You might recognize the image above by color and shape, iconic at national forests across a great land. Leave it better than you found it is a deeply-rooted credo of many a hiker, scout and camper.

This sticker sits on my desk every day. It’s been there through multiple houses and offices. I’d probably planned to stick it on something, help spread the message of conservation and all that. But eventually I realized it’s there for me to see. And it applies to far more than campsites and trails.

Leave it better than you found it: an ethic that seems simple on its face and sort of awful to ignore.

But then the year 2025 called. Awful gets more takers than I'd ever imagined.

I’m gradually wrapping up a lengthy career segment in website administration. For years I’ve been looking at web and tech functionality on behalf of clients, either finding improvements or staving off the dangers; usually both.

Next on my plate is Archive Elements. I’m taking on a broad topic of organizing and securing ones digital life, as a means to find, curate and interpret memories and key documents. This includes everything from family photos to historical documents, video and audio, school and career highlights, and more.   

When we die – and I’m sorry to report that there are no exceptions on that feature – we can pass along a digital archive that is secured with our own privacy controls and future-forward methods. An ideal archive would  be comprehensive, but not bloated;  free of duplicate files and useless clutter. Just the good stuff.

So that’s the goal here. Learning it as we go. No one can adequately capture their family or personal history in a day or even weeks, and there are precautions to consider in the process. But with a good plan, every minute at the task is going to leave it better.

Cheers,
Howard Burke
June 2025