Thank you so much for joining the Mindful Fall CleanUp challenge. We’re about to take the stress and mystery out of cleanup season, in small steps that you can do in just a couple hours a week.

Over the next few weeks, you will:

→ Spend intentional and mindful time with the land you care for.

→ Learn which EarthCare tasks are helpful to plants, pollinators and wildlife.

→ Practice EarthCare Skills with simple instructions + resources.

→ Enjoy precious time observing + interacting with your land…the foundation for all your future EarthCare projects, plans, goals and dreams.

→ Get support from the LadyBugs and other land stewards who are taking the challenge alongside you, through our private EarthCare Community Facebook Group.

By the end of this challenge, your gardens will be ready to support pollinators, beneficial insects and wildlife through the winter. The things you do (and DON’T do) this season are setting up your landscape to thrive next year. Every part of the cycle is important =)

“Cleaning Up” mindfully means…

• Slowing down instead of rushing to chop, cut and clear.

• Carefully observing what’s present in the landscape and what it’s doing there, maybe even researching its ecological function or service, before making big changes.

• Focusing on pollinator health, which is connected to the health of plants, soil, water, other wildlife, and ourselves.

Mindful CleanUp is not a conventional lawn and garden approach, because it’s part of a grounded EarthCare practice, and that shifts our focus away from human-centered action to Earth First intention.

Here are some things we’re NOT going to do in the challenge

• Prune live growth on trees and shrubs. Wait for late winter, early spring.

• Remove leaves or send them to the landfill. We will share why!

• Use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or any other toxic materials.

Because you’re here, we know you care deeply about Earth and you’re ready to do things differently with your landscape. We’re so grateful for humans like you who are making a real difference in slow, small, meaningful ways - right where you are.

How To Get Started: 

You will receive your challenge emails on Thursday each week, and your first challenge is coming up! Here’s what you can do today to set yourself up for success. 

1. Join the private EarthCare Community Facebook Group. This is your hub where you’ll be able to talk to other land stewards, and the LadyBugs will be around to answer questions. EarthCare is better together ♡
   
   

2. Create your Sit Spot. If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to establish a Sit Spot practice. It’s so simple, and so powerful! Spending just a few minutes a day observing from your Sit Spot will help you stay mindful, observe deeply, and really begin to learn the patterns of your land. Check out our blog post to learn how to create your Sit Spot and begin your practice.
   
   

3.  Start your Nature Journal. Fall is a great time to start journaling as you spend time in Nature! It perfectly compliments a Sit Spot practice, and it’s a lovely way to learn and interact with your land as you’re working with it through the challenge. Here’s a helpful guide: National Wildlife Federation’s guide on How To Create a Nature Journal
   
   

4. Catch up on previous challenge emails. You are not behind on Fall CleanUp! But our challenge is following a seasonal timeline, so we'll jump you right into the next challenge. You can see all previous challenge emails here, and decide which of these tasks you want to fit into your cleanup! Click here to view our library of previous challenge emails. 

Alright, that’s it for today. Again, welcome! We’re so excited to support you through your Mindful Fall CleanUp Challenge, and on behalf of all the pollinators and wildlife, we thank you =) 

See you back here in a few days with your first challenge! 

In community + resilience,

PORTFOLIO | BLOG | SERVICES | SHOP | RESOURCES