Posts filed under 'Environment'
No, The Hulk is not running for Prez in ‘08. For if he were, I wouldn’t be conflicted on who I stand behind.
Being “Green” is what all the cool kids are doing these days. And that’s great for the cause and great for our future here on planet Earth. But how green are they? There are way more things on peoples minds than the environment these days. But it may help to see where your candidate stands on the main environmental issues before voting in November.
Check out this site for a good overview that gives the basics on each candidates stance on environmental issues.
Hulk art by David Finch
January 23rd, 2008
Would I be caught dead in this… probably not. Would I secretly want one in the same way that I secretly wanted a Pound Puppy when I was a kid… yeah sure.
I saw this article the other day with this crazy looking ride that could have been George Jetsons whip.
But don’t fret friends, this ride is made by Tesla Motors, and they don’t just make Jetson cars. Now their roadster would fulfill my Pound Puppyesque lust for an electric car while keeping my manhood in tact. Check it.
Unlike most electrics this one actually has some range. You can go up to 245 miles on a charge. And it costs 2 cents a mile. Of course you’re going to pay for looking cool and saving the world… $100 grand. Woowie Wow Wow!
Flea even has one. And like I always say, “If Flea likes it, I like it.”
December 21st, 2007
I had the honor of interviewing Andrew Skurka this week. For those of you unfamiliar with Andrew; he is a long distance backpacker who has some amazing records under his belt. His most recent feat was to complete the Great Western Loop, a 6,875-mile footpath that consists of a network of five existing long-distance hiking trails. Yeah, almost 7,000 miles! It was also announced this past week that Andrew will be recognized as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. I’ve caught up with him a little over a week after he got off the trail from this 7 month journey, and here’s what he had to say.
Wade: With so many challenges and such an amazingly long trip, what was the lowest point for you on this trek?
Andrew: There were a handful of lows, all mental, not physical, though sometimes
the physical part exacerbated the situation. The first low was in
late-May/early-June in California, from around Donner Pass to Castle Crags
State Park — I had just had one of the most amazing backcountry experiences
in my life (through the High Sierra in mid-May, 5.5 days without seeing
anyone and 400 miles of this outdoor crown jewel all to myself) and then
walked into the logged-over and scenically inferior stretches of northern
California. Another low was near Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness — it
was the end of a 5-week 900-mile stretch in which I’d walked on snow and had
been tortured by mosquitoes every day while maintaining a 37.5-mile pace,
and I was completely mentally drained. The last low was after the Weminuche
Wilderness in southwestern Colorado, which represented the last major
challenge of the hike — once I entered New Mexico I knew I was going to
make it (because I was no longer at risk of getting caught by the winter
weather) and the terrain really mellowed out.
Wade: You’re known for going ultralight. What was the one item you wish you could
have had room for in your pack?
Andrew: While I’m ultralight I’m not a masochist. If I really wanted an item I
would have just carried it. So, to answer the question, nothing; I had
everything I needed and wanted. Gear is just a means, tools, to enjoying
the outdoor experience more — I don’t go light for the sake of going light.
Wade: What is the one piece of advice you would give to a would-be long distance
trekker?
Andrew: Long-distance hiking is incredibly romantic — the idea of spending weeks
or months at a time in some of the most beautiful backcountry areas in the
world is almost universally appealing, especially when contrasted to the
fluorescent lights, traffic jams, and overwhelming email inboxes of modern
life. But long-distance newbies need to realize that the reality of
long-distance hiking is not always pleasant: you can’t just “float” by like
you can in “the real world” — there are always miles to be walked, stormy
weather to fend off, fatigue and soreness to treat, discomforts to cope
with, etc. You have to earn the “Wahoo! moments” — the sunsets, wildlife
encounters, 12,000-foot ridgewalks, and trail magic from generous locals.
If you understand the work-to-reward ratio of long-distance hiking, and if
you’re okay with it, you’ll have much more success and you’ll enjoy yourself
much more.
I also strongly recommend to newbies that they get a step-up on the
learning curve before they begin their hike by: (1) reading backpacking
books and online content (start with the “How to GoLite” section on
GoLite.com and “Lightweight Backpacking & Camping,” edited by Ryan
Jordan); (2) following the experiences of others on your trail of choice
(like through trailjournals.com); and (3) most important, GET OUTSIDE in
order to develop skills, become more familiar with your gear and
maps/guidebook, and understand better the terrain and weather. Ideally go
with a more experienced backpacker who can transfer knowledge they have
learned from others and from their trials and errors.
Wade:What’s next?
Andrew: I just finished 1.5 weeks ago and I don’t have anything concretely planned
at the moment. I envision some “small” hikes this summer that share a
similar environmental message with the Great Western Loop and/or that I will
equally enjoy and learn from. The next opportunity to do a BIG hike will be
in 2009 because of the time it takes to develop the idea and to do all of
the planning. I’d have to imagine that this hike will be in Alaska or
overseas.
November 20th, 2007
Monday thousands of bloggers wrote about global warming to inform their readers of this important issue. Now, today I’m blogging on a different topic the same day as thousands of other bloggers. This time the issue is poverty. CARE, an organization dedicated to wiping out poverty, has asked bloggers to write on this subject today.
Click here to learn more about what CARE volunteers are doing around the country today, maybe in your neighborhood. You can also go to CARE’s “Get Involved” page to learn how you can volunteer or donate.
October 17th, 2007
In celebration of National Public Lands Day, this Saturday September 29, the Sierra Club released a new report called America’s Wild Legacy that identifies 52 of our nation’s most important and most threatened public lands. The report outlines the Sierra Club’s plan for protecting one wild place in each state over the next 10 years.
Gas drilling, industry, runaway logging and global warming are eating away at these places. For example, Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest, with its unparalleled opportunities for climbing, hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing, faces increasing attempts to log its ancient trees, many of which are older than our nation.
Check the report out here. You can download and read the report. You can also view a threatened place up close on the Google Earth map.
September 27th, 2007
I have big FEET! It looks like my ecological footprint is huge. Even though I buy food at a farmers market often, drive a fuel efficient car, ride a bike to work sometimes, recycle, and buy energy efficient bulbs. To find out I went to Ecofoot.org and took the quiz. Here are my results…
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 5.9 PLANETS.
In the words Christopher Walken as The Continental on SNL, “Wowee Wow Wow”. I thought I was green. Going through this helped me realize that I’m not green at all, I am making some big Eco Faux Pas. For instance, here is where my sins lie; Traveling by plane, Eating Meat often, Living in a big house. I live with my wife, and the two of us share a 2,000 square foot home, I travel for work alot and take at least one international flight per year, and I eat meat two meals a day. The meat part usually throws people off. What does that have to do with anything? Well, there are a couple of reasons. For one, animals take up space. Cows, chickens, and pigs need acres of farmland. They also produce quite a bit of waste which accounts for a huge portion of the worlds greenhouse gases. As the population grows, the more meat eaters we have, the more need we have for animals, and thus, the more greenhouse gases we produce, and the more forest we cut down.
Here are 10 easy ways you can reduce your footprint:
- Each time you replace a bulb in your home put an energy efficient bulb in its place.
- Reduce the amount of meat you eat. I love chicken people. But I think I could eat veggies 3 or 4 more times a week.
- Next car you buy, buy one that gets better gas mileage.
- Next house you buy, downsize. How much space do you really need. We have a guest room AND an office. Couldn’t we just have one room for that?
- Remove one plane trip from your itinerary this year. Cut out a business trip, or take a local trip rather than flying for vacation.
- Ride your bike. This one is a no-brainer. Ride your bike to work, over to a friends house, or down to the store to pick up a 6er. Seriously. It’s alot of fun. It’s exercise. And it’s good for the earth.
- Cancel your newspaper subscription and cut down on junk mail. Don’t give your mailing address out unless you know they won’t sell it. This will reduce the amount of junk you get in your mailbox and reduce the number of trees being cut. And read your news online rather than in print.
- Buy locally. This one is really easy too, and can be a fun process. Visit the local farmers market to buy your veggies. Look for local products in the grocery and take a trip out into the country and buy produce or baked goods from the local farmers.
- Recycle. I can’t say how easy this is. My household produces one 13 gallon bag of trash per week or less. We produce double that in recyclced materials. Just call your local recycling company and sign up for pick-up. If you don’t have it, then just save your stuff in big totes and take it in once a month. You’ll feel better about yourself.
- And here’s one all of us can do. Vote for candidates that want to make real change for the environment. We all have our political affiliations. But things are getting bad with global warming and we can’t stop what’s going to happen in the next 50 years. But for our kids and grandkids sakes, we can at least try to make some policy changes that force big companies to make more eco-friendly decisions so 100 years from now we don’t have mass famine and drought.
And here’s a bonus tip: Do like I just did, spread the word to your friends. 
I’ve bookmarked Ecofoot.org so I can go back everytime I make a lifestyle change and see how my footprint shrinks. My goal is go get down to two planets this year.
September 17th, 2007
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