As we approach the end of this very strange summer, this is the time we would normally reflect on the summer that was, the times we shared with friends and family, camping, trips to the beach, time on a patio. Those summers seem like a memory from a distant time and place and not one we would be fondly reminiscing about from only a year ago.
I was fortunate enough to get out on a few hikes during the beginning of the fall season. One of the pictures I was able to take is below. At the time the leaves were just starting to change color and the shorter days were ending in cooler nights.
I was reminded, as I am almost daily, of the beauty of nature that surrounds us. The sunrise on a warm summer day or the sun glimmering off the newly fallen snow on a cool winter's day. It has become too easy to take these things for granted and to think that we are somehow insulated from the things that are happening far away from our own backyards. The pollution of our land, oceans and air. These are not things that we can change or reverse overnight but with small steps that we can take in our everyday lives, we can be the change.
We have become dependent on pesticides and GMO's for everything from our food to our clothing. I believe that returning to a more natural cultivation of our crops brings far more benefits than we would immediately realize, from protecting our land to reducing our water usage. It is with these principles in mind that I have started Opolaire. I wanted to create a backpack without using materials that have caused any harm to our planet. I wanted a product I could be proud of carrying and know in my heart that I was doing the right thing. I wanted to be out in nature and know that I was doing my part, however small, to ensure the beauty of our natural surroundings could inspire future generations.
Get outside, be nice to each other and love your surroundings!