Ah, social media—specifically, Facebook. Some folks really don’t care for it, and I can understand why.

We can get so caught up in our phones, gadgets and checking our social networks, rather than staying present and interacting with the people next to us. However, for some, Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with friends, family, and re-connect with people you lost touch with.

However, one of the coolest things about Facebook, is how quickly it allows us to share information and gain exposure to communities and ideas that we may have never heard about otherwise. We can share interests with like-minded individuals, and expand our knowledge on various topics.

We all have our things: I think sharks are fascinating, so I enjoy following “I love Sharks” on Facebook, because I like getting fun facts and cool photos of sharks in my news-feed. A popular page on Facebook is “I F*cking Love Science,” with over two million followers! People love seeing photos of bizarre plants, insects and animals and learning quirky scientific facts they never would have known about otherwise. Whether you’re a film buff, computer geek, or wild about organic gardening—there is something for everyone!

In my news-feed one day, I came across a page called: Give a Sh*t About Nature (GASAN). This page attempts to raise awareness about environmental issues and what we can all do to help lessen our carbon footprint. I’ve been following the page for a few months now, and I really enjoy the inspiring memes posted, as well as cool articles about how there’s a “Solar City” in Germany that produces four times the energy it consumes! Very inspiring stuff!

The GASAN Facebook page has been around since March of 2012 as an advocacy page for environmental issues. They’ve since also created a website. Here is a bit from their “About” page:

Doing right by your community and the planet through personal action has always been the main focus. In the face of a changing climate and insecure energy futures, it has become imperative that we each have a stake in the conservation and proper management of our shared resource.

Beyond just inspiring memes and article sharing on the FB page, their website and webstore offers products that can help us all decrease the footprint we leave on the planet. But they are not just trying to turn a buck here! They sell legitimate products, at the lowest possible cost, to help encourage everyday folk (like you and I) to take steps to preserve the environment. For instance, they currently offer faucet aerators for both the sink and the shower.

My family recently purchased and installed the shower-head (which is currently on sale for eight bucks) to help conserve water. The pressure is great, and I enjoy my showers as much as I always have, but by using this “EPA Watersense Certified” low-flow shower-head, we can save gallons of water each year! It’s a small thing, but every little bit helps, right?!

Another cool thing GASAN does is sell T-shirts (some made of cotton and some made of very sustainable hemp) bearing the GASAN logo. What’s so cool about that? Well, besides raising awareness and encouraging people to “Give a Sh*t About Nature,” they also plant 20 trees for every shirt they sell!

That is effin’ awesome!

GASAN works with the non-profit organization Trees For the Future to get trees planted for every order they receive. They’ve planted thousands of trees!  Read about it on their blog.

So how can GASAN possibly get more bad-ass than they already are? Believe it or now, they’ve found a way, by creating this very cool, worldwide event:

Global Litter Cleanup: March 22

We are all invited! The info on the event page reads:

“The weather is starting to warm up. Let’s get back out there and make sure we’re leaving this place better than we found it. Grab a bag, a pokin’ stick and a pal and clean up some litter!”

It doesn’t matter where we are or what else we have going on that day, we can all participate! Just some time (an hour or even just a few minutes) to pick up some trash! Pick up trash at the beach or at a park. Maybe just pick up trash from your street! Again—every little bit helps!

The Facebook event, created by GASAN, currently has 4.7K people planning to attend!  People all over the world! If 4.7 thousand people pick up even just one piece of trash, that’s a huge impact!

People are getting motivated and inspired—ten additional regional events have been created! This is from the GASAN FB event page:

“Ten folks have decided to create their own regional events and open it up for anyone to participate in. Don’t see an event for your area? Make one! I’ll post it on the main page and list it here. I’ll keep updating this thread.”

Albuquerque, NM
Colorado Springs,CO 
Pueblo, CO
Flora, MS
Mar del Plata, Argentina
Portland, OR
Jasper, IN
Leeds, UK
Enid, OK
Jacksonville, IL
Medicine Hat, AB, Canada

Doesn’t this make your heart just feel full? Mine does! Because I give a sh*t! And thousands of other people give a sh*t! And if we don’t, who will?

So to all my ele-friends, and friends of ele-friends, consider yourselves invited!

Let’s all take some time on Saturday, March 22nd to pick up some trash and clean up our earth! Because we give a sh*t!

Author’s note: I have no affiliation with GASAN. Nobody asked me to write about or promote their website/Facebook page. I just think what they are doing is freakin’ awesome and worth sharing.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photos: Courtesy of Author, GASAN