By: Francesca Mundrick
When I moved into my current residence a few years back, I quickly realized that my local Parks & Rec Department did not offer environmental programming. With several very nice park spaces available in a small, fairly urban community, I thought it important to start occupying the park space for education. As an individual citizen, I quickly got to work on a proposal for a Summer program called GeoLocal Explorers. I wanted GeoLocal Explorers to be more than a general nature camp. I settled on a program mission to engage children aged 5-10 years old in a local sustainability education program that inspires exploration, curiosity, & leadership. I pitched my proposal to the Parks & Rec Department, and they accepted! With a little perseverance, dedication, ambition, and enthusiasm, I piloted the GeoLocal Explorers Program in Summer 2022.
GeoLocal Explorers Program Summer 2023, Alcyon Park, NJ USA, Francesca Mundrick
GeoLocal Explorers Summer 2023 proved to teach me more than I thought possible. There is something about enjoying nature with children. There is a primitive element to it. Children, in all ways, have a purity to them and that purity leads them so fully in connecting to the natural world. They may feel fear of the unknown, evolutionary caution, but they do not judge nature as many adult people do. Nature is their playground, a vessel for explore, a stage for their human imagination and ingenuity to thrive.
I found that my experiences with GeoLocal Explorers made me consider the mission of Bedrock Sandals. Bedrock Sandals is a small outdoor footwear company based in Montana. While this small company has a record of impressive sustainability practices, the spiritual, communal, nature-based culture of Bedrock is what matters to me. Our everyday connectivity to nature is so important- nature is not around us, beside us, above or below us, it is within us. It is meant to be experienced without judgment, without barriers, and with purity.
Wearing my Bedrock Scandals with Explorers, GeoLocal Explorers Program 2023, New Jersey
With inspiration in sustainability,
Francesca Mundrick
WEGSS Founder & Team Member
Tell Your Global Sustainability Story
Contribute to our community led platform. Anyone at any time is welcome to share their stories. See submitted Global Sustainability Stories on our GSS Community Blog & social media.
West to East Global Sustainability Stories 