Outdoor work can be about a lot more than ‘just’ helping save the planet
By: Rachel Silarszka
Tags: Volunteering, Save The Planet, Covid 19, Environmentalism, Conservation

Getting outside and volunteering at local parks and gardens helps form deep connections, all while social distancing.

With the coronavirus pandemic looming over the world like a dark cloud, people around the world have been spending a lot of time isolated and indoors trying to survive difficult times. Bustling cities have become ghost towns, but nature is still vibrant and needs our help. Being trapped between the same four walls day after day can be mentally draining; making it hard to remember the beauty of the outside world and distancing you from communities. However, there are still ways to feel involved and enjoy our amazing planet. One of the best? Getting outdoors (socially distanced).

Winona LaDuke, recipient of the International Reebok Human Rights Award and a co-chair of the “Indigenous Women’s Network”, lives on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, eloquently expresses the inherent beauty of sustainability in “Our Home on Earth”, in the context of indigenous culture. A beautiful quote from this article says, “Community is the only thing in my experience that is sustainable”. Building communities is something we all need to partake in, no matter the shape it comes in. LaDuke agrees that restoring life, based on the land and natural balance, is a value everyone needs in order to live together, even while apart.

One of the easiest ways to make changes in your community is by volunteering. Outdoor work, whether that be picking up trash, working in a garden or wild plant nursery, or volunteering in park, is a great way to keep volunteering while following COVID guidelines. Sure, it is still possible to go on a hike and walk your favorite trails, but with the virus separating people from others, it is hard to feel a sense of belonging. Even if you are not directly, in person, interacting with your community, doing even the smallest things can fill that hole many of us are feeling right now. By helping the planet, you are helping others enjoy the outdoors, as is everyone’s right, making that hole feel a little smaller.

Rachel Silarszka, a student at George Mason University (GMU), says gardening, planting trees, and removing invasive species are her favorite ways to volunteer outdoors. “There is something about getting your hands in the soil and helping the planet thrive”. The GMU gardens provide fresh produce for those who do not have access to fresh produce. Silarszka says that even though she may not be able to see the people who benefit from the gardens, it is a good way to feel connected to others, even indirectly. During this pandemic, there are still organizations and companies who are doing good while staying distanced. Earth Sangha, a wild plant nursery based in the Washington, DC region, works “in the spirit of Buddhist practice” with volunteers from various backgrounds. Silarszka, like many of the volunteers, is not Buddhist, but she claims to feel connected when repotting saplings. Not only does it bring the satisfaction of knowing the trees will find a home but provide a home. One day one of those trees will see a family of birds grow and learn, one will watch over a little kid reading their favorite book, or maybe one will become a place of solace for someone feeling a bit lost in the world. Likewise, removing invasive plants, which can prevent an ecosystem from thriving, comes with the knowing that the work will incite a positive future change so that other may enjoy the natural beauty.

It is quite clear that working outdoors helps the planet and provides spaces to both build and sustain communities, but all of these moving pieces help us prosper, economically, as well. Being trapped indoors all day, surrounded by concrete or brick or chopped wood, completing monotonous tasks is not good for mental health. This may seem completely separate from making money, but if people are unhappy, with themselves, there lives, or whatever else it may be, are not going to be able to consistently put their best-foot-forward when it comes to work, or getting an education to be able to work, and grow the economy either. So, before disregarding being outdoors, and doing good in one’s community, consider the repercussions of being separated from others, especially when we need each other the most.

Many of us, stuck in this capitalist, hustle-culture, world, have become disconnected, not only from the land, but all those that live and rely on it: humans included. With social media, we often look at these beautiful places miles away, sometimes across borders, and forget what is right around them. The afternoon and morning sun seeping through the branches or down the streets, the morning cup of coffee while looking out the window, and simple conversations with a friend are overlooked and underappreciated. The pandemic has been horrible on many levels, but it has also allowed us to slow down and appreciate the quiet, simple pleasures in life. Working outdoors is just one way to appreciate these moments and give back.