Who are We?

In the end, that simple question, posed by Al Gore at the Copenhagen climate summit, sums up what's at stake.

Just who are we, as a species, if we don't act now to save our planet for our children? 

Together, in the past few thousand years, we've had the imagination and the energy to utterly transform this planet, to redirect its resources to our common (or perceived) good, and a better, more comfortable life.

After all of this, we can't agree to save it? 

Let's be clear.  We are not saving the planet.  The Earth will go on, recycling its raw materials for billions of years into the future.  Mountains will be built, oceans will rise and fall, structures, man made and otherwise, will be dissolved and reused.  The Earth will ultimately be fine, given time.  That is, until our sun enters its final stages, and consumes it all...sort of the ultimate recycler.

No, it is us that needs saving.  Humankind, and the creatures that share this world with us.  Our reign has been, so far, relatively brief on this planet (after all the dinosaurs ruled for 200 million years...us...well, less than a million), and we are in danger of making it end more quickly than we needed to.

Do we sentence our children (yes, the bill is coming that soon), and our grandchildren to a future less prosperous, and less optimistic than our own?  With dwindling natural resources, and the inevitable consequences of too little to go around for too many...wars, famine and disease?

I don't think we will choose that.  I share what Gore calls his core belief, the belief that animates his life, and keeps him moving forward.  Namely, that humans are better than that.

But we have to act soon to prove it.

They're way ahead, and that's good

Listen in on teenagers these days (without being noticed) and you'll hear a common theme.  No, I'm not talking about boyfriend or girlfriend issues, which are still big news.  No, what you'll hear about is communication...that is, the newest, coolest way to keep up with your friends' lives.

Teenagers are classic early adopters.  If it's new, they want it and must have it.  And these days "it" so often is the latest way to stay in touch.  Now, if you're a parent like me, you may struggle a bit to keep up and keep abreast of technologies that are moving at warpspeed (yeah, that word dates me a bit).  But I'm here to tell you that it's a good thing.  Here's why.

Communication, even in its most banal forms, is connection.  It is sharing a moment in time or space with someone else, and often, with new ideas.  It is the antithesis of isolation.  While some argue that young people are too wired (or wireless) these days, I think we should weigh the negatives with the positives...and I'm convinced the positives win out. 

Our planet is facing some tough times.  Money is tight, debt is high, and global changes in climate and shifts in power balance are making lots of people nervous.  The good news is that we're more connected than we've ever been.  Want to see what they're talking about in England? Browse to the London Times website. Or use google translater to discipher news and opinion from sources all over the globe.  Very little can be hidden...for long.  Many celebrities have learned this (Tiger Woods for one), and governments too.  Connection and communication have their downsides, but it can also be argued that they are like a digital cleanser...they tend to scrub away lies, and promote disclosure and in the end, transparency.

The point is, while we're facing tough times, we're communicating and sharing information as never before.  There is no way to remain isolated from information...whether you're in China (where the government has tried), or your kid's bedroom (where many parents have tried).  It's out there and it's not going away.

Kids know this instinctively.  They have adopted these technologies...the technologies of communication, as their very own and they will fight to keep them.  And that's important.  Because our kids are the future...they will say what stays and what goes.  It seems to me that communication, connection, is in.  To stay.

Let's Get Real

Hey...did you see it on the news?   It snowed in Colorado early this year.  Really dumped.  I even saw video of them skiing in October.  Denver was a complete mess.

Guess the climate crisis is a bunch of baloney, huh?  Glad to get THAT over with.

I guess it's part of being human.  We tend to look out our windows, and make conclusions about the entire planet.  And, it's easier too.  How many of us really want to believe that sea levels could rise and flood our major cities...or 200 million people could be climate refugees?    Turns out 2009 wasn't even the hottest of all time either.  Just 6th or so.  Nothing to worry about.

It doesn't hurt of course that hundreds of millions of dollars is being spent to encourage our ambivilence.  Muddy the water, so to speak, with doubt.  Relatively simple...just nudge people in the direction they already want to go.

Who would do such a thing?  Well, let's follow the money.

Flush with record profits of the past few years totaling in the tens of billions (remember $4 plus gas?), oil, coal, natural gas and other industries that stand to benefit by the status quo (and their proxys in DC by the way), are doing all they can to insure you don't believe what you're being told.  Scientists....what do they know?

And it's working.  Recent polls released in Newsweek magazine show just 57 percent of Americans believe the world is warming.  Down from 71 percent last year.  And even fewer...just 36 percent believe human activity is to blame.

In that Newsweek article, Al Gore is interviewed about his just released book "Our Choice."  Despite these numbers, he says he still believes the tipping point is nearing, when governments, led by the U.S., will take bold action to address climate change.  Have to admire him for that.  I hope he's right.

Here's the rub.  As Gore says "reality really has a way of knocking at the door."  Humans sadly are more moved by emotion than fact.  Will it take a dramatic disaster...say a continent-sized chunk of Antarctica slipping away...before people are swayed?

Disturbingly, 80 percent of CEOs and CFOs say they would not take action to make their factories run more efficiently and save money in the long run....if it hurt their next quarter bottom line.  Way to go guys.

Is that just incredibly myopic, or is it truly insane?  I'll leave that to you.

Let's just hope the rest of us don't need a full preview of doomsday to get moving.  And that, in our actions in the next few years, we show a bit more wisdom, and a bit more respect, for the generations that will come after us.

Concrete Kills

Ok, granted, that is a bit harsh.  But close to the point actually.  A big new study out of the Netherlands comfirms in an empirical way what most of us (who love the outdoors) have long suspected.  That getting out in nature just flat makes you live longer.

Actually, it's more than that.  The health study of almost 350 thousand dutch people found that even being in close proximity to nature...has big benefits.

One of the major findings; that living near (within 1 km) to a park, or any green open space, significantly reduced people's anxiety and all forms of stress.  And, as we know, stress has been found to be a contributing factor in everything from hives to bad digestion, to cancer.

Another very interesting finding of this study.  When people of all kinds and income levels were living near nature, the gap between the health of rich and poor lessened.  You might say that beautiful surroundings, bring enhanced health to everyone, but especially those with less access to the best health care technology.

As you might expect, the study has huge implications.  Not only on how we live, but where, and why.  Already urban planners are looking at the findings, which could have a great impact on how neighborhoods of the future are planned (with more parks we presume), and how aging neighborhoods are brought back to life.

With health care costs running amuck, it may well be in our best interests as a society to give these findings a hard look.  Developers may not make as much money leaving open space for parks, but the human and societal cost of not doing so may be far greater.  It may kill us.

Read the article at Nature and Health Study

Nine Days Left

I got your attention didn't I?  But here's the problem.  Can you or anyone you know tell me what is nine days away? 

I thought so.  And that's part of the challenge we all face.  For the record, in nine days the International Day of Climate Action will arrive.  That's October 24th...a day designed to get people talking, and more importantly, doing things to bring about change. 

The goal of course is to make a big splash, to jump start our collective consciousness, and in so doing spur popular pressure to force decision makers to actually do something about onrushing climate change.

Of course, here in the U.S. the health care debate is sucking up all of the oxygen in Washington D.C.   That doesn't help.  Neither does the fact that lobbying organizations for those who would be most affected by climate change, like farmers and ranchers, are actively opposing or watering down proposals that are on the table in advance of the Copenhagen Climate Change summit in December.  Sigh...it appears the U.S. will join other industrialized nations in forwarding no bold initiatives.

Here's the rub.  We know now that climate change will impact our children and grandchildren in huge ways.  But its a gradual process.  So, like that bump that we ignore, we try to think about something else.  Because we can.  For now.

The southwest as a dust bowl?  Very likely if things don't change.  A global explosion of climate refugees?  How about 200 million by latest estimates.  And a sea level rise of 80 feet swamping our most important cities.

Perhaps a new approach is needed.  Don't think about climate change in terms of impacts on polar bears, or deserts.  Think about its impacts on your kid.  What crushing problems are we passing along?  What will they say about us if we don't act?  It is past irresponsible now to be the ostrich, with its head in the sand.  We owe our kids better.

So go to http://www.350.org/  Take action.  Ride your bike.  Make a sign.  Spread the 350 video virally.  It could help.  

The Bio Gem of Costa Rica

We at Earth Explore are excited to be expanding our programs south in 2010, to the rich and environmentally important nation of Costa Rica.  Home to critical world biomes, Costa Rica is beautiful and educationally rich.  But it is also much more than simply a showplace of luxuriant tropical life.

In a place blessed with such a rich array of nature's splender, something rather unusual in human history has taken place.  This small nation has taken aggressive steps to lock it's jewels away from rampant and uncontrolled development...the kind that has despoiled environmental treasures in too many other places.  The nation has been aggressive in promoting sustainability...and hopes to become the world's first carbon neutral nation.  National Reserves and Parks, many arising from, or supported by private donations, have sprung up everywhere.  There is a push for eco friendly development and tourism; very good signs for the future.

But the picture is not all rosy.  Pressures to open coastlines to oil and gas exploration and drilling, and exploit virgin rainforest for timber and mining are ramping up.  All too easily, this small nation could be directed down the path seen so often in the tropics; of slash and burn and quick profit.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has named Costa Rica a world Bio Gem...and is encouraging action to keep it safe, wild, and beautiful.  We believe sustainable tourist development and visitation can help to provide a solid economic base to counter the lure of quick profit through exploitation of natural resources.

What do you think?  If you're interested in the issue, go and learn more about the NRDC's Bio Gems, by visiting http://www.savebiogems.org/costarica/

Ken Burns - National Parks

There's been lots of talk here and elsewhere of the "nature deficit" experienced by we as adults, and by our kids.  Weekdays mean we're off on the commute to work, and back after dark.  On weekends it's soccer practice, or the batting cages, or just stocking up at Costco or the supermarket.  Somewhere there we need to fit in an hour for a walk in the park, a spin on the bike, or jog with the dog.

It's a rare treat when we can get an outdoor experience from our living rooms, but that's what's possible all this week during Ken Burn's documentary special "The National Parks."

If you can't see this special, try to Tivo it.  And not just for the pretty film images.

Burns and writer Duncan Dayton remind us how important our connection to place is and should be.  And why the amazing landscapes of America have defined us as a people, and that how and why we protect them, will continue to define us as a nation.

The most important message from this documentary is that our battle to save and enjoy natural places, spectacular landscapes, has always been a story about people.  Courageous ones, who bucked the dehumanizing pressures of the industrial revolution to argue that wild is good, wild is necessary, and wild can restore and remind us what is best about ourselves.

Watch Burn's special this week. Get your kids to sit down too. See if you don't agree.

What do you know? Branson has it right.

I was reading recently about a meeting two years ago between Al Gore and Sir Richard Branson.  Branson you might recall is the colorful British promoter who's the genius (or villian depending on your take) behind the Virgin business empire, world record attempts in all manner of flying things, and a massive mane of silvery hair.

Turns out Gore had an interesting proposition.  Branson calls it a lecture.  In two hours, Al told him why as a global Titan of Industry, he should be leading the push to save the Planet.  Explained that government was not doing the job, and couldn't be expected to anytime soon.  So, said Gore, it was up to business to lead the way.

A compelling argument, in that it has been the insatiable appetite of business, fueled by consumers, that has gotten us in to the mega mess called climate change.

Anyway...in a bathtub sometime later..Sir Richard had the epiphany that changed his life, and he hopes, will change ours as well.  He made the decision then and there, in a sea of bubbles, to really commit to the idea of doing something.  Not long after, he announced that the ENTIRE profits of his transportation businesses...air and train...would be devoted...for ten years, to research into finding a clean alternative to fossil fuels.  That's three billion dollars. 

Now, you say, that's easy for a man who is among the richest on earth.  And you may be right.  But as far as I can see he is still the only billionaire to make such a commitment.  If it was truly that easy, I think others would have stepped onboard as well.

No the commitment was real, and so is the money.  Sir Richard may be a publicity hungry capitalist promoter, but he's put his billions where his mouth is.  And it may in fact show us an important way forward.  Branson concluded that those who have benefited the most from the fruits of Mother Earth, should be the ones who are first to step forward with dollars...and commitment.

I for one applaud him for his action.  Now, he may be more shrewd than any of us understand.  His pro earth commitment may put him on the leading edge of a Green Wave in business that could enrich him even more.  But if that comes to be, I say he deserves it.  He was the among the first to say, I'm rich enough...now let's do something with it.

After the greed spotlighted by our financial meltdown of the past year, I can only say... cheers Sir Richard.  Now let's see how many other follow your lead.

Being versus Doing

The latest Ken Burns documentary on our National Parks, coming out this month, got me thinking about the whole concept of being versus doing. Burns makes a good point when describing why our National Parks and other natural places are in trouble. Basically it boils down to this; it is way too easy these days to live a virtual life, but not even perceive that you're missing out.

You know what I mean. We tend to live online, or somehow plugged in. It takes less effort to view pretty pictures on a screen than to go out and experience them live. And there are advantages. Can't fly to Thailand? Visit there virtually by web cam. Can't visit a friend? Text or chat with him online. By the way, I'm all for most of that, because it connects us and informs us about the world that is out there...and let's face it, we can't all travel everywhere we want.

No, the danger of being, and not doing is different. It is when we come to believe that by simply being, we're getting all the benefits of doing. Burns argues, and rightfully I think, that we loose our commitment to protect precious things when we don't experience them in the real sense. A virtual experience of Yosemite may make us happy, but will it drive us to actively oppose the interests that would like to reduce natural places to open pit mines, or amusement parks?

The fear is that without enough of us getting active in the out of doors, we lose the constituency needed to watch over, and protect our wild places. Without use, spectacular trails and vistas become less important to us as a whole, and more likely to be bulldozed and widened for timber access.

One thing is clear. There is no going back in our devotion to and fascination with technology and entertainment. We will only get more wired and more plugged in in the future. The marketing giants that give us weekends of football and beer, of vicarious experiences of all sorts, are not going away.

The question is, will emerging factors like the global climate crisis create a tipping point...a point at which we choose to put away our virtual experience of the world for just long enough to rediscover the real world in its actual, and not virtual, splendor.

Granted, doing so takes a bit of effort, and sometimes a drive or a hike, but it is worth it. Whenever I see a 20 something with a kayak or bike on her roof heading somewhere...I become optimistic. Change may be in the air. And that change is so necessary to create and maintain the "constituency" Burns describes; the army of those who appreciate and use natural places, and who through collective action, will keep the world's great places not just flickering on our web cams, but in our actual experience.

Excitement for 2010

Is eco consciousness going mainstream? It looks that way, with new planet-friendly products appearing on the shelves everyday, and a new, heightened awareness of our human impact on Planet Earth being expressed by former skeptics. We applaud it. It seems change is in the air and it's a refreshing breeze!

Coming off one of our most successful summers ever, change is also in the air at Earth Explore, and I and the rest of my colleagues are tremendously excited about the coming season. Already we're planning new programs, most notably an incredible eco adventure to Costa Rica, which includes thrilling adventure along with our primary focus of the study of marvelous and fragile places on Planet Earth. We're lining up the world's best partners, and we'll study biodiversity in the lush rainforest, go up into the canopy for a close look, snorkel and kayak in pristine reefs that are now beginning to feel the effects of climate change, and enter volcanic preserves.

All of this meshes well with our mission of getting young people energized about Planet Earth, and excited about its future.

By the way, go online to earthexplore.com where the latest pictures from this past summer's adventures are now being posted. And drop us a line about the new Earth Explore website. We've made it more user friendly, more graphic, and hopefully, also more informative!

Scenes from the Summer

Myself and the rest of the EE staff are still checking out pictures from this past summer's adventures. The photo contest winners will be posted soon. For now though, here are a few scenes I'd like to share. These kids will be going forward with a new understanding of the importance of the Earth's fragile environments, and their own power to make positive change.

An Exciting Year

What an exciting summer @ Earth Explore. Students heading in all directions, from Alaska's Kenai Fjords to Hawaii's rain forest preserves, and lots going on here at the national office too. We've totally redesigned our online look...you'll find the web site easier to navigate, more interactive and fun. And it continues to grow, so check back often. Some of our staff...including myself, should be posting videos soon.

You know, one of the things we like the most is our ability to stay in contact through Twitter and Facebook. I know what you're thinking. But these tools, when used correctly, are very powerful ways to get people to think about important stuff...like the health of Planet Earth.

Another exciting development...lots of students taking Earth Explore for college credit. Getting insights about the environment and Planet, and getting credit for it that will carry into the future.

Families, Learning, and the Future

As parents we're always teaching our children something. Or at least trying. Sometimes the learning happens when we least expect it. That's because kids are always watching us. They take careful note of how we choose to live, and what we choose to value.

It is for those reasons that Earth Explore will be kicking off a whole new kind of Adventure program very soon...one that focuses on the family, and on learning together. Our new Global Family Adventures have a clear focus; to get all members of the family seeing, doing, touching, laughing and learning together in some pretty spectacular places. And experiencing the changing world in all of its beauty and complexity....together.

For years parents have been asking Earth Explore to offer family programs. And now we truly feel is the right time to move forward. With the global issues we now face, showing our children what we really value, and how important knowledge and experience can be, is vitally important.

Of course our programs will offer the same great balance of fun, learning, adventure and discovery as always. We will work with the finest field educators, in the most spectacular places, and learn about cutting edge subjects. But now we will also provide a way for families to experience all of this together.

Because we feel that a family that learns and plays together...makes the world a little bit better place to live.

Let's Invent

As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. And right now, with the problems facing our country and the world, we've got a lot of inventing to do.

Truth is, necessity is a great motivator too. It gets us moving, gives us a boost to try an idea, and encourages us to find new ways of looking at old problems. And those are good things. Because it's clear that doing things the same way isn't working.

Let's take the way we look at our planet and energy. Drill, mine, extract and consume. Kind of easy, and also very of out of date. But our new necessity to find something better, not only to keep our cars going but our planet healthy, is the mother of a wealth of new ideas and increased support for aggressive action.

Would we have taken these steps without crisis? Probably not. The painful truth is that very often only an urgent (and scary) necessity can spur us to take real action.

The Earth Explore Foundation supports new ways of looking at the same old things. Our Adventures put student and teachers in places where they discover interrelationships between our living planet, and our living selves. Those connections, and finding new ways to confront old problems, will be the theme that dominates the coming 50 years. That's why it is so important that our teachers, and our young people find out about these things for themselves, and bring that knowledge, and some new approaches and new thinking back with them.

They will invent the future. And the world will be better for it.

The Power of Active

It used to be that it was enough just to get outside. We remember it as kids. Get a little dirty, connect to nature a bit, and get back to your life. But today, young people don’t have it so easy. It’s becoming clear that if the onrushing generation is to turn around the myriad of global challenges we face, they must not only get outside, but also carry what they learn with them always.

We’re talking here about environmental education, and, no, I don’t mean tree hugging. It’s clear that no isolated movement, no fractional part of our global community getting on board, will be enough. These days we have a challenge to make it both cool and mainstream for young people to connect to nature, advocate for their planet, and not just view it from the window of an SUV.

The good news is that change is happening. An awareness is slowly emerging that "green" doesn’t have to be an extremist view. That what we need is everyone advocating in their own way for this small piece of cosmic real estate that we share.

We see the change every day when students take to the field. When they see a chunk of glacial ice fall from the front of the Exit Glacier in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park, it’s no academic exercise. It’s a real experience of the importance of what is happening, and informs in a gut-level way that no DVD or textbook can. When students witness bleaching of pristine corals off the Kona coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, or hear about tundra changes in Alaska’s Denali Park, they know that this is real, that the world is changing, but also that they have the power to help shape the future.

Active is good. More than that, getting kids active is an essential part of what will help us turn the corner to make this generation, and future ones, different from our own. In the past two decades operating hands-on programs, we’ve found time and again that "doing" leaves a deeper, more lasting impact that hearing, or seeing. The old truism that "what touches the hand reaches the mind" is something that can’t be denied. And doing it is a powerful force for motivation and change. Maybe the best tool that we have.

I for one am optimistic about this generation. Inspiration and idealism is certainly not a thing of the past. Young people energized through active experiences in nature are a powerful force for real change. Among our students we’ve seen it inspire leadership, and advocacy. Our students have gone on to share their experiences with friends and family, and incorporate the knowledge gained into their lives.

There is an urgency now that never existed before, of course, but it is a challenge that I believe young people can handle. If I feel like getting inspired and hopeful, I know what to do. I join a group of young people mixing it up with nature. I always come back in a better mood.