Lovethe.Earth began with a woman meditating in the Mojave Desert, asking herself, “What now?”
Esther, the founder, had always felt a deep connection to the living world. Her mother likes to recall how, even as a baby, she was soothed by sunlight flickering through the trees. Decades later, that same dappled light still brings her peace. Raised in a place where tending gardens, fixing what’s broken, and picking up trash on walks were simply a part of life, Esther’s roots were grounded in slower rhythms long before they were trendy—or urgent.
But over time, the noise and demands of modern life grew louder. Food was wasted. Wildlife vanished. Climate disasters stacked up. And like many people watching from the sidelines, she found herself wondering: How did we drift so far from our values?
By the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, that question had become undeniable. Esther was living simply in the desert, waiting out the virus, and trying to decide what to do with her free time. She was self-employed and surviving, but something inside her was insistent. The solitude of the desert gave her the space she needed to breathe, but it also revealed an ache she couldn’t ignore.
It was an ache not just for the environment, but for a way of living that had been lost. And the desert, in its quiet and clarity, mirrored that longing back to her. Surrounded by mountains of ancient rock and waves of free-flowing sand, she began to absorb its majestic beauty. To the north and east, ecru hills rose slowly toward scrub-dotted hills. To the south, burnt umber mountains launched skyward from the flat desert floor, sheer and formidable. To the west, distant snow-capped graphite peaks kept a kind of watchful grace. Beneath her feet, pebbles and gravel crunched under each step. Yet, like a gift, the valleys offered white-hot softness.
The land was raw and honest. It stripped everything back to the bones. And that’s where she began to dream of something new.
After years of reading about oil spills, biodiversity loss, and rising temperatures—and feeling helpless behind a screen—she began to reimagine reality. A nonprofit that would reconnect people to the simple wisdom of slow living. A space that honored the past and built tools for a better future. A way to reclaim peace and purpose in a collapsing world.
What started with feelings of guilt, grief, and desperation then became a spark.
Esther realized she was carrying something powerful: a framework she had developed through her recent career in adult literacy, one designed to help people change habits, gain confidence, and pursue personal growth. What if that same approach could be used to teach people how to live sustainably again? What if ecological lifeskills and resilience could be learned and lived?
That realization shifted something deep inside her. Desperation gave way to purpose. And then, to hope.
Still, the road ahead was full of doubt. Esther had gained valuable experience running an established grassroots nonprofit, but starting one of her own felt daunting. It took two full years, from first concept to official 501(c)(3) status. Two years of uncertainty. Two years of learning how to create something in California from scratch. And two years of healthy cycles of work and rest to prevent feelings of burnout she knew all too well. Step by step, she made her way forward.
She started small and slow. A name: Lovethe.Earth. A logo. A domain. Then came a website, social media, and a resolve that shaped up with time: to inspire everyone to live more gently, and to make space for rewilding, both on the Earth and within ourselves.
The project officially launched in 2022 from her rental room in the desert. A few months later, she moved to Los Angeles. In 2023, she incorporated a tech co-op that will develop a lifestyle change app. In 2024, Lovethe.Earth became a sister nonprofit dedicated to public education, environmental responsibility, and promoting a circular economy.
But the real story of Lovethe.Earth didn’t begin there.
Decades earlier, as a teenager in an ecological summer program, Esther stood on the shores of Lake Erie and learned the truth: corporations had been dumping toxins into her community’s waterways for decades. Shock turned to sorrow. Sorrow turned into a quiet vow: do something about it. That early fire dimmed a bit as she made her way through the modern world, but it never went out. It led to an environmental internship in Chicago. To years of digital water activism in California. And finally—to the moment in the desert when she realized the sense of purpose she’d been praying for was right there, rising to the surface.
Today, Lovethe.Earth partners with aligned groups like Art for Our Parks, which connects artists with environmental nonprofits, and Earth Gives, a nonprofit collective focused on cultivating generosity.
At its core, Lovethe.Earth is about reclaiming the art of living sustainably: slower days, seasonal meals, backyard gardens, and intentional habits that reduce harm and create beauty. It’s a digital sanctuary with a powerful framework for people who want to leave the world better than they found it, and are ready to begin with one gentle, loving step at a time.
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We are raising seed funds to support our initial educational campaigns and cover essential startup costs. Your contribution helps grow a people-powered movement for ecological healing, rooted in everyday actions, deep learning, and collective care.
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Final Thought
The Earth gives us everything. It’s time to give something back—not from shame, but from love.
