We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 27 . 08 . 21 .

Good morning wonderful friends of For Wild Places 👋🏽

You may be asking "why is this newsletter appearing in my inbox a lot earlier than usual?". That would be a great question. And all great questions deserve a great answer.

ANSWER

Because it's Wear It Purple Day and we want to give you maximum opportunity to "start the conversation and keep it going".

Wear It Purple Day is about showing LGBTQ+ young people that they have the right to be proud of who they are. It is about creating safe spaces in schools, universities, workplaces and public spaces (such as those we love to protect and keep wild) to show LGBTQ+ young people that they are seen and supported.

This years theme is "start the conversation... keep it going."

START THE CONVERSATION... KEEP IT GOING

You may now be asking yourself, "what sort of conversation do I start?". Again, great question.

Pronouns and gender affirmation

The use of inclusive language is a great place to start.

Pronouns are substitutes for nouns such as names, such as They/Them/Theirs, She/Her/Hers or He/Him/His. These pronouns may seem simple and harmless, but when the wrong pronoun is used to describe someone ,they can be deeply hurtful. This is because pronouns in the English language (and many other languages) are gendered.

Don't assume someone's pronouns. You can try to normalise inclusive language it by changing your email signature to include your pronouns etc. You can also change your Zoom name to include your pronouns, introduce yourself at team meetings with your pronouns and ensure they are printed on badges (when the world returns to face-to-face events).

Wear It Purple provides a fantastic resource about misgendering and pronouns, which you can access here.

Make your support of Wear It Purple Day visible

This visibility can be achieved in a virtual environment by wearing purple (preferably a t-shirt, scarf or anything else that can be seen in your Zoom screen - don't worry, you can still wear your pyjama bottoms during your corporate Friday client meetings), changing your Zoom background and posting to social media. We also highly encourage you to encourage others in your workplace, school or virtual environment to show their support as well.

Young LGBTQ+ people will benefit from seeing the respect, recognition, love and inclusion that surrounds them.

Here are some great resources that can be easily downloaded, including a Zoom background, email signature, social media posts and posters (for those who are essential workers). You can also find some great ideas about other ways to celebrate here.

Use critical judgement when purchasing

During pride month, it's not unusual for businesses to roll out their rainbow-coloured merchandise. I've seen rainbows slapped on shampoo bottles and now, thanks to Listerine, my mouthwash (who also donate 20 cents per purchase to Wear It Purple). Whilst I will always choose a rainbow-coloured Listerine bottle over their standard bottle (mainly in an attempt to render myself visible in the shopping centre), my support for the LGBTQI+ community does not end here.

Although not specifically "Wear It Purple"-centric, maybe you could try to support small businesses that are run by LGBTQI+ members of the community. There are so many little cafes that have "LQBTQI+ safe space" signs or pride stickers in their window, or you could buy a pride pin at your local bookstore (usually found at the counter - the 'impulse buy' section) when they re-open.

A note from newsletter gal, Elanor

As a member of the LGBTIQ+ community (I identify as lesbian and my pronouns are she/her/hers) I recognise that there is a paucity of trail-running specific initiatives that support LQBTIQ+ youth and members of the community. I'm proud to be part of the FWP team, who also recognise this, and we are having behind-the-scenes conversations to generate momentum in the space of trail running and inclusivity. I do, however, recognise that one person's experience does not represent all (far from it). We invite all friends (and foe's, we don't really mind) to contact us to help us with this conversation, sharing your story and helping us to convert talk into action.

THE GREAT FOREST BOOK LAUNCH

A Patagonia event

Please join us for the online launch of Professor David Lindenmayer's latest book, "The Great Forest", a tribute to extraordinary landscapes now under severe threat from logging and wildfires.

It uncovers the intricate webs of life that make Mountain Ash forests so much more than their towering trees. It explores the unique forests that have sustained the Gunaikurnai, Taungurung and Wurundjeri peoples for tens of thousands of years, and that provide a home for creatures found almost nowhere else. The exquisite photographs reveal the Central Highlands of Victoria to be one of Australia's largely undiscovered natural treasures.

The night will feature a panel discussion hosted by Patagonia trail running ambassador Majell Backhausen, featuring: Professor David Lindenmayer; Sarah Rees the creative and business director for the Great Forest National Park conservation proposal; former rugby player and activist David Pocock; and Shannon Bourke the environmental and social Initiatives manager at Patagonia Australia and New Zealand.

*** Register via this link to snap up your (virtual) seat. ***

PILLIGA ULTRA TRAINING SESSION #2

Nutrition & Hydration

First and foremost, a huge shout out to the the amazing Richard, Victoria, Emily and Jayn who tuned in for the short but sweet session on Tuesday evening. On behalf of the FWP team, I'd also like to say a big thank you to Maj for sharing his tips and tricks - what an awesome opportunity to learn from such an established runner.

A key takeaway of the session is "trail running is basically a picnic, with a bit of running involved". I once used this quote to convince my foodie friends to join me on a long trail - they weren't convinced (they also feel that wine is synonymous with picnic, and I didn't have any of that).

There are four key areas of nutrition: solid food, confectionary, semi-liquids/gels and liquids. What works for you is very personal. There is so much great marketing out there, claiming "this is all you need", however practicing during training runs is the best way to figure out what works (and what doesn't).

There are two key types of hydration: water and salts/electrolytes. Plain water is critical, and if you're thirsty, then you're already dehydrated. It's important to constantly sip water throughout any race, and avoid taking in too much at once. If you have a high salt concentration in your sweat (i.e. you have white lines around your face after a run), then salts and electrolytes are important to include in your fluid uptake.

It's an absolute pleasure bringing these training info sessions to you, and we really hope they provide some useful tips and tricks during any run. If you couldn't tune in to Tuesday's session, you can access the recording here.

💜 💜 💜 

A huge thank you to all that take the time to read to the end on these newsletters - we appreciate your time and support immensely. Until next week, stay strong, safe and connected and be sure to send any feedback or way. We'd love to hear from you.

And as always, a huge thank you for taking the time for wild places.

Elanor & the For Wild Places crew.

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We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This newsletter was written on the stolen lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.

To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.

By For Wild Places

We're a group of adventurers who love to

protect wild places we run on