Repair the World

Get Outside! Celebrate Great Outdoors Month with Service

Whether you’re an avid hiking (or biking, swimming, camping, etc.) enthusiast or typically more of an “indoors” kind of person, June is the perfect time to celebrate nature with Great Outdoors Month.

Founded in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, Great Outdoors Month focuses on celebrating our country’s wild and majestic places – be they the top of a mountain, the middle of a sparkling lake, or a patch of grass in a nearby park. It also encourages the discussion of outdoor-related conversations, from conservation of wildlife and wild places, to recreation, health, and volunteering to keep the great outdoors in beautiful shape.

To get you in the spirit, Repair the World rounded up a bunch of resources to get you outside. Happy trails!

CELEBRATE

• Combine Judaism and nature with Jamie Korngold a.k.a. The Adventure Rabbi. Rabbi Korngold’s organization offers several programs from outdoors Shabbat and holiday services to hikes and outdoor bnai mitzvah celebrations.
• The National Wildlife Federation’s nature find database helps you find the best spots to get outside and explore nature – wherever you live.
• Campout close to home on June 25th with the Great American Backyard Campout. You don’t need to travel hundreds of miles to go camping. Pitch a tent, see the stars, and toast some s’mores – all in your backyard.
• Outdoorsy kids and teens are the focus of the awesome nature adventure site Recreating with Kids.

SERVE

• Volunteer in nature and earn your America the Beautiful volunteer pass – 250 hours of service (trail maintenance, garbage clean up etc.) on federal public lands gets you into pretty much any national park for free.
• Keep America’s rivers beautiful by organizing or joining a river cleanup project near you with the organization American Rivers.
• Help keep urban green spaces clean too – volunteer for the Great American Cleanup – a day of green action founded by the organization Keep America Beautiful.

And just for fun, find out what’s inside professional hiker (yes, that’s a real thing) Andrew Skurka’s ultimate hiker’s backpack at the vid below. Then let us know how you’re celebrating Great Outdoors Month by tweeting @repairtheworld.