The Magazine of The Sierra Club
The 11 best environmentally themed Instagram accounts we followed this year
Insta-Conservation Inspiration
One of the highlights of being on staff at an environmental magazine? The loads of stunning, nature-centric photos we get to peruse, mull over, and ultimately feature. What you see in our print edition, however, is just a taste of the pictorial avalanche consuming Sierra editors, as there’s always more to be found in our online photo galleries. For the most up-to-date glimpse into the inner workings of Sierra magazine (including the adventures of our staff and friends), you’ll want to follow us on Instagram. In curating this feed, we’ve come across some breathtaking accounts, created by environmentalists with keen photographic sensibilities, a proven ability to highlight compelling subjects in luscious landscapes, and a knack for framing, filtering, and organizing their bounty.
Here are the 11 accounts we heartily recommend you follow in 2017.
By 2050, the global population is expected to increase from 7 to 9 billion—meaning we’ll have to increase the world’s food supply. Exploration photographer George Steinmetz is a regular National Geographic contributor whose latest passion is documenting industrialized agriculture as it expands to meet this growing demand. Steinmetz also has a way with words: Feed the Planet’s captions are peppered with statements like, “The turkey most Americans consume today was not raised under a tree listening to a banjo.”
Inspired by the “overview effect” that astronauts experience when they gaze upon Earth from outer space, these high-definition satellite photos offer a new perspective on the landscapes occupied by earthlings. Daily Overview’s impressive aerial images depict our planet’s industry, agriculture, architecture, and plenty of its nature.
Come for the vicarious tour of the many facets of “America’s best idea,” and stay for the nature poems that masquerade as official park signs, the adorable canine “bark rangers,” the bobcats taking night strolls, the surprise glamping tips, the incredible range of critters, and the widely applicable hashtags (think #FindYourPark and #KeepWildlifeWild). This feed has been especially glorious in the Park Service’s centennial year, showcasing iconic images that would make Ansel Adams proud. It also helps park lovers discover more under-the-radar spots, such as Hovensweep National Monument, a network of Pueblo villages in Utah and Colorado, and Alaska’s Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.
Love hiking? Prepare for your “must trek” bucket list to quadruple. This feed showcases top-shelf depictions of nature, by and from blazers of trails across every continent, in every season. Like to snap photos while you hike? Tag “the collective” for a chance at hiker celebrity stardom—a chance of being featured on this sweeping and inspiring feed.
The photographic quality of the official account for the U.S. Department of Interior makes a great case for why America’s Great Outdoors should be preserved, protected and, as often as possible, enjoyed. Renowned photographers are often at the helm, and this prolific feed also delivers a wealth of intel about outdoor adventure. Did you know Bryce Canyon National Park rangers offer full moon snowshoe hikes from November through March? Or that Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park, reachable only by boat or seaplane in the Upper Peninsula, is the least visited park in the continental U.S.? Prepare to be enlightened—and dazzled—while you Instagram.
Like Hiker Collective, this crowd-sourced compendium depicting nature—its wildlife, its surprises, and occasionally its off-the-grid lodges—will boost your respect for mortals who know what to do with their cameras. As promised, it publishes daily, and with a range like this, you never know what you’re in for. I’ve savored Northern Lights on a Monday, spent the week bouncing from Balinese waterfalls to sea lion habitats, and found myself back in the caverns of Iceland by the weekend.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s stated mission is to “inspire conservation of the oceans,” and to that end, its Instagram feed seems to be on the front lines of ocean protection. If you like rescued sea otter pups and #fanartfriday, you’ll love this feed. As you will if you’re curious about marine life, both in central California’s Monterey Bay and all over the world.
The Nature Conservancy boasts some serious photographic chops, and its feed showcases the work of a wide range of styles and professionals. This account is more than skin deep, too; read the captions and you’ll find out what the conservancy considers to be the most inspiring environmental wins from the past year. Plus, the feed always broadcasts the news whenever wild animals’ status of endangerment changes.
You don’t have to be familiar with BBC’s hit documentary series Planet Earth to appreciate this feed—an internet mecca for wildlife lovers. You will enjoy striking pictures of animals in their natural habitats and interacting with humanity—and you’ll get a sense of their personalities, too. Captions tell stories of “opportunistic” pine martens, “disoriented” turtle hatchlings, “butcher-stalking” hyenas, and “flirty” great bowerbirds.
This Hollywood blockbuster of a feed is all about highly stylized wildlife. You’ll witness puppies interacting with giraffes and elephants charging across psychedelic-hued landscapes. It’s a good reminder that sometimes photoshopping a (human) model into nature can serve the valuable purpose of reminding us that Earth is not just our home, but also a true work of art—one that deserves the utmost in care.
Our obvious bias aside, the Instagram feed of America's largest grassroots environmental organization is a mixed bag in the best way possible. You’ll find professional-grade nature photography while scrolling, and you’ll also become privy to real-time tales of communities fighting against coal plants, and volunteers on transnational bike trips to raise funds for our causes. Plus, the Club loves to pair pics with profound nature quotes from the likes of Marie Curie and Edward Everett Hale. I’m hoping these morsels of wisdom will stick with me throughout the coming year.
