The Nature Conservancy Outlines Ways Michiganders Can Make an Impact This Earth Day

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is supporting Michiganders this Earth Day, Monday, April 22, by celebrating ways to get outdoors, protect nature and further mitigate climate change. Many of the changes are simple to implement but can have a lasting impact.

“We each have opportunities everyday to make simple decisions to reduce our carbon footprint, from using reusable grocery bags and water bottles to composting and recycling,” said TNC in Michigan State Director Helen Taylor. “From extreme weather events to diminished ice cover on the Great Lakes, there’s no denying climate change is having an impact here in Michigan. We are all essential to the solution, and I hope Earth Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on how our personal choices today can help head off this crisis before it gets worse. Our actions today are vital to ensuring a sustainable future for next generations, so they can enjoy everything the Great Lakes state has to offer.”

There are small changes anyone can make to reduce their impact on the environment. That includes reducing paper use, buying secondhand or donated used goods so they don’t wind up in landfills, shopping at local farmers markets or planting a native garden that supports insects like the endangered monarch butterfly and pollinators.

Michiganders can also spend time at a state or local park, or one of TNC’s preserves, in the days leading up to Earth Day and enjoy the added health benefits of being outdoors.

“There are countless studies that show a walk in the woods can do wonders for our mental health,” said Shaun Howard, preserve infrastructure and outreach project manager for TNC in Michigan. “Spending up to two hours a week in nature can boost mental health and well-being and reduce stress. That amounts to a few trips to a local park each week or a weekend day hike.”

TNC manages and maintains tens of thousands of acres of preserves and reserves throughout Michigan, from the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula to a birder’s paradise, Erie Marsh Preserve, tucked away in the southeast corner of the state. 

“Our preserves offer everything from mountainous highlands to wetlands and prairie fens and draw people from around the corner and across the state who want to reconnect with nature, destress or just take a walk through the woods,” Howard said.

You can find more information on things to do and places to visit in Michigan at tnc.org/miexplore.