This Is Why We #OptOutside
By Willamette Partnership Staff
This Friday, following Thanksgiving, Willamette Partnership staff choose to join our friends at REI and the millions of others who are choosing to #OptOutside instead of participating in the shopping frenzy of Black Friday.
According to REI’s recent report, The Path Forward, the average American spends 95 percent of their life indoors. It continues:
“As a result, we are becoming an indoor species, which comes with consequences. Our health and well-being may suffer. And the less we value our outdoor spaces, the less likely we are to protect them.”
We hope we can inspire you to spend more time outdoors and to #OptOutside with us this Friday with the following eight reasons we #OptOutside, captured in photos, and with messages from our staff about why spending time outdoors is important to us as individuals. If you do #OptOutside, let us know on Twitter (@Willamette_P) or at info@willamettepartnership.org. We’d love to connect and support each other in this movement!
Erin Legg says,
“Spending time outdoors is important to me because it helps to bring calm to a sometimes chaotic life.“
Rebecca Krammer says,
“Being outdoors grounds my reality; reminds me why I do this work; recharges my batteries; keeps me sane(ish)!”
Kristiana Teige Witherill says,
“Whether it was walking the dog to the beach together, a Thanksgiving Day hike with all of my cousins, or the Teige’s annual pilgrimage to camp in Yosemite, spending time outdoors has been the way my family connects, for as long as I can remember. Now, these are all experiences I’m most happy to share with my husband. When I’m outside, even if I’m by myself, I can’t help but feel close to the people I love.“
Carrie Sanneman says,
“I find wisdom, health, and peace in being outside. I hike and backpack to feel awe, and to feel small. I walk in the city to take a break and breathe. I run to clear my mind and exhaust my body. I garden to get my hands dirty and help things grow.“
Tess Malijenovsky says,
“Nothing resets me, grounds me, or brings me back to inner peace like being in nature. It’s a coming back to something innate that exists within me and is reflected in front of me in the present moment. In the wilderness and near oceans, I am humbled, fascinated, inspired, and connected to something much greater than myself. “
