Hello and welcome to Outdoor Wise Living! We created Outdoor Wise Living to inspire kids and families to get outside more. In a time when electronics can dominate school, work, and free time, we felt motivated to create a community and brand that focuses on the benefits of the outdoors and encourages everyone, especially kids and their families, to get outside.

There are endless studies touting the benefits of fresh air, green spaces, and time spent outside, but we’ve found that at times it can seem intimidating, especially with young kids. As inclusivity is one of our core values, we envision our community to be one that celebrates a walk around the block and heading to the local park just as much as backpacking in a National Park. The outdoors is for everyone, and we all need more time outside.

Knowing we are stronger together, we choose to support organizations that have a similar mission and promote spending time outside. As we state on our Gear page, Outdoor Wise Living pledges to donate 5% of all sales to organizations that encourage people, especially children, to spend more time outside. We do not have a maximum amount we will donate: the more we grow, the bigger our impact.

For our first blog post we want to feature two organizations supported by Outdoor Wise Living: The National Environmental Education Foundation and the Children & Nature Network.

The National Environmental Education Foundation

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is a nonprofit with a mission to make the environment more accessible, relatable, relevant, and connected to people’s daily lives. NEEF is known for their work in outdoor education initiatives benefitting both people, through improved wellness, and the planet, through their environmentally conscious programs.

Why did we decide to partner and support NEEF? Their focus on K-12 education and integrating outdoor and nature education inspired us to get involved. A key component of their work is developing student connections with nature. This fosters a love for the outdoors improving wellness and creating a foundation for an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

Please take a look at NEEF’s comprehensive Children's Health and Nature Fact Sheet. The fact sheet shares highlights from published research about the health benefits of the natural environment.

Children & Nature Network

Children & Nature Network is another a nonprofit organization Outdoor Wise Living supports. “More green, less screen” says it all. With an aligned mission and set of values, Children & Nature Network believes that nature makes kids healthier, happier, and smarter. 

Their programs and initiatives include outdoor leadership programs as well as resources for families to get outside. Be sure to check out their Family Resource pages for great ideas and tools for getting outside as a family and connecting with nature.

Gear that gives back is what our shop is all about. We are excited to support these two organizations, but its really you that can make the difference for these organizations! Every donation and every purchase help these organizations and their amazing outdoor initiatives.

We know there are many other great outdoor organizations out there, so please share them with us. We hope to grow our group of donation partners as we grow.

Now, grab some gear that gives back and head out for some fresh air. 

As always, we hope to see you outside!