- GEODE
Gaia Goodness with Meredith Wood
Q&A WITH
MEREDITH WOOD
Outdoors Enthusiast, Environmental Warrior, & Ganja Goddess
Q: What is your first fond memory of feeling connected with and caring for nature?
A: The earliest memory I have of being in nature is camping with my family when I was maybe 3 or 4. My parents started taking me camping when I was around 3 months old. We went frequently and always picked different locations in northern and northeast Arizona. I would say my mother and father were the ones who instilled the Leave No Trace concept in me.

Q: Where is your favorite camping destination of all time and why?
A: My favorite place to camp is in Northern Montana. Glacier National Park is the most beautiful mountain range I have ever seen. I love the cold weather, and being able to sit on the dock at Lake McDonald with a beer and watch the sunset was absolutely magical.
Q: How do you like to care for the earth? What is your favorite way to spread awareness about the importance of keeping our planet clean and healthy?
A: I like to care for the earth in a number of ways. A few of which include:
Bringing extra trash bags on camping and hiking trips to pick up what others have left behind
Drinking from a reusable water bottle. Unless there is some sort of natural disaster situation where people only have access to clean water via water bottles... they make me cringe.
Recycling
Composting
Eating vegetarian and thus cutting down on my carbon footprint
Driving a hybrid vehicle
Minimizing plastic use; reusable straws, beeswax food wrap vs. plastic saran wrap, glass tupperware, etc.)

As far as spreading the word, Instagram has been a wonderful way to network and get the word out about outdoor advocacy. It has also been great way to discover local cleanups and meet like-minded people.
Q: What does your dream nature excursion include?
A: My dream trip would include backpacking deep into the woods to an alpine lake, setting up a cozy tent, enjoying a fire, and then snuggling up with my boyfriend Jeff while we fall asleep to Mother Nature’s music.
Check out this beautiful soul on Instagram: @meredithjw