The caterpillar doesn’t just vanish. The butterfly isn’t just a costume. And somewhere inside one of nature’s most dramatic transformations, a tiny lesson may make it through. Want to go down a rabbit hole yourself? Resources: PLOS ONE: “Retention of Memory through Metamorphosis: Can a Moth Remember What It Learned As a Caterpillar?” https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001736 PubMed: “Retention of memory through metamorphosis: can a moth remember what it learned as a caterpillar?” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18320055/ Scientific American: “How Does a Caterpillar Turn into a Butterfly?” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/caterpillar-butterfly-metamorphosis-explainer/ Ask an Entomologist: “What Happens Inside a Cocoon or Chrysalis?” https://askentomologists.com/2015/01/14/what-happens-inside-a-cocoon/

People Who Give a Damn: Jim Kaslik of The UnWipe on Wet Wipes, Public Restrooms, and Solving the Tiny Problems That Add Up You know that moment when you’re in a public restroom, staring down the world’s saddest toilet paper, wondering why modern society has given us self-driving cars but not a better way to feel clean away from home? That’s the very human problem behind The UnWipe, a portable alternative to wet wipes and bidets that uses regular toilet paper, a little clean water, and texture to help people clean up without synthetic wipes, mystery fragrance, or plumbing drama. Because here’s the thing: “flushable” wipes may disappear from the bowl, but they do not magically disappear from the planet. Or the pipes. Or the sewer system. Jim Kaslik, The UnWipe’s founder, didn’t start with a grand plan to reinvent the bathroom routine. He started with a dried-out pack of wipes, an article about how wipes can be harmful, and the kind of problem-solving brain that sees an everyday irritation and thinks, Wait. There has to be a better way. Here’s how Jim turned one very awkward little problem into a more durable, less wasteful solution. The Cabinet Clean-Out That Started It All Field Trip: What inspired you to build The UnWipe? Jim: I was cleaning out a cabinet and found a dried-out pack of wet wipes. I don’t know when or how they got there. A week later, a friend shared an article about how harmful wet wipes are to sewers and the environment. That got my problem-solving brain going. I knew from the start that I wanted a portable solution — some people use bidets, but they’re affixed to the home toilet. And I knew that to replace billions of wipes each year, we’d need to combine direct skin contact with the safe flushability of toilet paper. The R&D from there was pretty typical. I looked for a method that would make the paper stronger than just wet paper. What we landed on is the really thick texture The UnWipe offers — because texture cleans better. That’s something wipes actually can’t match, because of how they’re made and packaged. Why Wet Wipes? Why Now? Field Trip: Wet wipes are one of those products people use without thinking too much about where they go afterward. What made this feel worth solving? Jim: For me, it was the combination of scale and simplicity. People use wet wipes because they solve a real problem. They help people feel clean. So the question wasn’t, “How do we convince people they don’t need that?” It was, “How do we give people that same feeling without the synthetic wipe?” A lot of the damage happens after the wipe leaves your hand. That’s the part most people don’t see — the sewers, the landfills, the clogs. But the need itself is real. People want to feel clean, especially away from home. Texture, Not Trickery Field Trip: We love that the answer wasn’t some complicated gadget. It was texture. Why does that matter? Jim: Texture is the whole thing. Wet toilet paper by itself can fall apart, and wipes are limited by how they’re made and packaged. We needed something that could make toilet paper stronger and more effective without adding another disposable product into the mix. The thick texture is what gives it cleaning power. It’s simple, but it took a lot of testing to get there. Public Restrooms, Camping Bathrooms, and the Case for Portable Solutions Bidets can be great at home — less wiping, less trash, happy little tushy spa moment — but they still use water and aren’t exactly useful in a gas station bathroom, at a campground, or on a road trip when the restroom situation is… character-building. That’s where portability becomes the whole point. Field Trip: Why was it important that The UnWipe worked away from home? Jim: A lot of people have anxiety about using restrooms away from home. Some of it is social — the discomfort of a private need in a public space. Some of it is practical: most public restrooms offer nothing beyond the cheapest toilet paper, so if you care about hygiene, you’re just out of luck. One customer put it perfectly: “I want to come out of a public restroom feeling as if I’d never had to be in there.” That’s what we’re going for. Something simple and portable that turns an uncomfortable moment into a non-issue. Orders That Still Matter Field Trip: What’s been your proudest moment since launching The UnWipe? Jim: Honestly, every new customer order still feels meaningful — someone is trusting that our product can improve a pretty personal part of their day. Beyond that, knowing we’ve collectively helped keep tens of millions of synthetic wipes out of sewers and landfills is the thing that really sticks with me. And the week The UnWipe went viral from a CNN Underscored review — I won’t forget that one anytime soon. The Business of Not Selling You Refills Forever A lot of companies talk about sustainability while quietly building business models around “please buy this refill forever.” The UnWipe went the other direction. Field Trip: How do you balance running a mission-driven company with running, well, a company? Jim: I’ve been lucky that these two goals rarely pull against each other. The decision to use no plastic, for example, fits our sustainability mission, keeps costs reasonable, and gives customers something so durable that it will last indefinitely. Nobody has to compromise. We also made a deliberate choice to design it in a way that doesn’t require repeat purchases of consumables. That means customers aren’t generating extra shipping and packaging because of us — which feels right. A Fellow Problem-Solver Worth Watching Field Trip: What’s a non-UnWipe product or project you’re excited about right now? Jim: Staying in the same general territory: I’m genuinely fascinated by Poo-Pourri. Part of it is personal — I was born without a sense of smell, so the problem they’re solving doesn’t hit me directly. But I’ve heard from other people, and clearly it matters enormously to them. What caught my attention was learning that they didn’t just build a better air freshener — they rethought the problem entirely and came at it from a different angle. Simple, effective, and kind of elegant once you understand it. That kind of thinking resonates with me and aligns with our mission. Identify the irritating thing. Make it go away. We could all use a bit less irritation right now. Giving a Damn, Defined Field Trip: Complete the sentence: “Giving a damn means…” Jim: …caring about the life experiences of people you’ve never met, and putting real effort into making even a small part of their day tangibly better. Field Trip: And there it is. Not every conservation-minded idea starts with a sweeping wilderness vision or a dramatic mountaintop moment. Sometimes it starts in a cabinet with a dried-out pack of wipes and the realization that one tiny convenience has a much bigger environmental cost than most of us realize. The UnWipe is not trying to make bathrooms glamorous. Thank goodness. That would be a lot to ask. It’s trying to make them better: cleaner, less wasteful, less awkward, and easier to deal with when you’re out living your actual life. Learn more about Jim and The UnWipe at www.theunwipe.com. People Who Give a Damn is a recurring Field Trip series highlighting folks who make a difference for the outdoors and the earth. Know someone we should meet? Drop us a line.

At 80 Years Old, Smokey Bear Is Still Hot Stuff: Why Wildfire Prevention Matters More Than Ever Why May Is Your Wildfire Wake-Up Call May is Wildfire Awareness Month, which means it’s time to talk about one of America’s most beloved outdoor icons: a bear in jeans, a ranger hat, and an absolutely zero-nonsense stance on unattended campfires. Yup. Smokey Bear. Not “Smokey the Bear,” by the way. I know. It feels wrong in the mouth. But his official name is Smokey Bear, and he has been gently but firmly side-eyeing our campfire habits since 1944. And honestly? We need him now more than ever. According to Smokey Bear’s 2025 facts and stats, nearly 9 out of 10 wildfires nationwide are caused by…you guessed it: humans. And the most common human-related causes? Unattended campfires, debris burning on windy days, discarded smoking materials, hot ashes and barbecue coals, and equipment that throws sparks. The same fact sheet also notes that wildfire season is basically always happening somewhere in the U.S., and every region of the country has wildfire risk. First, Let’s Clear the Smoke: Not All Fire Is Bad Fire can be natural, necessary, and even healthy for some ecosystems. Prescribed fire, when planned and carried out by trained professionals, can reduce dangerous fuel buildup, improve habitat, and help fire-adapted landscapes do their thing. Smokey’s beef is not with all fire. Smokey’s beef is with unwanted, human-caused wildfire — the kind that starts because someone thought their campfire was “probably fine,” tossed a cigarette, burned yard debris on a windy day, or dragged a trailer chain down the highway without thinking of the sparks it would cause. Smokey Was Born During Wartime Smokey Bear didn’t start as a plush toy, sticker, or adorable childhood memory. He was born out of real fear. During World War II, the U.S. was worried about forest fires threatening timber, communities, and resources needed for the war effort. The U.S. Forest Service created Smokey Bear in 1944 as the symbol of its wildfire prevention campaign. The Smithsonian notes that the character was created by the Forest Service in August 1944, and the real-life Smokey came later. Before Smokey, Bambi actually helped spread fire-prevention messaging for a brief time after Disney allowed the character to be used in public service ads. But Bambi was only on loan. America needed a permanent forest friend. Smokey’s campaign went on to become the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history, now more than 80 years old. Then Came the Real Smokey, and America, Obviously, Fell Hard In 1950, firefighters battling a wildfire in New Mexico’s Capitan Mountains found a badly burned bear cub clinging to a tree. He had survived the fire, but his paws and legs were injured. Rescuers cared for him, and he was eventually named Smokey after the campaign character. Not surprisingly, that little cub became the living symbol of wildfire prevention. People wrote letters. Children sent cards. The country loved him so much that Smokey eventually received his own ZIP code because he got that much mail! Congress passed the Smokey Bear Act in 1952 to preserve his legacy. Many media partners (including Field Trip) believe so much in Smokey’s message that they have donated more than $1.6 billion in media support. For a bear, he has quite the résumé. Why Smokey Is Still a Big Deal Smokey matters now more than ever because our fire reality is changing. More people are recreating outdoors. More homes are built near wildlands. More places are seeing hot, dry, windy conditions that can turn one careless moment into a fast-moving emergency. The National Interagency Fire Center reports that, as of 2023, the 10-year average for human-caused fires accounted for 88% of all wildfires nationally. Smokey’s message is incredibly simple. Not “Only federal agencies can prevent wildfires.” Not “Only firefighters can prevent wildfires.” Not “Only people with fancy drip torches and forestry degrees can prevent wildfires.” It’s “Only you can prevent wildfires.” Smokey’s Best Advice Smokey’s advice has aged beautifully. Here are the big ones: 1. Drown, Stir, Drown, Feel When putting out a campfire, Smokey’s official guidance is to drown it with water, stir the ashes and embers, drown it again, and feel to make sure everything is cold. If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave. 2. Never Leave a Fire Unattended A campfire is not a crockpot. Do not “let it do its thing.” Stay with it. Keep it small. Use an established fire ring when allowed. Check local fire restrictions before you even think about striking a match. 3. Watch the Wind Debris burning on windy days is one of the main causes of human-related wildfires. 4. Mind Your Sparks Vehicles, trailers, chains, lawn equipment, fireworks, BBQ coals, and hot ashes can all start fires under the wrong conditions. So can cigarettes, which should never be tossed on the ground. Ever. Anywhere. Forest or not. 5. Know Before You Go Before camping, hiking, grilling, burning brush, or using equipment outdoors, check local fire restrictions. Conditions can change fast, and what was allowed last weekend may be a hard nope today. Good places to check include: www.SmokeyBear.com www.NIFC.gov www.Ready.gov/wildfires Your local fire department or land management agency website Campfire Confession: I Used to Think Wildfires Were Mostly a “Western Problem” Every region of the U.S. has wildfires. The Smokey Bear fact sheet says it plainly — it is always wildfire season somewhere in the country. That means this is not just a California thing. Or a Colorado thing. It is a backyard thing. A campground thing. A roadside thing. Wildfire prevention belongs to all of us, even those of us who live where the grass is green and the humidity is hell. Why We Love Smokey So Much Part of it is the outfit. Obviously. The hat? Iconic. The shovel? Practical. The jeans? Confusing but cute. But we love Smokey because he does something rare: he makes personal responsibility feel warm instead of scoldy. He does not yell. He does not shame. He simply points one fuzzy finger and reminds us that our choices matter. Put the fire out completely. Skip burning on windy days. Secure trailer chains. Dispose of ashes correctly. Pay attention. Care enough to double-check. Be the Person Smokey Thinks You Are May is Wildfire Awareness Month, but this is not a one-month responsibility. It is a year-round outdoor ethic. Smokey Bear has been carrying the wildfire prevention message for more than 80 years. He has been on posters, stamps, TV, toys, social media, and apparently even visited outer space. He has become one of America’s favorite advertising icons and one of conservation’s most recognizable faces. But his message still comes down to one person, one decision, one moment of care. So, before you leave the campsite, burn pile, grill, trailhead, or backyard fire pit, take a beat. Drown it. Stir it. Drown it again. Feel it. Make Smokey proud. P.S. Want to know what happened to the little Smokey Bear cub? After the fire, the injured cub was first cared for in New Mexico. His burned paws and legs were treated, and once his story spread, America basically lost its collective mind over this tiny survivor. In June 1950, Smokey was brought to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he became the living symbol of wildfire prevention. He lived there for decades, greeted visitors, received piles of fan mail, and continued doing his very important job. Smokey retired in 1975 after 25 years as the living symbol of the campaign. He passed away in November 1976. You can still pay your respects to the real Smokey. His ashes are buried at Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico, not far from the mountains where he was rescued as a tiny burned cub.

Trail Mail: Is Campfire Smoke Stalking Me? Real questions. Field-tested answers. Got something on your mind? Ask away — your friendly Camp Counselor is in. Dear Field Trip, Every time I sit around a campfire, the smoke follows me. I move chairs. It follows. I switch sides. It follows. Is this physics, bad luck, or is the smoke stalking me? —Smoked Out and Suspicious Camp Counselor Says: First of all, I see you. Or at least, I would if my eyes weren’t watering. I have often felt this same suspicion. Yes, campfire smoke does seem to have a personal vendetta sometimes. You’re sitting there, minding your business, trying to perfect your marshmallow toasting, and then suddenly the smoke makes a hard pivot directly into your face. You move. It moves. You shift. It shifts. You start to wonder if the fire has a grudge. The truth? You have not been chosen by the smoke gods. Probably. But there is actual science behind why campfire smoke follows people, and unfortunately, that science does not care that your favorite fleece jacket will now smell like smoke through at least three washings. The Short Answer: It’s Airflow, Not Witchcraft Campfire smoke moves with air currents. That part is simple. The rub? You create air currents, too. When you sit near a fire, your body blocks some of the air moving toward the flames. A campfire needs oxygen to keep burning, so air is constantly being pulled in toward the fire from all sides. When your body interrupts that flow, it can create a little low-pressure zone in front of you. And guess what drifts into that zone? You guessed it. Smoke. Why It Feels So Personal The most insulting part? Smoke seems to single you out. It goes straight for the eyeballs. The throat. Your hair. This happens because campfire smoke is full of tiny particles and hot gases rising from the fire. As the warm air moves upward, cooler air rushes in near ground level to replace it. Any little breeze, body movement, chair arrangement, or log shift can redirect that flow. So when you move to the other side of the fire, you may temporarily escape. But then the airflow changes. Again. Sometimes one person really does seem to get smoked more than everyone else, and there are a few reasons why. You might be sitting slightly downwind. You might be blocking the airflow in just the wrong way. Your chair might be in the path of the cooler air feeding the fire. Or you might be near damp wood, green wood, or a poorly burning section of the fire that is producing extra smoke. Also, campfires are chaotic. Flames, heat, moisture, wind, oxygen, and wood all interact in constantly shifting ways. That means smoke direction can change quickly, even when the night feels calm. Is Campfire Smoke Bad for You? Even if we feel targeted by smoke, we all still love a good campfire, right? Well, here’s where I have to briefly ruin the vibe. Campfire smoke is not just “woodsy air.” It contains fine particles and gases that can irritate your eyes, throat, and lungs. For people with asthma, heart conditions, respiratory issues, or smoke sensitivity, it can be more than annoying. So while a little occasional campfire smoke is part of the outdoor experience for many people, you do not need to sit there and breathe in that smoke. If your eyes are burning, your throat hurts, or you’re coughing, move farther away. Seriously. How to Get Less Smoked Out You can’t fully control campfire smoke, but you can make things better. Burn dry, seasoned wood. Wet or green wood makes way more smoke. If the logs are hissing, bubbling, or steaming, congratulations, you are now attending a campfire and a sauna. Build a hotter, cleaner-burning fire. A struggling fire smolders. A well-built fire with good airflow burns more efficiently and produces less smoke. Think less sad log pile, more tidy little flame engine. Give the fire room to breathe. Don’t smother it with too many logs. Fire needs oxygen. A choked fire gets smoky and cranky. Sit farther back. I know. Revolutionary. But distance helps. If you’re close enough to toast your shins and inhale sparks, you are also close enough to be personally victimized by smoke. Watch the wind before you commit. Before settling into your chair and getting comfy, pause for a second. Look where the smoke is drifting. Then choose your seat accordingly. Will this work forever? No. But it may buy you enough time to eat one s’more in peace. Field Tip: The Smoke Will Find You Anyway Okay, this may not be scientific, but I have a lot of anecdotal evidence to believe smoke will always find: The person who just washed their hair. The person wearing contacts. The person holding the perfect marshmallow. The person who said, “I actually love the smell of campfire.” That person is doomed. A Tiny Conservation Note, Because We’re Field Trip Campfires are lovely. They are also not always necessary. In dry conditions, windy weather, crowded campsites, or areas with fire restrictions, skipping the fire is the better move. Wildfire risk is real, and even small campfires can cause big problems when conditions are wrong. Remember Smokey: Only you can prevent wildfires. Also, don’t transport firewood long distances. Moving firewood can spread invasive insects and diseases to new forests, which is a real problem. It’s not that the campground wants your $10 for a bundle of wood (although, sure, they probably also appreciate that). Buy local firewood when you can, follow campground rules, fully extinguish your fire, and don’t be the person who leaves a smoking fire ring behind. Nobody likes that guy. P.S. Got your own burning question about outdoor life? Drop us a line — Trail Mail is always open.

Let’s Clean Up: Your Digital Life, From Inbox to E-Waste A practical guide to cleaning up your inbox, clearing out old devices, recycling e-waste responsibly, and shopping for tech a little more wisely. There’s something deeply satisfying about cleaning up a messy space. Kitchen counter? Better. Car floor? Weirdly satisfying. Campsite? Non-negotiable. But some of our messiest spaces are the ones we barely notice. The inbox full of sale alerts. The desktop buried under screenshots. The cloud storage plan we somehow pay for because of duplicate photos from 2018. The drawer full of old phones, dead chargers, and a Kindle that still—technically—turns on. That’s where this round of Let’s Clean Up comes in. Because digital clutter is still clutter. And digital waste? Way more harmful than clutter. No, deleting old emails is not going to single-handedly save the planet. But cleaning up your digital life can reduce waste, cut distractions, help your devices last longer, and keep old electronics out of the trash. Honestly, that’s plenty. First: Clean What You’re Still Using Start with the easiest stuff: the mess on the devices you already use every day. Your inbox. Your downloads folder. Your desktop. Your camera roll. Your cloud storage. Your unused apps. Your notifications that somehow turned into a full-time job. This matters for two reasons. First, it makes life feel less chaotic almost immediately. Second, all that digital stuff runs through real infrastructure. Data centers used an estimated 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, or about 1.5% of global electricity use. That does not mean your unread coupon emails are personally wrecking the grid. It does mean digital clutter is not imaginary. Start here: Inbox Unsubscribe from anything you keep deleting without reading. (Phew! If you’re reading this, we can rest easy.) Be ruthless. If a brand has emailed you twelve times and you still have not opened one, that relationship is over. Downloads folder Delete what you do not need. Organize what you do. Empty the trash. Done. Desktop A screen covered in mystery files is just visual stress. Deal with them. Photos and videos Delete duplicates, blurry shots, accidental screenshots, and the seventeen versions of the same sunset. Keep the good one. Apps and notifications Remove apps you do not use. (Seems obvious, right?) Turn off alerts that do not improve your life. Not every app needs to buzz you, badge you, email you, and then send a push notification to make sure you saw the email. Second: Round Up the Old Tech Now go beyond the screen. Check the junk drawer. The office shelf. The closet. The backpack pocket. The basket of cords that has somehow become a retirement community for outdated chargers. Old phones, tablets, e-readers, laptops, earbuds, keyboards, mice, cables, battery packs, smartwatches, and random accessories all count. This is e-waste, which is just a plain-English way of saying electronics you are done using. Anything with a plug, cord, or battery belongs in this conversation. And this is not a tiny issue. The world generated 62 billion kilograms of e-waste in 2022, and only 22.3% was documented as formally collected and recycled. That is the equivalent of about 1.55 million 40-ton trucks full of old electronics. So yes, the drawer matters. Make three piles: Keep Stuff you still use and actually need. Donate or sell Devices that still work and could have a second life. Recycle Broken, outdated, or dead electronics that are done being useful. That’s it. Do not overcomplicate it. Third: Wipe It, Then Recycle It Right This is where people stall out, because “recycle your electronics” sounds responsible but also a little concerning. Those devices often carry your personal data, after all. So here are the manageable bites. 1. Back it up Before you get rid of a phone, tablet, or computer, save anything you want to keep. 2. Remove the extras Take out SIM cards and SD cards if the device has them. 3. Factory reset it The Federal Trade Commission recommends backing up your phone, removing SIM and SD cards, and erasing your personal information before you sell, donate, or recycle it. 4. Recycle batteries separately when needed This one matters. The EPA says lithium-ion batteries and devices containing them should not go in household trash or curbside recycling bins. They should go to dedicated recycling or household hazardous waste collection points instead. 5. Use actual recycling programs Start with your local solid waste district or household hazardous waste program. Then check manufacturer and retailer take-back options. A few useful places to start: www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling www.apple.com/reuse-recycle/ store.google.com/magazine/recycling www.call2recycle.org search.earth911.com The EPA also points people toward certified electronics recyclers and major collection resources, which is helpful if you are staring at a dead tablet and wondering who on earth takes that. Fourth: Keep Your Current Devices Longer This is the real green move. The biggest environmental hit for a lot of electronics happens during manufacturing, before you even open the box. So the greenest laptop or phone is often the one you already own, at least for a little longer. That means before you replace something, try this: Update it Install software and security updates. Clean it up Clear storage, remove unused apps, and restart it. Repair the obvious problem Bad battery? Cracked screen? Worn charging cable? Sticky key? That is often cheaper and greener than replacing the whole device. Protect it better Case, sleeve, screen protector, surge protector. Not sexy. Very effective. Fifth: Buy Better When You Truly Need Something New Sometimes repair will not cut it. Fair enough. Stuff dies. Needs change. Software support ends. Life happens. When it is genuinely time to buy, shop with a few simple filters instead of trying to become an expert in the entire global electronics supply chain by Thursday. 1. Buy only when you need to First question: do I actually need a new device, or do I just need this one to work better? 2. Look for repairability Can the battery be replaced? Are parts available? Is the design repair-friendly? 3. Look for credible labels EPEAT is one of the more useful ecolabels for electronics. It uses criteria that look across the product life cycle, including climate impacts, chemicals of concern, circularity, and supply chains. For computers, ENERGY STAR can also help you find models built for better energy efficiency. 4. Check support life How long will the company provide software and security updates? A device that lasts longer is usually the better choice. 5. Consider refurbished Refurbished can be the sweet spot: lower cost, lower waste, still plenty functional for most people. 6. Have an exit plan If you are buying new, figure out what happens to the old device before the new one even arrives. Trade it in, donate it, or recycle it properly. Just do not put it in the junk drawer. Small Steps, Big Cleanup Energy This is not about becoming a digital minimalist who owns three cables and experiences inner peace every time they open a laptop. It is about making your digital life a little cleaner, a little greener, and a whole lot less annoying. Start small: Today, unsubscribe from five emails. Tomorrow, sort one drawer of old tech. This weekend, reset and recycle one dead device. Next time you shop, check repairability before you click “buy now.” That’s it. Less digital clutter. Less actual waste. Fewer dead chargers in a basket. Honestly? That’s a pretty good place to start. This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.

Welcome to Slow Mow Season: A Better Way to Help Pollinators No Mow May has a nice ring to it. It’s simple, memorable, and gives the mower a little vacation right when spring starts glowing. But as pollinator advice goes, it’s incomplete. The idea behind No Mow May is solid: let spring lawn flowers bloom so bees and other pollinators have more food. The problem is that pollinators don’t just need help in May. They need nectar, pollen, nesting sites, shelter, and pesticide-free spaces across the whole growing season. For me, Slow Mow Season is a better fit. It keeps the useful part—mowing less—without pretending one month of shaggy grass can carry an entire ecosystem. No Mow May Opened the Door No Mow May became popular because it gave people a very doable way to think differently about lawns. Instead of treating every dandelion, violet, and clover patch like a weed to be pulled, it asked: what if some of this is food? A lawn with blooming “weeds” can support bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, and other insects, especially in places where traditional turfgrass dominates the landscape. Mowing less often allows low-growing flowers to bloom, and those flowers can become quick forage for pollinators. So no, No Mow May is not useless. It can be a helpful first step. But it is a first step. If the mower roars back on June 1 and the yard goes right back to weekly cuts, herbicides, and bare mulch, the benefit is short-lived. Pollinators need more than a temporary buffet. Why Slow Mow Season Makes More Sense The biggest issue with No Mow May is right there in the name: May. In some regions, May is a great time to pause or reduce mowing. In warmer climates, many bees and spring flowers are active earlier. In cooler places, peak bloom may come later. A fixed month makes the idea easy to promote, but nature does what it wants, on her own timeline. Slow Mow Season is more flexible. Instead of skipping mowing for one specific month, the goal is to mow less often and more intentionally throughout the growing season. That could mean mowing every two or three weeks instead of weekly. It could mean raising the mower blade. It could mean keeping paths and play areas short while letting less-used sections grow and bloom. The point is not to abandon your yard. The point is to stop treating frequent mowing as the default. What Slow Mow Season Actually Looks Like Slow Mow Season can be simple. Mow less often Research and conservation guidance increasingly point toward reduced mowing as a practical way to support more flowering lawn plants and the insects that use them. Mowing every two or three weeks can allow flowers to bloom while still keeping the yard manageable. Weekly mowing, especially at a low height, keeps many lawn flowers from ever becoming useful forage. Stretching the schedule gives those plants a chance. Mow higher A higher mower setting is one of the easiest changes to make. Taller grass shades the soil, helps retain moisture, and gives low-growing flowers more room to bloom. (And saves on your water bill.) It also tends to look more intentional than an all-or-nothing mowing pause. Keep the edges tidy This one is part ecology, part neighbor relations. A mowed border around a taller patch signals that the area is intentional. Same with a path through a mini-meadow or a clean edge along the sidewalk. It’s a small design move, but it helps if you have a stickler neighbor. Wildlife habitat often gets more support when it looks cared for. Watch what grows Not every plant that appears in an unmowed lawn is helpful. Some may be invasive. Some may spread aggressively. Some may not offer much to pollinators at all. Slow mowing works best when paired with observation. What’s blooming? What are insects visiting? Are invasive plants moving in? Is the area adding habitat value, or just getting tall? A little attention goes a long way. It’s Not Just About the Grass: Plant More Native Plants Mowing less is useful, but it has limits. A turfgrass lawn with very few flowers will not suddenly become prime pollinator habitat because the mower took a break. For real impact, Slow Mow Season should be paired with more native plants. Native flowers, shrubs, and trees support pollinators across the season and often provide better nutrition than random lawn blooms alone. They also support caterpillars, birds, and other wildlife in ways turfgrass simply cannot. Think of slow mowing as reducing harm and opening space. Native planting is how you build the good stuff. Good places to start include: Replace a strip of lawn You don’t have to convert the whole yard. Start with a sunny edge, a mailbox bed, a slope that’s annoying to mow, or the corner where grass never looked good anyway. Choose blooms for every season Pollinators need food from early spring through fall. Aim for a mix of early, mid-season, and late-blooming native plants. Early bloomers help emerging bees. Summer flowers feed a wide range of insects. Fall bloomers, like asters and goldenrods in many regions, are especially important for late-season fuel. Add shrubs and trees Flowers get most of the attention, but native shrubs and trees can be powerhouse habitat. Willows, serviceberries, oaks, dogwoods, blueberries, and other regionally appropriate natives can support pollinators and other wildlife. Avoid pesticides This is a big one—and one that a lot of people don’t want to hear. A flowering lawn or garden treated with insecticides can become a hazard instead of a habitat. If the goal is to help pollinators, skip pesticides and be cautious with any lawn or garden product that could harm bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other beneficial insects. And yes, read the fine print on bagged soil, compost, mulch, and lawn products. Some come with added fertilizers, weed preventers, insecticides, or fungicides built in. Convenient? Sure. Pollinator-friendly? Not always. Field Tip: Use Pollinator Partnership’s Bee Friendly Gardening Guide For a practical starting point, Pollinator Partnership has a Bee Friendly Gardening section that helps people create pollinator habitat in yards, gardens, balconies, and other outdoor spaces. Find it here: https://www.pollinator.org/bfg It’s a helpful resource because it moves the conversation beyond “mow or don’t mow” and into how you can create a better habitat: more flowers, better plant choices, and more thoughtful outdoor spaces. What About Ticks, Snakes, and HOAs, You Ask? Slow Mow Season works best when it fits the place you actually live. If ticks or venomous snakes are part of your local climate, Slow Mow Season does not mean turning the whole yard into a wildlife surprise party. Taller lawn grass does not automatically mean more ticks; recent research from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies found no relationship between tick density and mowed grass height in the lawns they studied. Still, be smart about the spaces people and pets actually use. Keep paths, play areas, pet zones, and gathering spots easy to see and walk through. Manage brushy edges, wood piles, rock piles, and dense vegetation where ticks or snakes may be more likely to hang out. Do tick checks after time outside, and don’t let pets nose around in tall areas where visibility is poor. Pollinator-friendly should still be people- and pet-friendly. If you have an HOA or local weed ordinance, start small and tidy. Use mowed borders. Add signs if allowed. Choose intentional native beds instead of letting the entire front yard go long overnight. A slow-mowed yard does not have to look neglected. In fact, the best ones usually don’t. Better Than a One-Month Challenge The trouble with month-long environmental challenges is that they can make conservation feel like checking a box. Didn’t mow in May? Great. Done. But pollinator decline is not a one-month problem, and lawns are not a one-month opportunity. Slow Mow Season asks for a different rhythm: fewer unnecessary cuts, more flowers, less chemical use, more native plants, and a yard that changes with the season. That’s not as tidy as a slogan, but frankly, it’s more useful. The Bottom Line No Mow May helped start a good conversation. Slow Mow Season is the evolution. The goal isn’t to have the wildest lawn on the block. The goal is to make outdoor space a little more alive—and to give pollinators something they can use long after the calendar flips to June. This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. References Xerces Society, “No Mow May: An Easy Start for a Nature-Friendly Yard (But Not the Finish Line)” https://www.xerces.org/blog/no-mow-may-easy-start-for-nature-friendly-yard-but-not-finish-line Vermont Center for Ecostudies, “Does No Mow May Invite Invasives and Ticks to Your Yard?” https://vtecostudies.org/blog/no-mow-may-invasives-ticks Pollinator Partnership, “Bee Friendly Gardening” https://www.pollinator.org/bfg

Campfire Vibes, Clear-Headed Mornings: What to Bring Instead of Beers There was a time when “campfire drinks” meant one thing: beer. Preferably cold. Preferably cheap. Preferably wedged between the ketchup and a bag of suspiciously flattened hot dog buns. And look, I’m not here to pretend that version of camp culture never existed. It absolutely did. It still does. But the cooler situation is changing, and honestly? I’m into it. These days, I’m seeing more people build a campfire drink lineup that actually matches how they want to feel — not just that night, but the next morning too. That means non-alcoholic beer that still scratches the classic beer itch, canned mocktails that feel festive, THC and CBD options for people who want a different lane entirely, good old water, and healthier add-ins that make the morning-after version of you more ready to hit that hike. The campfire ritual was never really about alcohol Let’s face it, a lot of what feels good about “having a drink by the fire” has almost nothing to do with getting buzzed. It’s the ritual. The cold can in your hand. The little crack-open moment. The sitting down. The exhale. The way the day winds down. The camaraderie. That’s why alternatives are working. They keep the vibe, but they give people more control over the outcome. And yes, one of those outcomes is waking up ready for coffee and a trail, not negotiating with your own eyeballs at 7 a.m. At Field Trip, our coolers are looking a little different these days: same campfire energy, better beverage options, way fewer regrettable mornings. Here’s what we are bringing ‘round the campfire: NA beers: for when you want beer-beer energy This is the easiest swap, and honestly, it’s the one that feels the most seamless. Athletic Brewing  has built its whole identity around craft non-alcoholic beer , with styles like IPA, golden, pils, and light options designed to feel like actual beer, not a sad little compromise. The company says its beers are brewed with a proprietary process to keep full flavor, and most of its NA beers are under 0.5% ABV. That “I want a beer by the fire” feeling? Still very much intact. Tester notes were strong here: clean, crisp, genuinely beery, and not trying too hard to make up for what’s missing. Athletic Brewing also gets big points from us for putting real muscle behind its outdoor ethos. Through its Two For The Trails  program — now the largest annual environmental grant program in craft brewing — the brand has invested more than $8 million in trail work since 2018, supporting 500-plus grant recipients across 46 states and three countries. Mocktails: not fake fun, just fun Mocktails have come a long way from sad little “drink alternatives” that feel like an afterthought. Brands like Mockly  make this category a lot more interesting. Their canned, non-alcoholic cocktails are built to feel festive and grown-up, not like you got handed the consolation prize. That’s what I want at a campsite: something easy to toss in the cooler, easy to crack open, and still special once the fire gets going. Because that’s the thing — a good mocktail should still feel like part of the ritual. It should have personality, taste, and complexity—and Mockly fits the bill. Our testers said Mockly tasted bright and balanced — fruity without going full candy, with enough bite to still feel like a real grown-up drink. Canned mocktails are especially great for camp because they keep things simple. No shaker. No chopping fruit on a picnic table. No tiny bottle collection rolling around in your camp bin. Just cold, good, done. (And recyclable!) THC and CBD drinks: same ritual, different lane For some people, the move away from alcohol doesn’t stop at NA beer or mocktails. It shifts into THC- and CBD-infused drinks instead. Artet  is probably the clearest example of the “cocktail person’s cannabis alternative” category. Their flagship aperitif is a non-alcoholic botanical THC spirit with notes like cardamom, ginger, juniper, and grapefruit, made to be poured and mixed like a traditional aperitif. Field Trip testers described Artet’s aperitif as citrusy, botanical, and lightly bitter, with enough spice and herbal depth to feel like a real cocktail experience rather than a one-note alternative. The gorgeous blue bottle can be reused, which we love. We especially appreciated that Artet includes a shot-glass-style measuring cup with easy, approachable guidance for finding your ideal amount — a small detail, but one that makes the whole experience feel more user-friendly and less like guesswork. We also tried Artet’s Strawberry Basil Spritzes , a THC-and-CBD sip that felt bright, botanical, and just summery enough for campfire duty — a little fancier than your average canned drink, but still easy to crack open by the fire. Taste-wise, testers described it as bright, botanical, and lightly fruity, with the basil giving it a fresh edge that made it feel a little more elevated. Tattersall Functional has also moved into this space with Tattersall Functional, an alcohol-free line from the distillery that combines hemp-derived THC with CBD, adaptogens, and electrolytes. The brand frames those drinks as functional tonics for connection and calm, which feels pretty on-brand for the “I would like to enjoy the fire and also remain a coherent human” crowd. Tattersall’s two offerings also fit different campfire moods. Uplift  feels more like the chatty, pass-the-snacks, stay-up-late option; Unwind  is better for the slower, quieter part of the night when you’re ready to settle in and let the fire do most of the talking. Flavor-wise, our testers described Tattersall as clean and grown-up, with subtle botanical notes and a less sugary profile than many canned alternatives. We tried several of the recipes included on Tattersall’s website and Instagram. We were really impressed with the flexibility built into the flavor profile, making Tattersall perfect for a number of cocktail-like creations. The bottles are also lovely and can be upcycled in a number of ways. Bonus points for that! To note: THC is not alcohol in a different outfit. It hits differently, but just like with alcohol, timing can vary, and “just one more” is not a particularly elegant strategy when you’re outdoors, in the dark, and around a fire. Start low. Go slow. Know the rules where you’re camping, because they vary a lot by state, property, and public land unit. Water: still undefeated I know. Water is not a glamorous headline. But it deserves a seat at the campfire table. If you spent the day hiking, paddling, biking, or simply sitting in the sun, water is not boring. It is elite. Still water, sparkling water, citrus slices, electrolytes — whatever gets you to actually drink it. And this is also an easy place to make the cooler a little less wasteful. Instead of loading up on single-use plastic bottles, pack a big refillable jug, insulated water bottles, or a few reusable cups for camp. Same hydration win, a lot less trash to haul home. A cooler with more water in it is rarely a bad idea. A cooler with more water and less plastic junk? Even better. The healthier add-on we’d pack for the morning-after crowd Daily Elements makes a microgreens powder from four ingredients: micro broccoli, micro kale, micro red cabbage, and micro peas. The company says it contains no additives, flavors, or sweeteners, and that it is grown indoors, freeze-dried, and third-party tested for contaminants, pathogens, and heavy metals. It’s not certified organic, but the brand says that’s because the greens are grown hydroponically rather than in soil. Translation: this is less “campfire sipper” and more “the next morning, when you want to add something green to water or a smoothie.” This whole mix of NA options does something camp culture has needed for a while: it gives people options. No weird pressure. No defaulting to beer because that’s what camping is “supposed” to look like. Just more ways to gather around a fire and still enjoy the morning after. Just more ways to circle the fire, swap stories, and call it a great night without sacrificing the morning. P.S. Cannabis and alcohol rules can vary by campground, park, and public land unit, and alcoholic, THC, or CBD products are not for everyone. People with medical conditions, medications, pregnancy, or other health concerns should check with a clinician before adding them to the mix. This article is sponsored. We only partner with brands and feature products we’ve personally tried, tested, and feel good recommending.

Your Camping Gear Is Basically an Emergency Kit in Disguise There’s a reason campers tend to be a little less rattled when the power goes out. Nobody wants an emergency, obviously. But if you’re used to spending time outdoors, you probably already own gear that helps you cook, see, eat, and function without relying on the usual systems. That overlap is worth paying attention to. A lot of what makes camping gear useful in the wild also makes it useful during a power outage or other emergency at home: a way to cook, reliable lighting, food that stores well, backup power, and a sanitation plan. Campers already know how to do more with less One of the biggest advantages campers have in an emergency isn’t just the gear. It’s the familiarity. If you camp regularly, you already know how to boil water without a kitchen, cook dinner with limited supplies, light a space without flipping a switch, and adapt when conditions are less than ideal. That kind of experience goes a long way when normal routines are interrupted. Preparedness can feel overwhelming when it’s framed as a separate lifestyle. But for people who camp, hike, road-trip, or spend a lot of weekends outdoors, it often feels more familiar. You may already have a strong head start. Camping gear that makes just as much sense at home as it does outdoors Jetboil’s Genesis isn’t just a camp stove. It’s a real cooking setup. There’s a big difference between having a burner for emergencies and having a setup that can actually feed a whole family well. That’s where Jetboil’s Genesis Basecamp System  truly stands out. As camping gear, it’s already easy to appreciate. It tucks into a compact bag for transport and storage, but once it’s set up, it gives you a true two-burner cooking system that makes camp meals feel far less like a compromise. You can boil water on one side and cook on the other. You can cook breakfast for a group without having to cook in shifts. You can do more than heat a pot of soup and call it good. That matters outside, and it matters at home too. In an emergency, cooking is one of the first things people miss. A basic backup burner can get you by, but a more capable stove changes the experience entirely. The Genesis gives you enough flexibility to cook real meals, use up refrigerated food before it spoils, and bring a little structure back to the day when everything else feels off. That’s what makes it such a strong crossover piece. It’s not a gadget you buy for a single scenario and stash away. It’s already excellent camping gear because it makes outdoor cooking easier, faster, and more practical. Its ability to step in during a power outage or other disruption makes it even more valuable. Field Tip:  We use our JetBoil Genesis next to our outdoor grill on hot summer days. It allows simultaneous cooking and grilling while keeping stovetop heat out of the house. Website: https://www.jetboil.com Solight lanterns do more than light the room It’s easy to take lighting for granted until it’s gone, whether you’re at camp or at home during an outage. Gear that does more than one job tends to earn its place quickly. Solight’s solar lanterns are already a smart fit for camping and off-grid use because they solve several problems at once. They fold flat, self-inflate, take up very little space in a gear bin, and are built to handle rough conditions. For anyone trying to keep camp gear practical and packable, that’s a solid combination. They become even more compelling in an emergency because several models also support backup charging. The MEGAPUFF offers 300 lumens, a 4000mAh battery, and USB-C charging. The QWNN reaches 600 lumens and also functions as a power bank. So instead of pulling out one item for light and another for your phone, you’ve got one compact piece of gear that covers both needs. That kind of efficiency is useful on a camping trip, and it’s just as useful when your house goes dark and you want to preserve battery life, keep a room lit, and stay connected. Solight’s lanterns also fold down small enough to store easily, which is part of what makes them a practical bridge between outdoor gear and emergency supplies. Website: https://solight-design.com Mountain House already speaks both languages: camping and preparedness Some products barely need the case made for them, and Mountain House is one of them. Campers already know why these meals work. They’re lightweight, easy to pack, simple to prepare, and surprisingly convenient after a long day outdoors. Add hot water, wait a few minutes, and you’ve got a meal with little cleanup or fuss. That’s exactly why they’ve become such a staple in camp kitchens. Those same qualities are what make them useful in emergencies, too. When grocery runs aren’t possible, roads are closed, or cooking needs to stay simple, shelf-stable meals that are easy to store and prepare become more than a camping convenience. Mountain House also sells dedicated emergency food kits, with options ranging from short-term supplies to longer-term storage. Many of these products include a 30-year taste guarantee. What makes this an easy recommendation is that it doesn’t feel like a separate category of food you have to force yourself to think about. It’s camping food that already makes sense for camping, and because it stores well and asks so little of you when you need it, it also makes sense for emergency planning. Bonus: the meals are genuinely tasty and taste like home-cooked food. Website: https://mountainhouse.com OGO solves the part nobody wants to deal with later Sanitation is one of the least glamorous parts of preparedness, which is probably why so many people leave it out of the conversation until it’s too late. That’s also why OGO’s Nomad Composting Toilet System stands out. As outdoor gear, it already has a clear use case. For boondocking, overlanding, van camping, or any setup without easy bathroom access, it offers a more reliable, self-sufficient option. That can make a real difference on longer trips, in remote places, or anytime convenience matters more than people admit. A good bathroom setup changes the feel of a trip. It gives you more flexibility in where you camp and a lot more comfort once you’re there. That same practicality carries directly over to emergency situations. If you rely on a well pump that fails during an outage, if water service is interrupted, or if plumbing becomes unreliable for any reason, a portable toilet setup goes from easy to overlook to extremely useful. OGO helps fill a gap that many households do not anticipate, and it does so with a piece of gear that is already well-suited to outdoor life. That’s really the pattern with all of this gear. The best emergency items are often the ones that were already worth owning for another reason. OGO is a strong example of that. It adds independence and convenience outside, and it becomes a practical backup plan when home systems stop cooperating. Website: https://ogo.store No need to buy a second version of everything What makes this kind of preparedness appealing is that it doesn’t always require starting from scratch. If you already camp, hike, road-trip, or keep a few gear bins ready for weekend outdoor trips, you may already own a surprising number of items that would be useful during a blackout, storm, or home disruption. That can make preparedness feel much more approachable. Instead of building a separate emergency kit from scratch, you may be refining and organizing what you already have. And that’s a lot easier to act on. Store your camping gear so future-you can find it fast Owning helpful gear is one thing. Being able to find it without tearing apart the garage is another. If you want your camping setup to double as an emergency backup, storage matters. A few small changes can make a big difference when the lights go out and you need to move quickly. Keep your most useful gear in one easy-to-reach zone Set aside one shelf, cabinet, or bin for the items most likely to help during an outage or emergency. Think stove, fuel, lanterns, headlamps, charging cords, full water containers, shelf-stable food, and sanitation supplies. You do not want those items scattered across five bins and two closets. Organize by function, not just by trip type It’s tempting to pack gear by season or adventure category, but emergency access is easier when items are grouped by use. Keep cooking gear together. Keep lighting together. Keep water gear together. Keep bathroom supplies together. That way, you can grab what you need quickly instead of trying to remember which tote the headlamps ended up in. Use clear bins and labels that make sense at a glance This is not revolutionary advice, but it works. Clear bins let you confirm what’s inside fast, and labels remove the guesswork. “Camp kitchen,” “lighting,” “water,” and “sanitation” are a lot more helpful than “miscellaneous gear.” Store critical accessories with the item they belong to A charging lantern is more useful if the charging cable is already with it. A stove is a lot more useful if the fuel is easy to find. The same goes for lighters, utensils, batteries, and connectors. When it’s safe and practical, keep key accessories with the gear they support, so you’re not hunting for one missing piece. Put emergency-relevant gear where you can actually reach it Anything you’d want during a blackout should live somewhere accessible year-round. Not buried behind holiday decorations. The best storage spot is the one that lets you get to the important stuff quickly and without frustration. Check your setup a couple of times a year Recharge lanterns and battery packs. Replace expired food. Make sure fuel is stocked. Confirm that the gear you think you have is actually where you think it is. A quick seasonal check goes a long way toward making the whole system more useful. Good outdoor gear pulls double duty A stove that helps you make a proper meal at camp can do the same thing during a power outage. A lantern that earns its spot in your camping bin can light your kitchen when the grid is down. Shelf-stable meals, backup charging, and even a portable toilet setup all make good sense outdoors first, which is exactly why they make sense in an emergency too. Preparedness does not always have to look dramatic. Sometimes it looks a lot more like recognizing the value of the gear you already trust and using it a little more intentionally. This article is sponsored. As always, we only feature products we’ve tested ourselves and would recommend to our readers.

This Land Is Your Land. This Land Is My Land. So Why Is the U.S. Forest Service Being Gutted? The U.S. Forest Service is in the middle of a sweeping reorganization ordered by the Trump administration and announced by USDA on March 31, 2026. The headline version: the agency is moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City; closing all nine regional offices; shifting to a new state-based leadership model with 15 state directors; and consolidating its research program while closing 57 research facilities. USDA says this will make the agency more efficient and closer to the land it manages. Critics say it risks hollowing out the agency just before fire season, amid already serious staffing strain. This land is your land. This land is my land. The Forest Service manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands that millions of us rely on for hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, clean water, wildlife habitat, and local outdoor economies. The Conservation Alliance reports that recreation on Forest Service lands generates $23.3 billion in annual economic output, meaning changes within the agency do not stay within it. They ripple outward to trailheads, campgrounds, gateway towns, gear shops, guides, and all of us who simply want our public lands well cared for. So what exactly is changing? Here’s the clearest version I can give you. USDA says the Forest Service will: • Move headquarters to Salt Lake City; • Close all regional offices; • Replace the old regional structure with 15 state directors overseeing one or more states; • Shift support work into service centers in Albuquerque, Athens, Fort Collins, Madison, Missoula, and Placerville; and • Consolidate research under one national organization in Fort Collins while closing 57 research facilities. Structure is not just structure. Research stations may not sound sexy until you realize they produce the science behind wildfire behavior, forest health, invasive species response, watershed protection, and climate impacts. Close 57 of them, and even if some staff or projects survive on paper, you still risk losing expertise, continuity, and place-based knowledge. There’s also the timing. The Forest Service has already been under budgetary and staffing pressure, and this month’s reporting has linked recent staffing losses to declines in wildfire mitigation and trail maintenance. Inside Climate News reported that the agency had lost 16% of its workforce in the first year of Trump’s second term, and other reporting has cited reductions in mitigation and maintenance work as local partners scramble to fill gaps. So when critics use words like “dismantling,” they’re reacting not just to an org chart but to the possibility of fewer people, less science, more confusion, and slower stewardship at the very moment our forests need the opposite. What this could mean on the ground I didn’t realize this until I started digging into the reporting, but the biggest risk may be cumulative. Maybe your local ranger district still opens the gate. Maybe your favorite trail still gets cleared. Maybe your campground still has staff this summer. Maybe. But when an agency loses institutional memory, scatters leadership, closes facilities, and asks already-stretched employees to relocate or adapt to a new structure, the cracks can show up everywhere at once: delayed maintenance, slower permits, less recreation support, weaker habitat restoration, shakier science, and more pressure on nonprofits, volunteers, and local communities. And no, this is not just a “forest people” issue. National forests protect drinking water, support wildlife corridors, buffer communities against worsening fire risk, and sustain a major part of the outdoor recreation economy. What happens to public lands happens to all of us. Where Field Trip stands Field Trip is not neutral about whether public lands deserve competent stewardship. We’re for forests managed with science, staffed by real people, and protected as if they belong to all of us — because they do. We’re for transparency. We’re for public pressure. And we’re for outdoor brands to use the voices they built on public lands in the first place. SaveUSFS.org  was built to help people contact outdoor brands and urge them to speak up. The site, credited to Alt National Park Service as part of its public pressure campaign to get outdoor brands to speak out, has said outright that many companies built their businesses on public lands and shouldn’t stay silent now. It also offers direct brand contact links and ready-made messages people can use. The Conservation Alliance  has now backed that pressure campaign, and more than 70 outdoor businesses signed a statement raising concerns about the reorganization and the agency’s ability to manage its 193 million acres well through the transition. How you can help Go to www.saveusfs.org  and contact the outdoor brands you support. If they have made a public statement, thank them—with words, social posts, and your purchases. If they have not made a public statement, urge them to do so. Ask them to join coalition efforts. Ask them what they are doing—specifically—to defend the forests their marketing departments love so much. Then keep going: follow local reporting, support public-lands groups, and get political about it. Call your U.S. representative. Call both senators. As the Forest Service reorganization rolls forward, ask for oversight, transparency, and real accountability. Ask how staffing, science, wildfire readiness, trail maintenance, public access, and watershed protection will be protected during the reshuffle. You can find your House member HERE , your senators HERE , and use www.usa.gov/elected-officials  to look up federal contacts in one place. You can also contact USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins  and send comments to the Forest Service . USDA says this transition will continue over the coming year, which means this story is not over. Not even close. This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.

Earth Day Grew Up: From Awareness to Receipts I was born in the mid-1970s. I still remember being in second grade, out in the grassy field at our elementary school, planting a tree, making signs to celebrate the Earth, and talking about the three Rs. It was fun and memorable. Honestly, that was the point. Earth Day was built for that kind of moment. The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, brought millions of Americans into the streets, parks, and campuses to demand cleaner air, cleaner water, and stronger environmental protections. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says about 20 million Americans participated, and by the end of that same year, Congress had authorized the creation of the EPA. Earth Day’s own history calls it the dawn of the modern environmental movement. That matters. Awareness mattered. Symbolism mattered. School kids planting trees mattered. But Earth Day grew up. And I think that means our relationship to it has to grow up, too. When a poster board and a sapling felt like enough Back then, Earth Day helped introduce a whole lot of people to a very basic idea: the environment was not some fringe issue for birdwatchers and granola types. It was public health. It was politics. It was the future. The first Earth Day was intentionally mass, visible, and civic. It was meant to push environmental protection onto the national agenda, and by most accounts, it worked. I’m not here to dis Earth Day. I like Earth Day. I’m pro children making earnest signs with washable markers. I’m pro school garden. I’m pro native plant sale. I’m pro reusable totes and water bottles. But somewhere along the way, we got very good at treating Earth Day as a yearly check-in rather than an ongoing responsibility. That is the part that no longer works. Awareness is a start. It is not the whole job. We know more now. We know the stakes are bigger. We know public lands, clean water, wildlife habitat, climate resilience, and environmental justice are not April-only concerns. The grown-up version of Earth Day is not another branded water bottle or tote bag. It is follow-through. It is money. It is pressure. It is policy. It is teaching our kids why Earth Day came about in the first place, and why a once-a-year celebration is no match for year-round extraction, neglect, and political cowardice. Our April reminder: put our money where our mouth is At Field Trip, April is the month we renew our annual commitment to 1% for the Planet. And for a very  small business, that is no small thing. Which is exactly why it matters. 1% for the Planet business members give at least 1% of annual sales to approved environmental partners, and members submit proof so those donations can be certified. In other words, this is not vague “support.” It is actual receipts. It has never really been a question for us. If your whole brand, business, and worldview are built around loving the outdoors, then supporting its protection should not be a side quest. It should be baked in. And yes, when you are small, every dollar has a job already. That’s real. But values that never cost you anything can start to feel suspiciously decorative. The outdoors economy can’t stay neutral forever This is also where Earth Day gets bigger than personal habits. Lately, Alt National Park Service has been pushing people to contact outdoor-facing businesses and tell them to speak up in defense of public lands, especially around the dismantling and restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service. On April 6, 2026, Alt NPS posted that SaveUSFS.org was live and said it was targeting major outdoor brands with copy-and-paste messages and direct contact links. The campaign message was blunt: if a company’s business runs on public lands, silence is a choice. That message lands. If your company profits from trail culture, river culture, ski culture, camp culture, national park aesthetics, or the whole misty-evergreen mythology of the outdoors, at what point do you have to do more than sell the lifestyle? At what point do you have to defend the actual places? This is not just an activist fever dream, either. In March 2025, Outdoor Alliance said it had rallied 120 outdoor recreation organizations and businesses to call on lawmakers and the administration to reverse staffing cuts at land management agencies. A month later, it also announced a push for Congress to fund recreation on public lands. That tells me the expectation has already shifted: people increasingly want outdoor businesses not just to market adventure, but to show up for the infrastructure and public systems that make it possible. That, to me, is Earth Day grown up. Less “look how much we care.” More “what, exactly, are we doing?” So where does Earth Day go from here? I do not think the answer is to toss Earth Day in the compost and call it done. I think we still need it. We need rituals. We need on-ramps. We need a reason for a second grader to plant a tree and remember it decades later. We need a moment on the calendar that interrupts business as usual and says, hey, this all matters. But I also think Earth Day’s future is less about awareness campaigns and more about accountability. Less “we love nature” as a brand identity, more “here is what we gave, signed, funded, changed, protected, or defended.” The Earth Day grown-up version: a few things to do now You do not need another reusable tote. You probably do not need another stainless steel water bottle either. Here are a few better ideas: Write your representatives and tell them what public lands, clean water, wildlife protections, or climate resilience funding matter to you. Send part of your tax refund to an environmental or conservation organization you trust. It does not have to be flashy to count. Support businesses that back up their outdoorsy branding with actual giving, advocacy, or public accountability. ( Patagonia has long been the benchmark.) Talk to your kids about why Earth Day started in 1970, and why people took to the streets in the first place. Tell them Earth Day was never supposed to be the finish line. And maybe ask one slightly uncomfortable question the next time a company wraps itself in mountains and wildflowers: what are you doing, besides selling me the view? That question, by the way, is not cynical. It is love with standards. Want to know whether your favorite outdoor brand actually walks the talk? Start with the 1% for the Planet directory and the B Corp directory . Then go one step further: check the brand’s own site for a current impact report, clear giving details, and whether they’ve spoken up for the public lands and climate policies their business depends on. This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.

Lost in the Stars: Finding Dark Skies and Escaping Light Pollution The stars are still out there. In many places, we’ve just made them harder to see. There is a particular kind of tired that only comes from staring at too many bright things for too long. Screens. Streetlights. Porch lights. Parking lots lit like crime scenes. Gas stations visible from the moon. You know the vibe. Then you get somewhere properly dark, look up, and suddenly your brain remembers it was designed to be impressed. That, to me, is the whole hook of dark skies. Not just astronomy, though, yes, obviously, the stars are a pretty solid selling point. It is the feeling of stepping out of the constant glow and back into something older, quieter, and a lot more honest. The night sky has become weirdly easy to forget, which is wild when you consider how much of human life used to unfold under it. And that is not just nostalgia talking. DarkSky International says more than 80 percent of the world’s population lives under skyglow, and in the United States and Europe, 99 percent of people can’t experience a truly natural night sky. The National Park Service also notes that nearly every park it has monitored shows at least some light pollution. So yes, this is an article about stargazing. But it is also about relief. About finding places where the night still feels like night. What Light Pollution Actually Is Light pollution sounds a little abstract until you start noticing how much bad lighting is just… everywhere. The National Park Service defines light pollution as excess or inappropriate artificial light outdoors, and breaks it into three main types: glare, light trespass, and skyglow. Skyglow is the brightening of the night sky over populated areas. Glare is that harsh, uncomfortable brightness that makes it harder to see. Light trespass is the spill of artificial light where it was never wanted in the first place. I did not fully appreciate this until I started paying attention to how many lights are doing an absolutely terrible job. A light that helps you see your front steps? Great. A light blazing sideways into the sky, your neighbor’s bedroom, and half the county? Less great. That is part of what makes dark-sky conversations so refreshing. This is not really about making everything dim and dangerous. It is about using light better. The National Park Service says the main cause of light pollution is outdoor lighting that sends light upward or sideways, where it scatters through the atmosphere and brightens the night sky. Why Dark Skies Matter More Than People Think The easy argument for dark skies is beauty. The stronger one is that darkness is part of a healthy environment. DarkSky International says artificial light at night can negatively affect amphibians, birds, mammals, insects, and plants because many species rely on natural light-dark cycles for feeding, reproduction, migration, and predator avoidance. NASA has also highlighted research showing nocturnal animals can become less active when nights are too bright with electric lighting. Birds, especially, get a rough deal. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that nighttime lighting can attract migrating birds from as far as 5 kilometers away, disorienting them and increasing the risk of collisions with buildings. The National Park Service likewise notes that artificial light can throw migratory animals off course and contribute to bird deaths. And honestly, humans are not exactly thriving under a constant blast of artificial light. Even without getting too deep into the sleep-science weeds, most of us know the difference between a soft, dark evening and one spent under the fluorescent tyranny of modern life. Darkness is not empty. It is habitat. It is rhythm. It is part of the world working the way it is supposed to. The Real Thrill Is Not Just Seeing Stars. It’s Seeing More Than You Expected. You go somewhere dark enough to really see the sky, and the whole scale of things shifts. First you spot the obvious stars. Then more. Then more. Then that faint milky smear overhead. Dark places also tend to come with something else we are not exactly drowning in: quiet. Not silence, necessarily. Frogs. Wind. The shuffle of leaves. A zipper somewhere in the campsite. But a different kind of sensory load. Less buzz. Less glare. Less of the world demanding your attention every three seconds. That is why dark-sky travel has such a hold on people. It is not only about what you see. It is about what drops away. How to Find a Truly Dark Sky DarkSky International’s International Dark Sky Places program certifies parks, communities, reserves, sanctuaries, and other places that protect natural darkness through responsible lighting and public education. Their directory currently includes dark-sky places in 22 countries on 6 continents, and they maintain a searchable list by location and designation type . National parks can also be a strong bet. The National Park Service says parks protect some of the last remaining harbors of starlit skies in the United States and actively work to restore natural night skies and nocturnal environments. A few practical truths I have learned: Look for places farther from cities, obviously, but also pay attention to elevation, weather, moon phase, and horizon lines. A cloudy night in a dark place is still a cloudy night. A full moon is lovely, but it is not exactly helping your Milky Way ambitions. And sometimes the best dark-sky night is not the “perfect” one on paper, but the one where you finally slowed down enough to look up. You Do Not Have to Go Off-Grid to Do This Better Not everyone can disappear into the desert for three nights. Sometimes it looks like booking a cabin a little farther from town. Sometimes it means choosing the campsite at the edge of the loop instead of the one directly beneath the all-night bathhouse floodlight. Sometimes it is simply turning off the porch light, putting the phone down, and standing outside for ten minutes while your eyes adjust. That last part matters. Human eyes need time to adapt to darkness. The National Park Service emphasizes that our night vision works differently from our daytime vision, and natural darkness is fragile in ways most of us do not think about until we have a chance to experience it. Which is maybe the most encouraging part of this whole conversation: some of the fix is not complicated. Better shielding. Warmer bulbs. Lower brightness. Lights aimed where they are actually needed. Motion sensors instead of all-night floodlights. The problem is widespread, yes, but a lot of the solutions are deeply unglamorous in the best way. A Few Easy Ways to Be Less Annoying About Light This is where dark-sky people start sounding very reasonable, which I appreciate. Responsible outdoor lighting generally comes down to a few basics: use light only where you need it, aim it downward, keep it as dim as practical, and avoid leaving it on longer than necessary. That aligns with guidance from both DarkSky International and the National Park Service, which focus on reducing glare, skyglow, and wasted light. In other words, the goal is not cave life. It is common sense. And selfishly, there is a nice side benefit here: better lighting usually looks better. Softer. Calmer. The Night Sky Is Still a Place You Can Go The night sky still exists as a destination, even if we do a remarkably good job of covering it up. You do not need to be an expert. You do not need to know the names of constellations. You do not need a telescope. You just need a little darkness, a little patience, and a willingness to let the night be dark again. The author is a DarkSky International Advocate and believes the night sky is one of the most overlooked outdoor experiences we have. This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.