National Geographic put together this brief 4:22 minute video about the epic, strange, and iconic Yellowstone, the world’s first national park.
Category: Environment (Page 2 of 3)
Born with a cerebral palsy, Finn is unable to walk, feed himself, or communicate with words.
That hasn’t stopped his father, Ethan Sheets, from sharing his love for outdoor adventures with his son.
Andrew Studer via Vimeo:
‘Space to Roam’ is a film inspired by all the unique structures, patterns, and overall “otherworldly” landscapes found in Southwestern America’s public lands in hopes of protecting them. This project is dedicated to the people who preserve the history of and protect our public lands. It is also in honor of ‘astronaut’ Kyle Hague’s grandmother who unfortunately passed away during production.
More info & photo series: andrewstuder.com/space
Eric Larsen via YouTube:
The love and concern for our environment is something I have always known. Growing up in Wisconsin, I was outside as much as possible – camping fishing, riding my bike… But back then, my mind didn’t stretch much farther than my own backyard. For that, I credit writers like Farley Mowat, Sigurd Olsen, Barry Lopez and many others who were able to describe places of which I barely knew existed. They were some of my biggest sources of inspiration and their words instilled a longing to experience true wilderness for myself. But Robert Service’s ‘The Call of the Wild’, more than any of the others, stirred an unrelenting aching to grab my pack and go.
As a tribute to Robert Service’s eloquent words as well as the planet that is the foundation of both our dreams and health, I gathered up footage from the past eight years and five continents for an Earth Day tribute featuring some of Service’s lines.
And if you think this video and poem might inspire someone else, please share it.
In the years since I discovered ‘The Call of the Wild’, I feel that I have lived each line tenfold. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need a reminder that the fate of our planet is in our hands. Earth day is a good start. But our efforts to reduce waste and pollution, curb greenhouse gas emissions, protect endangered species or remove plastic from our oceans should not end when the clock strikes midnight. There are a lot of great environmental organizations doing important work on behalf of our planet and I suggest that you support one or two or more. Of course, we need to take responsibility for our own actions as well. The environmental crises we face today are not problems for someone else to solve and we all need to make significant efforts on both the individual and global level.
I’ve spent several Earth Day’s on the Arctic Ocean either at, or very near, the North Pole. On April 22nd, 2010, I wrote this, “The weather started out relatively calm but the wind steadily increased to what I would consider near brutal proportions. We skied with our down parkas at times. Brrr. I guess it was the Arctic Ocean’s fun little way to remind us who’s in charge around here.”
So often on my expeditions, I feel insignificant and afraid, barely withstanding the extremes of our planet. But today, we all venture into uncharted territory. Human beings have an unprecedented ability to change and alter our environment. While we all need resources to be able to live and survive, which resources we use, how we use them and if they’re renewable or not should be cornerstone to every decision we make.
Join Belinda Baggs, Wayne Lynch, and Kimi Werner as they travel to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to assess the health of the largest living structure on the planet.
Patagonia via YouTube:
Sometimes it’s the things we don’t see that matter most.
Connected by a shared passion for the ocean and a desire to protect it, Belinda Baggs, Kimi Werner and Wayne Lynch embarked on a sailing journey along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The largest living structure on earth, the reef provides habitats for thousands of species. The reef, however, is under threat. Currently almost half of its coral has been lost or damaged, most of this in some way attributable to human impact, the biggest single factor being climate change. The three sailors explored the reef and experienced personally how something as vast and wonderful as the Great Barrier Reef can at the same time be entirely vulnerable, realizing as they sailed and swam that time is fast running out to save it.
This will put pressure on Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) in Canada, as well as other retailers around the world, to do the same.
Justin Housman, Adventure Journal:
REI just announced an ambitious new plan that will likely shape your outdoor goods retail experience in coming years.
By 2020, everything sold at REI—regardless of brand—will be held to seriously lofty sustainability standards. That bike rack you need to buy for your Subaru? It will be manufactured according to fair and safe labor practices, no matter what logo is on it. Need a new down midlayer? Responsibly sourced down will be your only option. No more sketchy flame-retardant chemicals on tents. Hydration systems completely free from BPAs. No sunscreen with reef-destroying chemicals.
If REI sells a product, they will have made sure it was made humanely, by fairly treated workers, with a minimal environmental impact. This will be true for all thousand-plus brands REI carries.
Depending on where you live in the world, viewing the night sky in its natural, unhindered state can be a rarity. Due to light pollution, fewer than 500 stars are viewable in urban settings, compared to the 15,000 stars apparent in some of the darkest skies.
National parks provide some of the darkest and clearest night skies across the country. And that’s why the National Park Foundation supports programs that help connect visitors with night sky viewing opportunities in some of these special places.
A grant from the National Park Foundation funded the startup of Mammoth Cave After Dark, a program aimed at showing visitors the night sky at Mammoth Cave National Park. Visitors who participated in Mammoth Cave After Dark enjoyed a guided hike, guided cave tour, dinner, and stargazing.
Martin Heck | Timestorm Films:
My second visit to the southern tip of South America. My first trip in 2015 was incredible and resulted in some of my most successful videos. Even though this was a work-trip and I just had 4 days to spend in the amazing Torres del Paine Nationpark in Chile is was sight to behold. Early in spring snow, wind and stormy winds were always part of the game. Weather completely flipped from warm and calm into a snow-storm within minutes. But that’s what we expect and makes Patagonia such a special and wild place.