OutdoorFest x Loomstate

OutdoorFest is a 10-day festival geared toward getting New Yorkers out of their comfort zones and into nature. Loomstate has partnered on two events during this week (Beach Clean Up at Rockaway and Swale Building Event in Lower Manhattan).  Sarah, founder of OutdoorFest filled us in on events coming up and got us all excited about the first week in June.

All volunteers will be entered to win a Loomstate for Outdoorfest organic cotton t-shirt! Instagram a photo of you volunteering during OutdoorFest and tag @loomstate_org @outdoorfest and #volunteerfest

What inspired you to kick off this week? 
I lived in New York City for a few years feeling detached from nature and the outdoors. When I realized I could be a weekend warrior and that there were other people here like me, it completely changed my understanding of myself as a "city dweller." I hope that through 10 days of events, this experience can be shared with the larger community and people can find resources including organizations, inspiration, and people to reconnect them to the outdoors.

Why is NY a great place to start OutdoorFest?
There are a ton of reasons - starting with all of the amazing organizations and resources we have. But I think at the core of it it's that New Yorkers are energetic, creative and passionate - the perfect people to get on board for an exciting new initiative!

How do you get outdoors in your personal life?
Oh man, I love it all so whenever there's an opportunity to get out I try to go! I get on my bike as much as possible and go for long rides every weekend. I also love to hike so I'm always looking up new trails to go explore. I actually just discovered the beauty of the Rockaways so I'm sure I'm going to be getting out there a lot more this summer.

What are some events we can look forward to?
I'm very excited for our camping event in Floyd Bennett Field. Many of us have camped all over the world but never in our own backyards! We also just added an incredible family event with ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau. He'll be skyping into OutdoorFest from an aquatic space station 60 feet underwater. That's going to be pretty unique.

How can we win a Loomstate for OutdoorFest tee?!
There are so many ways to create community but one of the tried and true ones is simply giving back. OutdoorFest has quite a few environmental stewardship events set up - and just by going and helping out you can win a T-shirt. Basically, you just need to show up and help out an awesome local initiative and then instagram about it! The tags are #outdoorfestnyc and #loomstate_org - we'll pick some winners at the end of the week. The more you volunteer - the more chances you have to enter. More details here.**