Can Journaling Improve Your Connection with Nature?

50 Earth Day Journal Prompts

Can journaling transform your relationship with the environment? Join us as we uncover this intriguing idea with Clara Penrose's "50 Earth Day Journal Prompts." Discover how these thought-provoking prompts can push you beyond the typical Earth Day activities, encouraging deep personal reflection and creative envisioning. From imagining a future eco-friendly home to reminiscing about your childhood memories in nature, we'll share how these exercises help shift your focus from environmental problems to solutions, fostering a sense of hope and agency.

Our conversation dives into why putting pen to paper can be a powerful tool for behavior change. By crystallizing fleeting thoughts into concrete commitments, journaling can unlock new perspectives and inspire meaningful actions. We highlight our favorite prompts and discuss how they challenge you to think big-picture and tap into personal values. Tune in for insights on making Earth Day a day of profound personal growth and connection with the environment, beyond just a day of action.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, you know it might seem a bit early, but when
it comes to something likeEarth Day, I don't know about
you, but I like to have a littletime to really, you know, think
about it, get ready for it yeah.
So this year I found this ideaand it really got me thinking
like what about using journalprompts, but like specifically

(00:21):
to connect with the planet?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Interesting.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
I don't know, just kind of grabbed me.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
And we're going to be diving into excerpts from 50
Earth Day Journal prompts.
It's by Clara Penrose.
Have you heard of it?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, I have.
I've actually used some of herprompts before.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Oh really.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
They're really good.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Okay, so you're speaking my language already,
Because when I saw 50, I have toadmit I kind of had that moment
of like whoa, where do I evenstart?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Right, it can feel a little overwhelming, that's for
sure.
But the thing is and I thinkthis is true for journaling in
general you don't have to do itall.
You just need one that, like,really speaks to you, that you
can connect with Even just oneprompt.
If it gets you thinkingdifferently or trying a new
action, that's a win, right.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Totally so.
It's like it's not about thequantity of prompts.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
It's about finding that one that really resonates
with you Exactly, and the act ofactually journaling itself.
You know, putting pen to paper.
I think that can be reallypowerful when we're talking
about behavior change.
Don't you think it's differentfrom just, you know, having a
fleeting thought?
When you write it down, it'slike you're making a declaration
, almost like a promise.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
There's a commitment there.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
So you're not just like, oh, that's a nice thought,
you're like, no, I'm puttingthis out there.
I love that, and you know whatI appreciate about these prompts
is they kind of go beyond.
You know, those typical EarthDay questions like what did you
do today for Earth Day?
It's not like you know, did youpick up trash or something?
These prompts really make youthink big picture, you know.
They challenge your creativity.

(01:52):
They even encourage you to tapinto your own personal memories
and values, which I think isreally interesting.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
What were some of those prompts, though, that
really jumped out at you, likewhat really struck you as
particularly interesting ordifferent?

Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, the ones that really stuck with me were
those that encourage you toimagine the future.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Like there's one that asks you to describe an
eco-friendly home of the futureand another that prompts you to
envision a world where aspecific environmental issue has
been solved.
It's so interesting how theprompts can do that right.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
They can kind of shift your perspective, yeah
because you know we get caughtup in the problems themselves,
right?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Right.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
But you know, shifting that focus to solutions
, even if it's just in yourimagination, can be really
powerful.
It's like even if you can'tsolve it, you can at least think
about it.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Right.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
You're tapping into a different part of your brain.
When you focus on the problems,you tend to trigger fear, maybe
even a sense of helplessness.
But when you envision solutions, even fantastical ones, you
activate creativity, hope, evena sense of agency.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
I like that.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
And that's where those prompts about inventing
eco-friendly gadgets andrepurposing everyday items come
in.
It's like a playful challengeto look at the world through a
lens of sustainability.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Oh, absolutely.
I love those prompts.
There's one that asks you tocome up with a way to repurpose
something you'd normally throwaway.
It reminds me of being a kidturning cardboard boxes into
spaceships.
This is like that, but with aneco-conscious twist.
Right, this is like that, butwith an eco-conscious twist
Right and speaking of childhood,there's some really interesting
prompts in here aboutconnecting with your younger

(03:29):
self's relationship with nature.
There's one that asks you todescribe your favorite childhood
memory in nature and anotherthat prompts you to reflect on
how your connection to naturehas changed over time.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
You know, those kinds of reflections can be so
revealing.
We often forget how formativethose early experiences in
nature can be and how they mightstill be shaping our values and
choices today.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
It makes you wonder, doesn't it, what were those
pivotal moments that shaped ourown environmental awareness, and
how can we recreate thosemoments of wonder and connection
for ourselves and for futuregenerations?

Speaker 1 (04:03):
And that ties into another prompt that really
resonated with me.
If you could leave oneenvironmental legacy for future
generations, what would it be?

Speaker 2 (04:12):
That one really makes you think long term, doesn't it
?
It's not just about our ownactions today, but about the
kind of world we're leavingbehind.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah, you know, what I appreciate about this blog
post is that it acknowledges thepotential for feeling
overwhelmed.
It doesn't shy away from theenormity of the challenges we
face, but it also emphasizes thepower of small actions.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
It's kind of a balance right.
There's space for big picturethinking, but also for practical
steps you can take.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Exactly.
There's a quote sprinkled inthere that really stuck with me.
What you do makes a difference,and you have to decide what
kind of difference you want tomake.
That, to me, perfectly capturesthe spirit of these prompts.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
It's that idea of agency again, isn't it?
We all have a role to play, andeven small actions multiplied
by millions of people can createa ripple effect.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
It really is Like it just brings it all back around
to that idea of like journalingto make a change.
You know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Right, because it's not just about writing, it's
about what that writing sparks.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Yes, Like even if you just pick one single prompt out
of this whole list, I don'tknow.
There's just something aboutlike taking the time to really
think about it.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Oh, absolutely.
And you know, something thatstands out to me is how, you
know, even though we think ofjournaling as this very solitary
thing, a lot of these promptsactually encourage you to do
something like to get involved.
There's that one, for example,about like doing some research
on local environmentalorganizations.
It's like it's taking you fromyour journal out into the world,

(05:38):
you know it's like aninvitation to act.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
You know, you're not just writing in your diary,
you're taking action.
Exactly, you know.
It actually reminds me of thisthing I read.
I think it was about how habitsare formed, you know.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
And it was saying like even the smallest little
action, like even if it seemsinsignificant, if you tie it to
some kind of bigger purpose, oreven like a value you identify
with, it can really become alasting change, like it sticks
with you.
It's like those small choices.
They become like littlereminders throughout your day of
this is what matters to me.

(06:11):
This is the difference I wantto make.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
It's like a visual cue.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
Right.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
It brings it back to the forefront of your mind.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yes, and those little things, I don't know.
They build up, they add up tosomething more.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
It's not about being perfect, you know.
It's just about thatconsistency and that awareness.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
And that's what I like about this whole Earth Day
journaling idea.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
It's like a single prompt.
It can kind of kickstart thatwhole process of self-reflection
and action.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
Exactly.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
Well, I hope everybody listening is feeling
inspired to maybe grab a journaland just explore some of these
prongs, see where it takes you.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, you might be surprised by what you discover.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
You really might, and you know it's Earth Day.
We're talking about the planet,but really it's about all of us
, right?
It's about our place in theworld, absolutely.
And hey, if a few journal profscan help with that, I'm all for
it.