For a long time, I thought the answer was just doing more.
More writing. More coaching. More composting. More sharing. More everything.
But here’s what I’ve come to realize: doing more only really matters if we’re doing what matters—to us. Purposefully. Joyfully. In alignment with what we love and long to protect.
Taking action as an Eco-Guardian doesn’t mean becoming a full-time climate activist (although it could lead there). It might mean planting a single tree with your child… starting a weekly soup & story night… writing a short story that changes one reader’s mind. Small acts matter. Especially when they’re rooted in joy and aligned with your why. Remember the trimtab effect we learned from my hero, Bucky.
Follow the Breadcrumbs of Purpose
Let me tell you a slightly sideways story.
Remember Hansel and Gretel?
As the story goes, they dropped breadcrumbs behind them in the forest so they could find their way home. But the birds came and gobbled them up—leaving the kids lost.
That part always felt like a tragedy to me… until recently.
Because now I think the breadcrumbs did serve a purpose.
Even though the kids couldn’t see them anymore, they’d already done something wise: they’d followed their intuition. They’d paid attention. And even without a clear path back, they found their way forward.
So here’s my invitation to you:
Follow the breadcrumbs of your own purpose and passion.
Even if you can’t yet see where the path leads, I promise—you won’t be disappointed where you end up.
That’s what happened for me.
This entire One Cause project began with a breadcrumb of inspiration (and yes a little desperation mixed due to the results of the latest presidential election). It’s now growing into a movement here on Substack. I then added in a daily a vow to help true myself up to the 4 Great Truths (Interconnectedness, sufficiency, reciprocity, and stewardship). And now it’s evolving into the Eco-Guardian Youth Project — complete with a Secret Library, an Eco-Guardian Compass, an Eco-Author Challenge, and plans for an Eco-Guardian Training Camps that equip the next generation of planetary protectors.
I never could have imagined all that. But I’m grateful I started anyway.
So, what about you?
Where might your breadcrumbs be leading you? Let’s chat about it here.
The Seeds of Inspired Action
Let’s simplify this. Inspired action almost always starts with one (or more) of these three seeds:
Love
What breaks your heart—or makes it sing with joy and possibility (or perhaps both)?
Curiosity
What question or story keeps tugging at your sleeve? You know, the one that wakes you up in the middle of the night or won’t let you fall asleep to begin with.
Purpose
What feels like a sacred yes—even if you don’t know how to begin? (It may even feel like an ‘impossible mission’ to you. I know mine does.)
You don’t need all three. One is enough. Of course, the more the merrier.
My own seed was this simple question:
How can we raise a generation of young people who truly know themselves as part of Earth’s living system—and are excited to protect it?
That seed led to One Cause, which then grew into:
The Eco-Guardian Secret Library
The Storyteller to Storymaker pathway (more about this later.)
The Eco-Author Challenge
And the beginnings of the Eco-Guardian Training Camp(s)
All of which share a single intention:
To create a new generation of joyful, purposeful Earth protectors—Eco-Guardians-In-Training.
Where & How to Begin
You don’t have to start big. Just start where you are.
Here’s your Regeneration Action Menu—real things you can do, tailored to different spheres of life:
Personal / Inner Actions
Take a daily “walk with Earth”—no phone, just presence
Journal your values, hopes, and ideas using One Cause prompts
Consume mindfully (what we read, watch, and yes, eat shapes us)
Write your own Eco-Guardian Vow—to remind yourself who you’re becoming
Why not share your own personal action here?
Family / Household Actions
Start a weekly Soup & Story Night of reading eco-fiction together or share nature gratitude (Not sure what to start with? Send me an email at brad@wbradfordswift.com to receive ‘beta access’ to the Eco-Guardian Secret Library.)
Grow something—even a single herb pot
Take on a family challenge from the Dominion Over All Eco-Adventure Playbook (one of the many resources you’ll find within the Secret Library
Community-Based Actions
Host a Repair Café or Clothing Swap
Join or launch an Earth Listening Circle
Organize a Litter Walk + Nature Reflection event for local youth
Global & Movement-Aligned Actions
Write your local rep with ideas for regenerative policy
Start a “One Cause Club” or Eco-Guardian Pod with friends
Share this project with someone who might just run with it
Educators, mentors, and parents: many of these resources are available free via the growing Eco-Guardian Secret Library. Let me know if you’d like early access.
Micro-Missions by Age
Here are a few sample starter missions by age group—and yes, you’re invited to remix or invent your own:
Ages 10–12
Map your backyard biodiversity
Create a “talking tree” comic strip
Write eco-fiction fanfic for a favorite book or animal
Keep an Art + Nature Journal
Ages 13–18
Launch a peer-led podcast or YouTube channel on local ecology
Create a Secret Library Club at your school
Map where nature is thriving or hurting in your town
Interview local elders about how nature has changed
Adults & Elders
Host an intergenerational circle
Mentor an Eco-Guardian-in-Training
Organize a sharing table or “Freecycle” event
Write a legacy letter to your family about your values as an Eco-Guardian
What’s your own “micro-mission”? Want to invent one and share it below as a comment?
Your Activation Invitation
Let’s wrap this with something simple and doable—a starting point for your next step:
Pick one action.
Start small if that’s where your energy is. Or dream big and declare your own Impossible Mission—one that calls you to rise beyond what you’ve ever done before.
Don’t worry about the whole staircase.
Just take the next step that feels joyful, aligned, and yours.
Mini-Mission:
Pick one quadrant this week:
Being – Meditate, breathe, or flow in nature.
Doing – Take one small aligned mission.
Relating – Call a friend, thank a teacher, join a group.
Creating – Start something. Anything. A ripple. A garden. A letter.
Let me know what purposeful action you’ll take on this week in the comments:
What’s your “project spark”? What’s one small way you’re stepping forward?
We’re in this together. And it all matters more than we know.
With purpose,
—Brad (aka W. Bradford Swift, Eco-Guardian-in-Training, author of One Cause)
