Get Outside and Live Your Life

This is a video blog where I explain the joy that I get from riding my bike to work. There is so much beauty on the way, and it is a time for me to be completely in the moment, taking in the things around me, not thinking about work or anything else that doesn’t matter in that moment.

It’s my quiet time, a time when I can listen. I listen to my music or I listen to the wildlife around me. It’s a time for me to get energized for the day and also wind down after a day at work. I enjoy watching the flowers and animals as I pass. I don’t get to see this kind of stuff while I’m in my car driving to work. I also like watching my shadow from the sun, and saying hello to people who are going the opposite direction. All of these things add to make my mornings great when I ride in. It forces me to slow my life down, obviously because it’s slower and takes more time to get to work but allows me to actually think, and not just me in my automatic mindset where I move from one event or topic to the next.

I want you guys to find this joy for yourselves also. Get out there and do the things you love. Be completely in the moment when you are doing those things so that you can fully and completely enjoy it. Have a great summer and I’ll see you out there!

Nevada Wants to Protect Lake Tahoe

Nevada residents are speaking up and letting it be known that they desire environmental protection for Lake Tahoe. In the midst of lobbying and threats the leaders of the silver state have listened to the desires of the people and removed their threat to dissolve the bi-state Compact and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has provided strong environmental protections for over 40 years all over the lake. The Nevada Conservation League also played a huge role in helping with the victory. This will lead to future protection for years to come. 

Thanks to the strong bi-state agency, Tahoe will maintain eligibility to receive federal funding for wetland restoration. There is also a lake wide boat inspection program that will continue to protect the lake from invasive species. Land-use planning will also be used to ensure responsible development of local communities. 

This is what being responsible your environment is all about, doing whatever it takes to see that the beauty that we enjoy lasts for generations. It starts with us individually and as we can see from Keep Tahoe Blue and local efforts great things can be done on a large scale to help keep our environment beautiful. This isn’t a chance to rest either, people need to do things everyday to continually help our beautiful environments. I know that there are days when I don’t want to volunteer or help contribute to making Reno more beautiful, but thinking about how everyone pitching in really does help motivates me. I also think about how me helping each day to make the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe beautiful will help future generations to enjoy it one more day. 

What can you do day-to-day or small scale that could help motivate large groups to do the same for our environment? Let’s talk here!

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Outdoor Activity – Trail Running

Have you ever headed out to a nearby trail and ran? If you haven’t, I’ll paint a picture of my experience trail running. I usually like to run on trails in the mountains. I’ll pick one and jump in my car and drive. Once I get there, I lace up my shoes and plug in my music.

I enjoy trails that zig and zag through tall pine trees. You run through them and feel the coolness in the air from the elevation and the shade of the trees. My ideal trail run goes up and down in elevation as it zips through the forest. Eventually, my favorite trails end at a beautiful destination, such as a mountain lake, stream, or overlook of a valley. That’s why I’m out there, to enjoy the beauty. That why I work so hard to get there, because it is worth it.

In the Reno/Tahoe area, my favorite places to run are along the Tahoe Rim Trail. This trail goes all the way around the lake, and offers some of the best views of not only Lake Tahoe, but the valleys and areas on the other side of the mountain range that it follows.

I prefer trail running to street running because trail running usually offers more difficult terrain. There are more obstacles you have to look out for, always keeping your mind focused. It is also enjoyable for me to get out and get away from the city or places where lots of people are. It’s a great way for me to get out by myself and really have some good thinking time.

If you don’t trail run, I highly suggest you try it out! You can start hiking if you are more comfortable with that, it is a great way to see beautiful areas as well! What is your favorite trail run and why do you like it?

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Get Outside!

This is a video I made to show who I am, what I do, and what I value. It is an quick look into what I have been blogging about: the simple act of getting outside, seeing the beauty of this world around us, and being conscious of our environment.

Following Through

Do you remember what you did for Earth Day last week? Earth Day was exactly 7 days ago. Is what you did still helping this planet? I was convicted this weekend and week about following through for our planet.

Last week for Earth Day the Sugar Pine Foundation came to Patagonia and we planted 250 Jeffrey Pine seedlings on the hill next to Patagonia. It was great! We worked hard, had a great time, and felt like we were doing something great for the environment in our neighborhood. Here is a link to the blog post I wrote on the event.

On Friday of last week I walked out on the hill to check on the baby seedlings. The trees were starting to brown on their tips and the soil was bone dry. They didn’t have any water! They went from growing up in Tahoe, being watered everyday and living in healthy soil to this dry desert soil with no water for over a week! That’s the kind of change that sends trees into shock. I went and grabbed two buckets and watered all the trees I had planted and some others I found that others had planted.

I realized that if I don’t go up on the hill and water the trees as often as possible they will not make it in this harsh environment. I find it quite ironic that Reno has been experiencing the weirdest spring, with random snow and rain mixed with temperatures in the high 70’s, but ever since we planted the baby seedlings we haven’t received a drop of precipitation.

So that’s where I was convicted. I had done my part on Earth Day, and it felt great. Planting trees and cleaning up the river, doing great things. BUT, in order for my efforts on Earth Day to actually transform into a beautiful pine tree I’m going to have to think about the trees I planted every week and follow through by watering them throughout the year, for many years to come.

Did you do something similar to me? Are you following through on it? I challenge you to make a goal for the year that shows your consciousness to our environment. Follow through each week for a full year, and let’s see what blossoms from it! Post your ideas here!

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River Clean Up!

On Tuesday our work did a river clean up in honor of Earth Day. Patagonia employees worked from 9 until 2 filling trash bags and trying to keep the river area around our work and surrounding area clean. My department took hour long shifts and I was assigned to work from 9-10.

Just looking at the river, it doesn’t look bad. I have defnitely seen dirtier rivers around the country. However, when taking a closer look, there were plently of things to be gathered, recycled and cleaned.

I walked from Patagonia along the river bank towards Mayberry park. I was keeping my eyes peeled for little items that the people before me had missed. I found headphones, bottle caps, fishing lures and other small things. The item that most people overlooked that was causing some damage was fishing line.

I’m guessing when fishermen get caught on something if they aren’t able to pull their line in they cut the line loose. Whatever the line was stuck to then stays there, and eventually will get free. I found yards and yards of line stuck in bushes along the bank. When the water level goes down, whatever was stuck in the bushes is then suspended in the air. The fishing line acts as a tiedown that groups the debris to the bushes. This line is not good for the animals that live in and around the river.

It was very intricate work, but I got as much line out of the bushes as I could. There were tons of random things found, from a dead raccoon to a huge piece of metal that had sunk to the bottom of the river (pictured below).

All in all, it was a great river clean up! The area looked cleaner, and people were excited to get out there and help clean up the area that we call home for 8 hours a day. Does your work do anything like this? If not, what would you like to see your work to? Share here!

Reno’s Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day Reno!

As many of you know today is the day before Earth Day. Reno has an awesome annual event to celebrate. It has been happening now for 22 years and is located at Idlewild Park. The festival aims to bring people together in order to teach them about Earth Day and the values of diversity, ecological responsibility, and reinforcing sustainable cooperative habits.

There are over a hundred exhibitors, ranging from local non-profits to businesses from the western states. Companies strive for these goals: to educate the public on clean and green technologies, human impacts on the environment and the ideas and concepts for sustainable living habits. They also try to provide a radically inclusive forum for local businesses, innovators, artists and organizations to share and express their Earth friendly messages, ideas, and wares.

It is a fun, educational gathering for the community to participate in and learn healthy habits. I promise that if you go there you will become more aware of the diverse perspectives on the plant and our place with in it. There is plenty of parking and it’s a perfect day in Reno to get outside. Bring your friends, family and neighbors, I promise you will enjoy it!

This event is so good for our area. The weather is warm, people are looking to get outside, and it’s a great forum for people to learn so much about the earth and sustainability. It is much appreciated for the businesses and groups to get out there, and take their personal time teaching others. The reason they do it is because they love it. Go take a trip to Idlewild park and come back here and tell me what you thought. If you have been before, tell me why you like it!

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Planting with the Sugar Pine Foundation!

Today I had an opportunity to help the environment literally right in my own backyard. Patagonia, where I work, is located right on the Truckee river. On the opposite side of the trail are trails, a ditch creek, and some good hikes.

Many employees go walk or run the trails on lunch breaks and many non-Patagonia employees hike on these trails everyday. The hill used to be a forest that ran up to the river on the south side, but deforestation has left it a desert.

Today the sugar pine foundation came to our work and employees volunteered to plant baby Jeffrey Pines along the hillside. I was able to participate and the group planted over 250 baby Jeffrey Pines!

First, you find a nice flat, north facing area that can provide shade for the baby tree. Areas where water will naturally run were preferred because Nevada is so dry that these trees need as much water as they can get.

 

Here are some baby seedlings that we planted.

 

A picture of the seedling in the hole before filling it.

 

Dig the hole about a shovel head’s length deep. Fill it with dirt and pack it down. Throw some mulch over it and then give it some water.

Patagonia employees planted 250 trees along the side of the hill that is on the other side of the river. If everybody helps out, waters the seedlings, and we get some good rain, we should be able to see some trees on the desert hill soon!

It was awesome to help out and give back to the area where I spend time working and running on my lunch breaks. I can’t wait to come back in years and see these trees grow up big! I love giving back to the earth that gives me so much.

I encourage everyone to get out there and do at least one event or volunteer opportunity like this, because everyone helping out can do so much for our environment that we enjoy everyday. Get out there and give back this spring, come back here and share what you did!

 

Need a Haircut? Keep Tahoe Blue Partners with Aveda!

As spring begins to reveal itself in the Reno/Tahoe area, people start to do spring cleaning and think about the earth as they spend more time outside. What if you knew that your spring haircut could help keep Tahoe blue? Aveda is an amazing environmentally responsible company that is partnering with The League to Save Lake Tahoe for the second year.

Aveda’s annual April campaign inspires beauty professionals and consumers in over 30 countries to raise millions for the protection of clean water and a healthy environment. The company also partners with nonprofits who work with locals to help preserve clean water and educate the public about local water issues. This is exactly what Keep Tahoe Blue does, so it is very encouraging for this partnership to take place.

Twenty-three Aveda salons in Northern Californa and Northern Nevada will be hosting walks, special events, and other fundraising opportunities all month long this April to benefit Earth Month, and will be raising money for Keep Tahoe Blue. Locally, there is an Aveda salon in South Lake Tahoe, Minden, Carson City, Truckee and Reno. With so many locations, there is no excuse not to check one out! 

You can visit Keep Tahoe Blue’s events page to see what salons will be hosting, and contact each salon to find out the different activities they will be doing throughout the month.

Aveda is a company that creates high performance, botanically based products for beauty professionals and consumers. They use green technology to produce their products and create new benchmarks for environmental responsibility in the beauty industry. A fun fact about the company, they are the first beauty company to manufacture with 100% wind power. Their annual Earth Month campaign has raised over $26 million dollars to support environmental projects all over the globe.

Click here to visit Aveda’s website and learn more about Earth Month.

Now go out there, get a haircut, or participate in an Aveda event this month and come back to share about it!

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An Easy Way to Help Keep Tahoe Blue!

What is 25$ dollars to you? For some it may be a nice dinner, for others a couple albums on iTunes, or maybe groceries for a few days. What if you knew that a small sacrifice of $25 could be your way of helping to maintain the beauty of our stunning lake. For many of us it is a couple hours of work, maybe even one hour that gives you membership for a year with The League to Save Lake Tahoe, the group that distributes the classic Keep Tahoe Blue sticker.

If donating money isn’t for you, there are so many opportunities to donate your time. If Tahoe truly is something you cherish and you understand that you must pour into things in order to keep them beautiful, healthy, and successful, then it is easy to understand what needs to be done. The same way that I buy myself healthy food, stay active, exercise, and challenge my mind in order to remain healthy and proactive, I want the same for Lake Tahoe so that it can stay beautiful for generations to come.

In case you don’t know who The League is, or need an introduction into the group, you can visit my previous blog that explains who they are and what they are trying to do. This is an amazing group that never gives up on maintaining the water clarity of the lake. Today, I am going to walk you through, step by step, how to become a member of their league. It is quick, easy, and you can know that you are giving to a responsible group who is going to do the best thing possible with the donations they receive. And if you needed another reason to join, your donation is tax deductible!

The first step, is to go to www.keeptahoeblue.org. You will see a button labeled “Donate” in the upper right hand corner.

Next, you are taken to screen where you can choose the amount you woud like to donate. Fill out your billing information and hit donate at the bottom of the page, it’s THAT easy! If you don’t want to donate to a specific area, your donation will go to the area of greatest need. If you donate at least $25, you become a member of the league for a year, and join “one of many showing support for our leadership role in advocating to protect Lake Tahoe and promote conservation action to Keep Tahoe Blue now, and for generations to come.”

If you have any questions at all, you can contact the league, they are all very helpful and willing to talk to you about any aspect of their organization, Lake Tahoe, or other local things. Email: Info@keeptahoeblue.org    Phone: 530-541-5388    Fax: 530-541-5454                     

Now go out there and either donate your time or money! You don’t have to donate to Lake Tahoe if you don’t love it, but let’s all practice pouring into the things we do love. Let me know how it feels to give back to the things you love! Share what it is on here!

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