Community Code of Conduct

Effective date: October 31, 2025
Last updated: October 31, 2025

Shades of Nature exists to make the outdoors more welcoming — especially for people of color, beginners, and anyone who hasn’t always felt safe in outdoor spaces. To protect that mission, everyone who interacts with our brand (online or in person) must follow this Community Code of Conduct.

This Code applies to:

  • comments on our website, blog, and social media
  • DMs and messages to our team or community hosts
  • group chats for Trips, hikes, glamping weekends, and meetups
  • in-person events and hosted experiences
  • any online space we moderate (Heylo, GroupMe, Facebook groups, etc.)
  • collaborations we run under A Sip of Tee

If you participate in our community, you agree to this Code.


1. Our commitment

We will prioritize:

  1. Safety over convenience
  2. Inclusion over growth-at-all-costs
  3. Respect over “but I was just joking”

We reserve the right to remove content or people who work against those values.


2. Respect & anti-harassment

You must treat other members, staff, speakers, guides, and hosts with respect at all times.

Harassment is not allowed, including:

  • slurs, hateful language, or stereotypes about race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or religion
  • threats, stalking, intimidation, or “joking” about hurting someone
  • sexual comments or advances that are unwelcome
  • repeated DMs after someone says “no” or “please stop”
  • posting or sharing someone’s photo/video to make fun of them

One serious incident can be grounds for removal — it doesn’t have to be “repeated.”


3. Protected identities

Because our community centers people of color in the outdoors, discrimination, mocking, or gatekeeping of Black, brown, or Indigenous members will not be tolerated. That includes comments about hair, body types, cultural clothing, or “belonging” outside.


4. Beginner-friendly standard

A lot of our people are new to hiking, running, or travel.

So:

  • No shaming someone’s pace or fitness
  • No “real hikers don’t wear that / bring that”
  • Help people feel confident — give tips, don’t belittle


5. No hate, no violence, no illegal activity

You may not use our spaces to:

  • promote hate groups or extremist content
  • plan or encourage illegal activity
  • share weapons/drugs content that violates platform rules
  • encourage self-harm or violence

We will remove and, if needed, report this.


6. Privacy & confidentiality

What’s shared in private trip groups or event chats is not for public blast.

  • Do not share someone else’s phone, email, or location without consent
  • Do not screenshot and post to public platforms to mock someone
  • Do not share sensitive trip info (lodging name, access codes, rooming lists) outside the group

We may remove members who compromise safety or privacy.


7. Photos, video, and media consent

We love capturing memories — but we also respect boundaries.

  • Ask before taking close-up photos or video of someone
  • Don’t post kids/families without permission
  • If someone says “please don’t post me,” honor it
  • We may take group photos/videos at events and Trips; by attending, you understand you may appear in recap content, reels, and marketing. If you want to opt out, tell the host on-site — we’ll do our best to honor it.


8. Safety at events & trips

At any in-person experience hosted by Shades of Nature:

  • Follow host / guide instructions
  • Follow park, trail, and property rules
  • No reckless behavior, weapon display, or actions that can injure others
  • Alcohol: only if the event says it’s allowed, and not to the point of being unsafe or disruptive
  • Drugs or substances that impair judgment are not allowed on hikes/activities

We can remove someone from an event or Trip on the spot if they are unsafe, aggressive, or disruptive. No refund will be given if you’re removed for violating this Code.


9. No spam, no scraping, no unsolicited sales

This part matters for protecting your community from being poached.

Not allowed without written permission:

  • pitching your products/services to our members
  • MLM/affiliate/referral link drops
  • mass DMs to our attendees pulled from event rosters
  • adding people to email/SMS lists they didn’t sign up for
  • scraping member names/handles to build your own list

If you want to collaborate, sponsor, or cross-promote, email hello@asipoftee.com first.


10. Respect DMs & personal boundaries

  • If someone says “please stop messaging me,” you must stop.
  • Do not flirt, date-harass, or ask for personal contact repeatedly.
  • Do not send explicit images or content.

We will treat DM harassment the same as public harassment.


11. Accurate representation

Don’t misrepresent yourself as Shades of Nature staff, a host, or an official partner if you are not. Don’t give “official” trip or safety instructions if you are not a designated trip lead. This can be a safety issue.


12. User-generated content (UGC)

If you post, comment, or send us content in our community spaces, you grant us permission to moderate, remove, or feature that content in line with our brand and safety rules. We may remove content that:

  • is off-topic or derails the group
  • spreads misinformation about locations, closures, or safety
  • violates someone’s privacy
  • violates this Code
    We’re not promising to host every post forever.


13. Minors

Unless an event is clearly marked as kid-friendly/family-friendly, assume our Trips and events are for adults 18+. If minors are present:

  • a parent/guardian must be present
  • no explicit/NSFW talk around kids
  • no photos of minors posted publicly without permission


14. Accessibility & inclusion

We are working to make our events and content more accessible. That includes:

  • noting hike difficulty, distance, and elevation where we can
  • providing alt text/captions where feasible
  • choosing inclusive, beginner-friendly locations when possible

You can ask for accommodations at hello@asipoftee.com — we can’t guarantee everything, but we will try.


15. Reporting problems

If someone is violating this Code or making you feel unsafe:

Email: hello@asipoftee.com
Subject: “Community Issue – Shades of Nature”
Include:

  • screenshots (for online)
  • trip/event name + date (for in-person)
  • what happened
  • if you want to stay anonymous to the other person

We will review and act.


16. Enforcement & escalation

We use a “what keeps the group safest” standard. Depending on the situation, we may:

  1. Give a private warning
  2. Remove specific posts/comments
  3. Mute or limit a member in the group
  4. Remove a member from the group or chat
  5. Remove someone from an event or Trip (no refund)
  6. Ban from future events/Trips
  7. Report serious threats/harassment to the platform or authorities

We may enforce across platforms. If you are banned from an event for harassment, we may also remove you from our group chats or social communities.


17. Our right to moderate

We reserve the right to moderate, edit, or remove any content, at any time, for any reason, especially to protect safety, privacy, or our brand values. Participation in our community spaces is a privilege, not a right.


18. Changes to this Code

We may update this Code of Conduct as our community grows. The “Last updated” date will tell you when it changed. Continued participation means you agree to the updated version.