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Small acts for Earth

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PFAS-free toddler shoes for April showers

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Three books about bees

Sway, clocking in. 🫡 It’s been a lengthy hiatus while we moved across the country. And let me just say…I am repeatedly humbled by life, work, and parenthood in both highly stressful and extremely wonderful ways! This year, I learned that no matter how meticulously you plan for a giant move, it’s basically akin to taking the entire architecture of your daily life—work schedules, gym routines, childcare, household organization—and tossing it out the window of your car whipping down Route 66 (yes, we drove all ~2,800 miles. I left my heart in Santa Fe!). Have I found my sleep mask? Sure haven’t. But there’s a LOT of magic in a fresh start and the opportunity to redefine how you spend your time, and relate to (and marvel at) your environment…even if you still have some boxes to unpack.

I’m picking this newsletter up from the side of the proverbial road (sorry) and placing it into the new order of things here in SoCal. It’s good to be back. 

And just in time for Earth Day, an auspicious time for anyone who cares deeply about protecting our precious and magical environment, and our bodies, from chemicals of concern and destruction in general. The photos from the Artemis II mission this month are a breathtaking reminder that we’re all in this together, rooming side by side on this photogenic rock in space. ISN’T SHE LOVELY? Isn’t it unfathomable that we’re doing anything other than obsessively protecting this place? And each other? 

Big business and government have an outsize impact on Earth. It’s hard not to feel frozen in the wake of their frequent, flagrant disregard for it, especially lately. The National Park Service is facing catastrophic budget cuts, and massive tracts of public lands are at risk for drilling. New 2026 testing data from the EPA itself confirmed PFAS water contamination is getting worse, not better. Make it make sense.

There’s an overwhelming level of cognitive dissonance when holding these headlines in our minds right next to a video of Earthset, so consider this your reminder to zoom in closer. You have real agency in your own home and your own corner of the world. Small acts matter and they compound, because they can inspire your friends and neighbors and the next generation, too. This is one of the ways that progress moves, especially when the big levers of society feel stuck.

Maybe Earth Day this year is as simple as foregoing plastic pouches for your kids for the month, or planting a little pollinator garden in your yard or on your stoop? It matters. Don’t you dare let the big powers steal your moon joy, or your Earth joy. 💚

PFAS-free toddler splashy shoes from KEEN
Bring on April showers and summer splash pads: We’ve got just the shoes. Waterproof and machine washable to boot 🦶. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of KEEN and their commitment to eliminating PFAS from their supply chain. Hear more about how they achieved that in Sway’s webinar with KEEN a few years back. PFAS, aka “forever chemicals,” are frequently found in waterproof products. 

A DIY mud kitchen
…has become my entire personality. I’ve watched at least 20 different content creators assemble this outdoor play space for kids. A little mud kitchen made from solid pine IKEA crates? I won’t rest until I’ve done it. Unfortunately I live a bit farther from IKEA these days than I did on the East coast, but we’ll find a way.

Three books about bees
If you’re looking for steps to start a pollinator garden designed to attract precious bees, check out Planting for Honeybees. For younger bee fans, My Pollinator Garden looks magnificent. If you’d rather look at extremely cute, illustrated insects that tell a story of interdependence, see: Colette, The Solitary Bee. Our toddler calls this “BEE BOOK!”

Riley & Sons gardening gloves
ISO: PFAS-free, GOTS organic cotton & natural rubber gardening gloves. Check, check, check. These are biodegradable, too.

Seed libraries
Check your local library or community garden for free seed packets to get your backyard garden started. The idea is that you “borrow” seeds with the aim of saving seeds from your successful harvest and bringing them back to the library. (Cue weeping at the beauty of this concept.) I have cilantro and parsley seeds in hand from our library, will report back. There’s nothing more magical than growing a garden from seed, but organic starts are a fast track to backyard gardening bliss. Pop back to our urban gardening issue for some guidance.

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Happy Earth Day; Love, Sway