Archive for the ‘Outdoor + Environment’ Category
The Bike-Thru
Love this idea so much I had to cross-post from my Foodie Underground column over on EcoSalon:
The drive-thru: an iconic institution fueled by the American spirit to hit the open road. But in this day and age, drive-thrus have become synonymous with unhealthy lifestyle habits, both because of the food they serve and the mode of transportation used to get there. But what if the food was good, and getting access to it promoted sustainable living habits?
In Madison, a restaurateur is looking to open an eating space that’s anything but a drive-thru; he wants to launch a bike-thru, accessible only by two wheels. The Wisconsin capital is already known for its cycling culture, in fact it’s currently ranked the nation’s #7 city for biking, and Chris Berge thinks it would be the optimal spot for what he calls a “bike-in” bar and grill. The proposed restaurant would be built on the city’s Southwest Commuter Path, making it inaccessible by car, and commit to serving local food, and producing zero garbage. He’d also make it a great place for riders to get a quick rest stop, with bathrooms, a fountain for filling water bottles and a bicycle repair service station.
Although the restaurant hasn’t been officially proposed yet, the idea has already garnered the support of the mayor of Madison, Dave Cieslewicz. “I think it’s fascinating idea,” Cieslewicz said. Be it a love for good, local food or a passion for two-wheeled transport, the idea has the potential to take off in other cities as well.
Save the World in 60 Seconds
Love the simplicity of this video. Good branding for a good cause. Kick your coffee cup habit and go reusable. Earth will thank you.
Saving Salmon
“The sin lies not in the wilderness, but in the dammed.” – Steven Hawley in Idaho Tide, excellent article on saving wild salmon in the current summer Patagonia catalog. Go read!
In Honor of Celebrating Earth Every Day
A good PSA by Greenpeace… which should remind us that we need to think about our impact every day.
Dream Job? Photo + Conservation
I dig my job. But there are a few people out there that I’m a certainly a little jealous of. Cristina Mittermeier being one of them. She’s a trained marine biologist and super skilled photographer, which led her to found the amazing organization International League of Conservation Photographers. If you’re not familiar with the iLCP, their main prerogative is to encourage environmental action through awe-inspiring photos. The results are pretty amazing.
We recently had the chance to interview Mittermeier over at Mountainfilm, and she has some great thoughts on the environment and the influence of media.
As human beings we are hard wired to tell stories. Passing down stories of our common humanity has been key to the development of our societies and today, with the internet and the development of new media, we can move the proverbial “camp fire” to a whole new level. All media are important to telling the story of our planet. People in all levels of society rely on stories to understand and react to the changes in our planet. We have to scale our storytelling efforts to make the stories relevant and urgent.
Read the whole interview here.
The City Girl’s Guide to Urban Hiking
Loved writing this piece for EcoSalon… but maybe that’s because I like in a city that’s particularly well suited for this sort of thing…
***
Soot, screeching sirens and forbidding skyscrapers; is this your definition of the big city? Think again. The urban landscape might seem like the epicenter of everything that’s wrong with the world, but in fact cities are where some of the most interesting components of the green movement are currently taking place.
With everything from urban farms and electric cars, large cities are surprisingly livable, and now there’s another trend on the rise: urban hiking. Living the city life has long been equated with staying indoors and neglecting to feed our human need for spending time in nature, but the onslaught of urban hiking tours is showing us that it is in fact possible to get outside, be active and explore new places in the process.
What is Urban Hiking?
Forget the days of mindlessly jumping in a taxi to go from point A to point B. Urban hiking is all about planning, executing and enjoying the journey, another great example of slow travel. According to the Urban Dictionary, urban hiking is “the exploration of diverse urban environments on foot.” Conservation and travel groups alike promote urban hiking, as it not only gets people outdoors and active, but also allows them to explore the ins and outs of urban landscapes.
The Girl Effect
Super inspired by this. Watch, then learn more here.
“It’s no big deal. Just the future of humanity.”
blog.annabrones.com 