I came across this interesting piece from Cole Nesmith in Relevant Magazine that introspectively explores the simplicity of singlespeeds within a consumer culture.

“I get made fun of for owning a bicycle with no brakes. Honestly, when I entered into the fixed-gear bicycle subculture, I didn’t know the implications it would have for my life. Eventually however, I realized that simplicity can be freeing.

My possession of one of these fine machines was a ticket into a world heretofore unexperienced. What I quickly learned is that for these hipsters, thrift-store fashionistas and grungy musicians-the bicycle is a metaphor for living. It’s a symbol of rebellion and responsibility; rebellion against a culture that values self-centered consumption and instead, taking responsibility to reduce one’s financial and environmental resource usage. Even more so, the fixed gear is a relational machine.”

Read more of Lessons From a Fixed-Gear Bicycle here.

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You’ve probably already seen the pictures of masked American cyclists showing up at the Beijing airport, but the story featured in the New York Times is interesting because of this quote by one cyclist: “Why we wore the masks is simple: pollution. When you train your whole life for something, dot all your I’s and cross all your T’s, why wouldn’t you be better safe than sorry? They have pollution in Los Angeles, and if the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.”

The issue of pollution is not limited to China, and hopefully will not fade after the Olympics.

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A crew in Minneapolis has put together the Pedal Cloud, a 10 person bike capable of reaching 30mph speeds! It has functioning lights, brakes, and gearing, which allows this bike to use a lane of traffic without the usual onslaught of honking and annoyed drivers. In fact, Pedal Cloud riders report that “everyone who sees you smiles and says hello!” Follow the Pedal Cloud here.

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Here’s a nifty calculator to see just how beneficial going by bike is. I just threw a rack on my commuter so one of the last places I go regularly, the grocery store, I can now bike to and carry groceries back in panniers. One less trip by car!

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(Alexander F. Yuan/Associated Press)

Or maybe a better title would be “Pollution Won’t Go Away Over Night.” However you phrase or look at it, the skies over Beijing are hazy from pollution. China has tried just about everything to clear them. The problem though is that pollution is a complex and long term issue. Taking half the cars off the road or closing factories may help a little, but the smog is winning, forcing China to enact stricter anti pollution measures. Now if they would only keep these measures in place after the Olympics…

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It’s been a crazy couple of weeks on the climate change/energy security/oil crisis frontlines. The news round-up:

President Bush lifts a ban on offshore drilling, joined by calls of support from both sides of the aisle in Congress. Not enough to lift the congressional ban, but it is an election year…

Al Gore calls for a full transition to carbon-free electricity in ten years.

Bill McKibben - master of climate change social networking - launches 350.org, a follow up campaign to the successful StepItUp2007. It sounds like 350 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide is the magic number for long-term climate security. 350 Actions wanted.

Energy security is national and homeland security. Conversely, according to the National Intelligence Council, “global warming could increase terrorism.”

Thomas Friedman, NYTimes columnist, summarizes much of this energy and climate news nicely, with a call for action. Both the 9/11 attacks and $4.11 gasoline represent opportunities for leadership towards a different future. Will the next president seize the political will and lead?

And in weather, looks like a good week to bike to work.

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Finding the synthesis of what we do and what we believe is something most of us strive to achieve, but it can take a while to get there. Paul - one of the early drivers of theCORgroup - is well on his way to building a career that resonates with his environmental ethic. And if that doesn’t work out, he’ll have a solid portfolio for his back-up career as a male-model.

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The New York Times Opinion Page recently posted a thought-provoking review of the recent 2008 Sustainable Brands Conference, attended by such “green” companies as Seventh Generation and outdoor recreation company KEEN, but also The Gap, Coca-Cola, and chemical giant DOW. The columnist, Allison Arieff, recognized the irony of DOW’s participation, yet identified the changing political and business climate that compels DOW and Coke to explore sustainable branding, even if superficially. This is significant.

(green branding at it’s finest - Patagonia “vote environment” t-shirt)

The columnist went further to identify one of theCORgroup’s fundamental concerns with sustainable branding:

Some 2,670 new green products were introduced in 2006; the number has almost doubled since then.

Huh?

Making more stuff - no matter how green that stuff is - will not really help combat global warming or reduce our collective carbon footprint. Companies need to produce things and need to make money by selling them - understood - but to me, the idea of simply creating more (albeit greener) product is pretty much on par with lowering gas prices as a solution to skyrocketing oil costs. When will we consider behavior? When we will commit to innovation?

Within the outdoor recreation community we have many companies taking the lead in sustainable branding and greening their products and manufacturing processes. But everyone still has to make more stuff to remain competitive (see also: The Story of Stuff). We hold our outdoor equipment and apparel manufactures to extremely high quality and durability standards - so our gear is built to last for a long time (unlike most of my consumer electronics). Finding a economically-feasible way to overcome capitalists companies’ thirst for growth is the real challenge. Painting DOW green seems easy in comparison.

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A few weeks ago we went for a little paddle on the Badfish Creek, a small meandering river south of the Madison area. We incorporated a bike shuttle to eliminate the need for two cars, adding to the enjoyment AND reducing our carbon footprint for the outing. More importantly though, WE DID OUR PART, protecting the waterways. Outlined in this article from FOX News, officials outlined a plan that “asks states to develop and enforce safety standards for recreational boaters and asks them to look for and report suspicious behavior on the water - much like a neighborhood watch program.” We did look for suspicious behavior on the water, but found none among the 13 species of birds and small animals we saw. Tomorrow we plan to head out again for the Badfish Creek watch.

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Many of us outdoor adventure folk try to strike a balance between environmental resource consciousness, self-propelled transportation, and the never-ceasing draw towards wild places. That last one often seems to involve automobiles. Automobiles, hmmm. I admit that I bought a wagon about 2 years ago when my former car was perpetually perplexing me. I thought about Community Car (for local trips) and renting (for longer trips), but I wanted the ability to haul my gear along wherever and whenever. Pete, Finn and I have recently been in discussions regarding the most practical vehicles for city vs. roadtripping/gear hauling. Based on these discussions, we’ve approached Community Car about the potential of providing a multi-sport rack on one of their vehicles so that ski, bike, and boat hauling might all be possible. We’re hoping that maybe the minivan might be a solution. In the mean time, so that you’re aware, they do have bike racks that fit on the back of the Prius. Admittedly, a weekend-prone, backcountry vehicle is a bit different business model for them, but new models and paradigms are what we need in order to change our current habits that stress our ever-strained natural resources! Keep an eye out for any updates, and in the meantime, think about Community Car and all of its merits.

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