Eric Larsen begins his quest later this week to begin his Save the Poles Expedition. This will be a first-ever journey to the North Pole, South Pole and summit of Mt. Everest in a continuous 365-day period. We caught up with Eric as he prepares to depart for Chile later this week in route to a 52-day ski expedition to the geographic South Pole. Here is what he told us:

Renowned explorer, Eric Larsen, will start his Save the Poles Expedition in November 2009 to research his story on global warming. Larsen announced last week that he’s leaving for the South Pole early next month to begin the “Save the Poles” first-ever expedition to the North Pole, South Pole and summit of Mt. Everest in a continuous 365-day period. If he completes the expedition, Larsen will be the first person to accomplish this incredible feat. He hopes to spotlight the “front lines” of global warming to document the changes occurring in these last great frozen places. He will advocate strategies for reducing carbon emissions and collect relevant scientific data.

An Australian city has voted to collectively eliminate its dependence on disposable water bottles and promote the use of reusable water bottles and filtered water stations throughout the town. Bundanoon is a small town located about 90 miles southwest of Sydney in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The businesses and residents of Bundanoon voted overwhelmingly in July to take this stand against the bottles and for the environment.

Ever feel like you are flying when on your bicycle? How about actually flying while pedaling your bicycle?
Dutch Teenager, Jesse van Kujik, has made it happen with his pedal powered plane made out of balsa wood, polyurethane, and rip-resistant foil. All without even building a model or flying in a plane before.

This impressive project began in 2006, when the teenager started researching the Gossamer Condor (the first pedal-powerd plane to fly a figure-8) and the Gossamer Albatross (the first pedal-powered flight over the English channel.

Why not take a shortcut on tomorrow´s commute and bike across that lake instead of going around?
I found these great photos and story at www.china.org.cn in a post titled, Amphibious bicycle in Wuhan.

This sweet DIY setup was displayed at the Naishahu Park a couple months ago. It is made with eight large 5 gallon water bottles attached to a metal frame connected to the bike. If you check out the wheels in the photos you´ll see they´ve been rigged with paddles allowing it to manuever in the water. ……

Want to be a little more green this summer? Check Voltaic website for a great list of DIY solar projects.

Also check out ExplorersWeb, a great site for solar equipment, expedition grade tech gear, and expedition news.

Americans spend billions of dollars every year on bottled water thinking that they are getting a safer and better tasting product. Americans complain when the price at the gas pump goes up but continue to pay far higher prices for glorified tap water. Penn & Teller address this cultural craze using a hidden camera. Watch as they put this all in perspective for a misinformed nation/world on what they think is healthy. We realize the video is 12 minutes…but look at it like this…you are getting an environmental message with flair (in a Sin City like Show)!

As we peruse the aisles at Outdoor Retailer…we are always looking for that next great piece of gear to test and share the results with our readers. We are also looking for environmental stories surrounding products as well.

There has been an ongoing discussion about the chemical BPA (Bisphenol A, suspected of being harmful to humans for over 70 years) used in so many products that we have used for years in the outdoor industry. A plethora of companies are now marketing products free of this controversial compound. So…what does one do with all of the food and beverage products that have already been made with this hazardous material? We found one great use.

Tiffany Campbell and Andria Lessler have recently shifted their attention to female surfing, and put together an impressive film documenting the history of female surfers, from top professionals to epic adventurers like Liz Clark who is sailing around the world looking for the best waves. A conscious film that takes you across the globe, showcasing some of women´s contributions to the culture: from Ashley Lloyd, board shaper using soy based Biofoam blanks, to Judith Sheridan (she bodysurfed Mavericks!) who explains how geological forces shaped San Francisco´s dramatic coastline, to Belinda Baggs sewing her own boardshorts in between sets. In addition to clips of women killing it on the waves; the film conveys a good sense of place, history, and encourages sustainable practices.

The 1st place winner of Design21SDN´s Power To the Pedal Contest: a portable pedal powered generator with huge potential for application in the event of a natural disaster or even for the everyday consumer or bike enthusiast seeking a more sustainable lifestyle. Check out the DESIGN21SDN Site for other Power To the Pedal contest finalists.

Since reading Edward Abbey’s fictional work for the first time in 1986, I have longed to see it come to life on the silver screen. It looks as if I my wish may soon be …

The American Lung Association’s tenth annual State of the Air Report has released its list of cities with the Ozone and Particle Pollution being the 2 most widespread pollutants. These 2 pollutants can cause symptoms ranging from shortness of breath, asthma attacks, chest pain, heart attacks and even premature death.

Some of the facts include:
• 6 out of 10 Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
• 40.5 million Americans live in counties where the outdoor air failed all three tests.

Maybe the last descent of the Yangtze? Lead by Travis Winn, the trip included researchers and conservationists from China and abroad, all trying to figure out a way to protect this threatened resource.
    ”At least 20 (new) reservoirs will be put into operation by 2020,” vice minister Hu Siyi was quoted as saying in a report on the Chinese Ministry´s website.
Check out this video.

We opted to wait until after Earth Day to post this message as we knew everyone would be bombarded by environmental news, activities and programming all day long and we wanted to extend the environmental consciousness even longer.
    Here are our Top 10 Tips (potentially 11) for making small, REALISTIC changes to your daily life that can help reduce your carbon footprint over the remainder of this year:

On Sunday April 4th 2009, Alexander Martin departed on his expedition to travel by canoe and foot 5,500 miles from Portland, OR to Portland, ME and the Atlantic Ocean in one seasonal year. The planned route lies entirely within the contiguous United States and traverses many of the country’s great and storied rivers as well as many hidden and wild places accessible only by water. All travel will be human powered, either by paddle or portage.

I thought this kind of thing only happened in Japan, yet the bigger is better philosophy seems to prevail in America, especially when it comes to shopping malls.
    Alas, a $2.3 Billion, 4.76 MILLION square foot project is underway west of New York City in the New Jersey Meadowlands, boasting America´s very first indoor ski park.

Papua New Guinea expedition discovers among more than 50 species previously unknown to science, including jumping spiders, striped gecko, and a frog with a “ringing song.”
    Barrick Gold Corporation, the largest gold mining company in put the survey together in preparation for future mining projects.

President Obama signed the Ominibus Public Land Management Act into law on March 30 shortly after 3 PM Eastern. The bill protects three million acres of land, and 1000 miles of rivers throughout the US.

The House of Representatives voted on March 25 to pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. The final vote in the House was 285-140. The bill passed the Senate 77-21 last week. The lands package now goes to President Obama for his signature, possibly as early as next Monday. The President is expected to sign the bill.

          Usually, you have to sacrifice weight and space for a synthetic bag, but the Sierra Designs Lazer +30 Deg bag packs down remarkably small and is uncommonly lightweight. This makes for a great combination for extended backpacking trips when there is a possibility that your bag might get wet. And still, you get the beauty of a synthetic bag: it´s soaking wet and you´re still able to find some warmth and get to sleep.