The Good Route: Picturing Climate Change at COP15
©Daniel Beltrá, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony
Some of Daniel Beltrá's photographs are shockingly beautiful, but many are just plain shocking. And it's the latter group—which illustrate burning, drought-stricken and clear-cut rainforests of Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia—that just may push our political leaders toward making real progress at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) to be held next month in Copenhagen.
The Prince's Rainforests Project, an effort that Prince Charles of Wales established in 2007 in order to raise awareness about rainforest destruction and raise funds to support rainforest preservation, appointed Beltrá (through the Sony World Photography Awards) to photograph the world's largest and most important rainforests as part of the campaign. Now, some of these images—which show not only wide-scale damage to the rainforests but also vignettes of pristine sections (after all, leaders need to know what they're fighting for)—are collected in a book, Rainforest: Lifebelt for an Endangered Planet, which key world leaders at COP15 will receive.
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November 11, 2009
The Good Route: Outdoor Clothier's Sustainable Wave
When Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard called him two years ago, wanting to talk gear, Ernest Capbert knew that he and his cohorts at the outdoor clothing startup Finisterre were doing something right. The company is the dreamchild of Tom Kay, a British surfer who wanted to create a sustainable clothing line for the action sports industry. Like Patagonia, Finisterre places a major emphasis on how and where it sources materials, creating products with a cradle-to-cradle lifecycle in mind, while fostering a sustainable supply chain. The company is also incorporating biomimicry into its designs while going to great efforts to secure its own source for wool (hint: it takes the do-it-yourself trend to new heights).
The Good Route recently had a confab with Capbert, Finisterre's director of marketing, about the company's clothing line and its focus on sustainability.
Herewith, some outtakes.
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November 06, 2009
The Good Route: Covering Olympic Carbon Costs
The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) wants spectators and media coming to the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver to reduce the environmental impact of their visits by purchasing carbon credits based on the air travel and lodging they require, reports Reuters.
The group is impeaching attendees to purchase the credits as part of its efforts to make the Games carbon neutral—it has already secured sponsorship partners to buy carbon credits on behalf of Olympic athletes.
To make it easy for attendees to estimate their impact, VANOC has partnered with Offsetters to produce a calculator that allows people to estimate the carbon emissions that will be released due to their attendance. And, conveniently enough, attendees can remain on the Offsetters site and purchase the carbon credits needed to offset their individual Olympic carbon footprints.
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October 21, 2009
The Good Route: Biking, Climbing, Paddling Down to 350
This Saturday, October 24th, will be action-packed. Normally, this would not be news for Outside readers, for whom most weekends are packed with biking, skiing, boating, etc. But this year, it's news. October 24th is the much-anticipated international day of action, designed to get everyone—really, everyone—talking about climate change and demanding action from world leaders to make real strides in mitigating its impact by signing a new, aggressive treaty during the upcoming United National Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Hard to say whether this Saturday's actions will set off the chain re-action we imagined in the October issue (well, OK, that scenario is a real stretch). But you're probably going to be out and about this weekend anyway, right? So if you believe climate change is happening, if you believe it is a real threat to humanity (not to mention your outdoor recreation opportunities), and if you can count to 350*, there's really no reason not to add your voice—and sweat—to the choir.
Here's a small sampling of the more than 4,000 events that are planned, or already in motion, around the world (170 countries and counting):
A dozen Bay Area cyclists took off Monday on a 350-mile ride down the California coast. They'll arrive in San Francisco on Saturday. If you're in that 'hood, join them for the very last bit of their giro (details here).
Legendary climber Lynn Hill plans to unfurl a 350.org banner (from the top of an still-undisclosed ascent)
Pro XC skiers on Team Steinbock will warm up their legs in a rollerski race for 350.org at Soldier in Midway, UT.
Pro mountain biker Lea Davison is leading a ride in Jericho, VT and Kiwi mountain bike pro Kashi Leuchs is leading a ride in Dunedin, NZ.
Record-setting ocean rower Roz Savage will speaking at a 350.org event in London
Canadian World Cup skiers Thomas Grandi & Sara Renner are leading a ride in Canmore, Alberta.
In Portland, Ore., a gaggle of boaters will form a huge 350 in the Willamette River
Speaking of oceans, in NYC cyclists are planning a "Future Sea Level Ride," complete with aquatic costumes, to drive—er, ride—the point home that climate change means rising oceans.
Over in Middlebury, VT (ground zero for the 350.org, since organizer Bill McKibben is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College) you can join in on 350 sun salutations, among many other events
And should you find yourself in Times Square on Saturday, you can watch highlights of these global actions as they're beamed to a 30-foot screen.
So what are you planning? Let us know. And if you can't join any of the above, find an action on this handy map, or create your own.
*According to NASA scientist James Hansen, 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2. Many leading scientists concur with this estimation. Right now, we're at about 387 ppm. So we've got some serious back-pedaling to do.
--Mary Catherine O'Connor is a freelance writer, covering the environment, sustainability and outdoor recreation. The Good Route, her new blog for Outside Online, is focused on the places where the active life and sustainability merge.
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October 14, 2009
The Good Route: Rogue Stretches Out for Salmon, Boaters
The Savage Rapids Dam prior to removal.
In our August issue, Grayson Schaffer argued that whitewater kayak industry is drying up. But thankfully, a number of the most important waterways in the US are doing just the opposite, thanks to the removal of about 40 dams each year, as reported in New York Times this summer.
And just last weekend, another barrier—the Savage Rapids dam near Grants Pass, Ore.—was removed, opening a stretch of the Rogue between Gold Hill and Grants Pass that, by keeping them from their spawning grounds, had been a known killer of salmon and steelhead for decades.
But after so many years being pent up, this section of the Rogue is going to need some time to settle into its new surroundings and flush out debris left by the dam. The Oregonian reports that this has already been made tragically clear by the death of a jet-boat driver at the removal site.
Many other boaters were able to navigate the newly-opened section safely in a large flotilla carrying about 80 people, according to the New York Times. The conservation group WaterWatch played a major role in getting the dam removed, but the battle took more than 20 years. Here's hoping that more sections of the Rogue, and other rivers, will be returned to their natural state more quickly.
--Mary Catherine O'Connor is a freelance writer, covering the environment, sustainability and outdoor recreation. The Good Route, her new blog for Outside Online, is focused on the places where the active life and sustainability merge.
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October 07, 2009
The Good Route: Curbside Ski Recycling? Maybe Someday.
Last month, we sang the praises of ski swaps as a great way to give new life to old skis and snowboards. But events such as swaps will never divert all old ski sticks and boots from the landfill. Fortunately, there's a concerted effort underway to turn the gear no one wants back into useful items—and maybe even back into skis and snowboards.
Last year, the Snowsports Industries of America (SIA) started a pilot program in which it collected unwanted skis, snowboards and boots at participating ski shops in Colorado and then put them through a multi-step recycling process in order to separate the metal and plastic materials. The plastics can then be used as feedstock for building materials and flooring (Trek lumber is a good example).
"The pilot program was highly successful," says Greg Schneider, the recycling program manager, "we collected 100 tons of equipment."
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September 24, 2009
The Good Route: EPA Suing The North Face
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a statement yesterday morning that it has filed suit against apparel maker VF Corporation, claiming that The North Face--one of more than 20 clothing brands that the $7 billion VF owns--has made "unsubstantiated public health claims" about the Agion silver treated footbed used in more than 70 styles of The North Face footwear.
The company is facing nearly $1 million in fines for making the product claims.
The EPA maintains that in stating that the footbeds control germs and pathogens and prevent disease-causing bacteria, the company violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. "Products that kill or repel bacteria or germs are considered pesticides, and must be registered with the EPA prior to distribution or sale," it said.
Seems fair to guess that The North Face wasn't trying to sell or market pesticides when it promoted the footbed's ability to "prevent bacterial and fungal growth." But the EPA doesn't give any leeway when it comes to claims like these. The North Face has 30 days from the filing to request a hearing or a settlement.
“The EPA takes very seriously its responsibility to enforce against companies that sell products with unsubstantiated antimicrobial properties,” said Katherine Taylor, associate director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region, the EPA news release. “Unverified public health claims can lead people to believe they are protected from disease-causing organisms when, in fact, they may not be.”
It went on to say that after being contacted by EPA, The North Face revised its website and product packaging marketing copy in order to remove claims that their footwear protects against germs. A quick look at The North Face site this morning shows Agion described as "a odor-inhibiting silver agent woven into the top sheet of the footbed for funk-free use."
The North Face is just one of many gear makers that use Agion technology in its footbeds. Adidas, Columbia, Superfeet insoles and Timberland are also listed on the Agion site. Some of these companies are treading lightly on claims related to the footbeds, as well. Superfeet says the Agion antimicrobial top cover treatment "reduces bacteria" (emphasis mine).
--Mary Catherine O'Connor is a freelance writer, covering the environment, sustainability and outdoor recreation. The Good Route, her new blog for Outside Online, is focused on the places where the active life and sustainability merge.
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September 17, 2009
The Good Route: Tourists Teaching in the Green Room
During a break from his stint with the Peace Corps in Peru, Dave Aabo spend a few days in Lobitos, a small fishing community on the Pacific Coast. There, he came upon a great northwest swell. And an idea.
"The first time I went to Lobitos, I was really impressed by the wave but there's no infrastructure [in town]," says Aabo. While the opportunity was ripe for locals to start tourism-based businesses, they lacked the resources to take advantage of the area's growing popularity. So Aabo and a Peace Corps cohort, Kevin Fitzpatrick, started a voluntourism organization called Waves for Development in 2004. The goal: to help Lobitos locals kickstart small, sustainable businesses with the help of tourists who are down for mixing some skills-sharing in with their surf trips.
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September 01, 2009
The Good Route: Sweet Snowy Ski Swaps
September brings the ski and snowboard porn premieres*. And for many, these premieres generate that leg-shaking anticipation for winter sports. And that anticipation often generates a desire for new gear.
Since K2 and Volant don't have quite as much political sway as GM and Ford, don't expect to see any cash for clunkers programs for your old snow sticks. But at a ski swap, you can get your hands on new (to you) gear while also finding a home for your retired gear and improving your green cred. After all, there's nothing crunchy about buying brand new pair of tele-skis every winter.
Here's a run-down of the best upcoming swaps, by region:
Note: A number of readers have added info on additional ski swaps in the comments section. Be sure to check them out.
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August 24, 2009
The Good Route: Toxic Seas Need Advocate
Artist's Rendering
As if he needed more motivation, David de Rothschild can add one more item to his list of reasons we need to stop dumping plastic into the world's oceans: At the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society last week, scientists said they've discovered that plastics break down while floating around at sea much sooner, and at cooler temperatures, than first believed.
The findings contradict a long-held assumption that plastics littered in the ocean maintain their stable composition for many years. "We found that plastic in the ocean actually decomposes as it is exposed to the rain and sun and other environmental conditions, giving rise to yet another source of global contamination that will continue into the future," says study lead researcher Katsuhiko Saido, Ph.D.
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