Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Inspired By Our Earth



Happy Earth Day you guys! As many of you know, I ran an eco-friendly clothing label called Mountains of the Moon for 15 years. I was very lucky to get to be a part of some really amazing events with my brand, including showing my collections at Chicago and Portland Fashion Weeks, exhibiting at expos all over the country, producing eco-fashion shows at music festivals, and even showing a dress I made out of discarded candy wrappers at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. But one of my favorite events was one that happened every year - our Annual Earth Day project.  Every April 22nd for six years, we offered 30% off our entire line, and also teamed up with American Forests to plant trees (30% of every order was given to their tree planting project, where every dollar planted one tree). I loved getting to do this, and I'll admit that I'm feeling a little bummed that it's not happening this year. I will be making my own personal donation to American Forests today though, and I also plan on on hitting up a local park after I'm done with work to help clean up trash. I really do make an effort everyday to be environmentally conscious in my choices and actions, but it's also nice to have a day each year specifically devoted to reminding us all how important it is to respect the earth. 

In celebration of this special day, I'm sharing some stunning images of nature that I've come across on Pinterest recently, as seen above. (And a few of them are of my two favorite places I've ever been: the California Coastal Redwoods, where I lived for a couple of years after college, and the Great Barrier Reef, which I had the intense pleasure of snorkeling in 2010.) How lucky are we to live on a planet that is so absolutely stunning?

If you'd like to make a donation today in honor of Earth Day but aren't sure where to start, here are some of my favorite environmental organizations: American Forests, Rock the Earth, Water DefenseAmerican Rivers, Wildlife AllianceSierra ClubChicago Wilderness, EDF.

Do you do anything special to celebrate Earth Day?

Image sources from top: 1. Earthshots.org, 2. Mr & Mrs Globe Trot, 3. Bored Panda, 4. Man & Camera, 5. Kieron Foster, 6. NPS7. 99 Travel Tips, 8. Bloom

ALSO FIND US HERE: BLOGLOVIN' // INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // PINTEREST

14 comments:

  1. Oh wow, those images are stunning!
    I believe it is our duty to protect the Earth's environment, after all we (humans) need it to survive. On the other hand planet Earth does not need us...

    p.s. would so love to see a pic of your candy wrapper dress :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aren't the redwoods mind-blowing? I mean, a lot of things on Earth are, but I have family in the greater SF area and have seen those a handful of times and it never gets any less incredible.

    Happy Earth Day! *high-five*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gorgeous! I've always wanted to explore the redwoods.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're absolutely magical. I loved living so close to them.

      Delete
  4. Happy Earth Day, Melissa! Sadly, I'll be spending my day indoors at the office - but here's hoping that the sun stays out today (unlike yesterday, when I got drenched in a sudden down pour on my way home) so I can enjoy a little nature afterwards.
    xox,
    Cee

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our little planet give us so much and humanity repays it with such abuse. Perhaps we need more than just one day a year to ponder the importance of our Mather Earth and all her many gifts.
    Your post is wonderful reminder of Earth's many beautiful splendors.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Earth Day and thanks for sharing these gorgeous images, Melissa!
    And I'm so glad that you're continuing tradition for Earth Day (even if it's a little different than years past) with your own donation for American Forests.

    ReplyDelete
  7. These pictures are so beautiful. We actually went to an earth day event over the weekend, it was really fun, with booths set up everywhere and speakers. I remember your earth day project sale, that's when I bought my favorite dress from you. =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing photos. Happy Earth Day! You're a great eco-friendly role model.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is awesome! Thank you for the links!! :) And what stunning photos of our beautiful earth! As for me? I celebrated by going for my usual trail walk and taking it all in! xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, isn't it almost unbelievable how pretty our earth is?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Still one of the best and beautiful posts for Earth Day! xo♥ ... I'll be sharing!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting! We love reading your thoughts and we're grateful for your input. (All spam will be deleted.)