Adventure demands a healthy planet. So to mark Earth Day this April, Adventure.com is launching Outward Voices, a new series of personal essays from individuals who are doing their part to protect our only home.

The first time I read Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything,” I was filled with an indisputable sense of astonishment. I gobbled up the pages, filled with facts and lessons and ideas on humanity’s scientific understanding and the universe’s wonders. 

One of the most gripping anecdotes explained how, despite our sun now being 25 percent stronger than it was in our solar system’s infancy, Earth went on without fiery catastrophe. “So what keeps the world stable and cool?” writes Bryson. 

“Life does.”

Life, indeed, does. Innumerable, infinitesimal marine organisms capture atmospheric carbon when it falls as rain and redeploy it to construct the wee shells in which they live, preventing it from turning into destructive greenhouse gasses in the process. Then, when those organisms die, their shells fall to the ocean floor to be compressed into limestone. What a sweet act of preservation; proof that life wants to go on. And is quite literally equipped to do so.

“We have a duty to reimagine this world for the better, by sharing stories of individuals and organizations that are doing just that with their Outside Voices. These are the voices that question. That challenge the status quo. That share new perspectives.”

And while there are so many treasures like this to learn, it is almost as stunning to realize how much we don’t know about our planet. We don’t know the weight of the world, despite life’s ability to seemingly put it on our shoulders. We don’t know how many species inhabit this planet, although we do know that they are worth saving. We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know we need solutions. Part of the human experience, it seems, is to know that while we know “a lot” relatively speaking, there’s also a lot we don’t know. Nature appreciates balance. 

This month, Adventure.com is celebrating stories and voices of activism, science, adventure and environmentalism with a hope to hold that balance. We have a duty to reimagine this world for the better by sharing stories of individuals and organizations that are doing just that with their Outward Voices. These are the voices that question. That challenge the status quo. That share new perspectives.

This month, we’ll hear from the likes of mountain climber Alex Honnold, eco-explorer Mario Rigby, conservationist Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Sea Shepherd Antarctic campaigner Alistair Allen, Patagonia’s Global Surf Activist Belinda Baggs, Firesticks and Jagun Alliance co-founder Olly Costello, the Bob Brown Foundation’s very own Bob Brown, CEO of Greenpeace Australia, David Ritter, and many more besides.

We are a travel publication. And we accept the reality that without a hospitable home, there is nowhere for us to explore. Adventure.com has always been for people who see their time on this fantastic and fragile planet as an invitation to see, do and learn more—whether in their own backyard or halfway across the world. As we’ve always said, we’re “for those concerned with not just where they’re going, but how and why they’re going too.” Seems that we’ve always had some scientific theory in our DNA. 

We acknowledge that there’s a lot that stories can’t do. But for now we’re focusing on what they can do. In the words of Mr. Bryson: “We enjoy not only the privilege of existence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it better.” 

Pack light. We’ve got a way to go. 

Love,

Lauren Steele, Environment and Outdoor Editor, and the entire Adventure.com team 

The theme for Earth Day 2023 is ‘Invest in Our planet’. Find out more about how you can take action for Earth on the official Earth Day website.