Are you really aware?

This public service announcement by Transport for London is one the best viral campaigns we’ve seen to raise awareness of the cyclist in your rear view mirror. Check it out.

Epicocity: Paddling for Positive Change

Two weeks ago, under an unseasonably hot February sun, I sat outside a Portland café and and listened to Trip Jennings, Kyle Dickman and Andy Maser eagerly describe their latest endeavor, The Epicocity Project. Three young guys with infectious enthusiasm for kayaking, they’ve set out on a 4-stage adventure to paddle rivers in biodiversity hotspots around the globe. Their first stage in Papua New Guinea won Trip “Adventure of the Year” honors from the National Geographic Society; no small achievement for a group whose oldest member clocks in at the ripe old age of 25.

Today, we received a dispatch from the team, which is now halfway around the globe. Trip, Andy and Travis are just beginning the second leg of their journey: This month, they’re attempting to make the first descent of the Upper Salween River in China, which passes through one of the least explored areas on the planet. By paddling and filming what is now China’s longest undammed river, they hope to raise awareness of an ecologically rich region that is threatened by a 13-dam hydro-electric project.

In the months to come, we’ll be featuring some of the resulting footage from their travels on The Collective. Until then, you can follow their adventures on the Upper Salween at http://china.riversindemand.com/.

Why Didn’t We Think of That?

It’s not often that I envy other cities for their bike-related policies (Portland being such a poster child, in that department), but this is pretty impressive: a formalized bike-sharing program in Barcelona that’s much like Zip Car here in the states, only better, because it cuts out the car part.

Only begs one question: Why haven’t we done this yet in the States? Or have we?
Found via Out There Biking.

Young Blood

Photo: Steve Rogers, Bread and Butter Adventure Media

A few months back my friend Todd, of The Range Life, sent out an email linking to a slideshow of the previous weekend’s adventure. Usually his shots capture his standard weekend exploits: kayaking and skiing around Washington and British Columbia. These shots were a little different in nature, and had me wondering if Todd had just joined the setup crew for Cirque du Soleil. The first couple of shots focused on a bunch of guys in the woods climbing high into trees, setting all sorts of lines, yanking on z-drags, and smiling really big. The effort looked to be led by climbing extraordinaire Matt Maddaloni, who I’ve personally known as the climbing mastermind behind the zip-line setup used to shoot the whitewater footage in Bryan Smith’s Collective Video, 49 Megawatts, and who has been involved with the construction of most of the zip-line canopy tours around Whistler. With him behind the wheel, this project was bound to be cool.

The remainder of Todd’s shots focused on Matt attempting to free solo a 5.13 named “Young Blood” on a monster boulder adjacent to the site they’d been working on. It seemed like he was making the first few moves just fine, and then kept having issues with the crux of the problem … and falling off. Shots of Matt climbing. Shots of Matt falling in midair. Shots of the ground thirty or forty feet below the boulder. And a few pictures of the mind-blowing creative rope-work that tied the whole event together.

Bryan Smith captured that day on film, and put together a short film, “Young Blood,” that we recently posted to The Collective. Although I’d seen the photos and some small clips of the event, this video really brought home the magic that can happen when a few creative and educated minds go out to expand the boundaries of play. I will be forever impressed and inspired by folks like Matt who have mastered their craft and keep pushing the boundaries of their physical and mental abilities, use available technology in new, daring ways, focus on a minimal footprint, and do it all within a realm of safety. Keep after it!

Check out the video.

Tired of Sound Bites?

Intelligent Debate. Passionate Media. How rare is that? If you found it, would you engage with it? I ask because I recently discovered Scribemedia.org. That’s exactly what they promise and that’s definitely what they deliver. The folks at Scribemedia travel extensively to capture and deliver speeches, roundtables and interviews of thought leaders across an incredibly diverse range of disciplines from technology, fashion, business, design, media and the arts. My samplings included a talk by Chris Jordan at the recent Greener Gadgets Conference where he artfully illustrates our staggering quantities of mass consumption and a speech by Lord John Browne of Madingley (former Managing Director of the colossus oil company British Petroleum) about the future of world energy markets.

Scribemedia serves up intelligent dialogue, versus the usual sound-bite approach that has become all too prevalent in our national dialogue. As they say, they “deliver content where and how people want to receive it.”

Painting the Big Apple Green

Next week I’m going to leave Portland’s bike lanes behind and fly to New York City for Nau’s warehouse sale. First and foremost, I plan on eating a lot of delicious food. Second, I plan on taking notes about how New York City takes advantage of the dense population to be more sustainable and socially conscious than other cities.

Having never been to NYC, I can guess the obvious reasons New Yorkers have a smaller carbon footprint — extensive public transportation, small living spaces, and the ability to get anything your heart desires by walking three blocks or less. What about the less obvious examples that make it a socially conscious city?

Openhouse, the venue where Nau is holding the warehouse sale, is one example of a hip NYC retail space doing business unusual. Like-minded companies rent this beautiful space for a variety of artistic, creative and socially responsible events: GOOD Magazine made it their Community Center for the month of December, Joni Mitchell’s Art Expedition was launched here, and it hosted a Frank Tell Fashion showcase. Why Openhouse? In addition to its great location and clean design, 5% of the lease cost for this space goes to the non-profit organization of the renter’s choice. In the case of our sale, it is a win-win-win for Openhouse, Nau, and Kiva, who will receive 5% of our lease in addition to 5% of our net sales from our four day event.

Now that I’ve found one socially conscious business, does anyone have any suggestions for a good place to eat in SoHo?

Nau Warehouse Sale NYC
Where: Openhouse Gallery, 201 Mulberry St.
When: March 6 - March 9
Thursday 11am - 7pm
Friday + Saturday noon - 8pm
Sunday noon - 6pm

Dream Bus

Saw this bus on a walk yesterday.
Had to run over and look in the window.
Of course, it had the perfect sticker on it…

Why doesn’t a car manufacturer make a cool bus again? An AWD, hydrogen-powered six-seater with a fold-down bed in back (or above). Sink, toilet, and card table would all come standard.

This Westy concept car by Verdier is what I’m talking about… Hello, VW?

The Art of Politics

Art and politics have long history together. So it was with great pleasure that I read about a recent addition to the marriage of creative output and political activism. Art of Politics 2008 is, in their own words, “a political art poster design contest geared to engage youth in art and politics and to inspire and motivate people around the country to become more aware and involved in social, political and environmental issues this election year.” Sweet.

So far poster topic submissions have ranged from political apathy to police brutality. New posters will be posted to the site on a weekly basis through April 30th, 2008 at which time the contest will open on-line people’s-choice style voting. Check it out.

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

Losing a glove sucks. Usually, if you’re biking or on a walk, you try to retrace your route and hope that some kind soul has picked it up and stuck it on a fencepost—but that rarely seems to happen. What ends up happening is that you keep the other glove for a while, unable to throw it away because technically, it still works. You almost feel sorry for it, like an identical twin that’s been separated from its sibling, until finally you have to donate it or toss it away. It’s so much better to lose a hat, because at least you know the hat has more of a chance for a second life.

The One Cold Hand? blog is an ingenious lost-and-found on the web that reunites Pittsburgh’s lost gloves with their lonely counterparts. Designed by Carnegie Mellon art student Jennifer Gooch, the site is a work of art in itself, with each lost glove telling a story and inspiring the imagination. But this isn’t just for show—As of yesterday there have been 12 happy endings where gloves have been returned to their rightful owners.

Pulp, Poo and Perfection

I finally got a chance to download the short movie Pulp, Poo and Perfection that addresses two issues threatening water quality in Chile: Pichilemu’s sewage pipeline and forest industry pollution in the South. It’s a great piece that shows how surfers and organizations like Save the Waves can rally public awareness of corporate irresponsibility and environmental disregard. Between scenes that document the chewing and spewing of paper mills, there’s some great footage of the treasured left point breaks that are at risk—If you’re a goofyfooter like me, you’ll be even more pissed off! Released in Chile in November 2007, the short has been screened at several film festivals over the past few months, including Earth Vision in Santa Cruz and the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival.

You can download the full podcast of the documentary HERE. (under podcasts/ppp_english)
To support Save the Waves in their fight against the Chilean pulp mills, go HERE.