Nicole McLaughlin believes anything can become a shoe.

Upcycled Patagonia fleeces work well if you’re making a slipper鈥攂ut so do tennis balls, badminton birdies, crossword puzzle booklets, balloons, golf visors, and packing peanuts. An egg carton makes an excellent sandal, and the baffles of a beach ball can quickly become a striking rainbow clog.

But why limit yourself to shoes when you can also make pants from napkins or backpacks, and bras from lemon squeezers or croissants? McLaughlin, a fashion designer, artist, and gorpcore icon based in Boulder, Colorado, has made a jacket from oven mitts鈥攁nd an oven mitt from a loaf of bread. She’s turned cereal bags (still filled with Froot Loops and corn flakes) into a vest and sewn a puffy jacket from bubble wrap. Each of her garments is quirky and evocative鈥攁nd has the power to chip away at the very foundations of the outdoor gear world.

Like any arm of the fashion universe, outdoor gear is a high-production, high-expense, high-waste kind of industry. Some brands are trying to change that, but the process has been slow and cumbersome. McLaughlin’s designs, however, cut through all the marketing chatter and straight to the core of the issue: they point out, loudly, that there’s no excuse for waste. Old or even damaged gear doesn’t have to be discarded. Instead, it can live on indefinitely through upcycling.

Upcycling is part craft, part raw imagination. It’s the practice of refurbishing an old item until it’s once again chic and useful. Over the last few years, the upcycling movement has gone mainstream鈥攁nd some of the world’s biggest companies are catching on.

Today, the 32-year-old McLaughlin has worked with brands ranging from Coach and Herm猫s to Merrell and Hoka. She’s been featured in Forbes’s Thirty Under Thirty, and is a sought-after speaker and workshop instructor. But her biggest achievement is the cultural change she’s helped affect: through her witty, tongue-in-cheek designs, she’s helped turn upcycling from a stodgy homeschoolers’ craft into an edgy and provocative response to consumerism at large.

Given McLaughlin’s r茅sum茅, I expected her to be sophisticated and reserved, in an out-of-touch, artsy sort of way. But what I found when I visited her in Boulder was an unassuming woman in plain clothing, bright-eyed and warm and ready with a smile. When she opened the door to her studio鈥攁 small warehouse space off a dirt road鈥攕he was dressed in baggy jeans and gingham sneakers, and her gray hoodie sported a fuzzy zipper charm in the shape of a cartoon character. She played with it while she talked, her fingers turning the little character this way and that.

“Come on in,” she said. “Did you have trouble finding it?” The studio is in Niwot, a one-street rural outpost well northeast of Boulder proper. So yes, I did. In fact, I’d been lost for ten full minutes before knocking on the weathered door. But I lied. And then, between spurts of showing me around the studio, McLaughlin told me about her life.

Sometimes, when you’re a young person trying to choose a career, an adult will give you this guidance: “Do the thing that would make your eight-year-old self proud.” It’s good advice鈥攖hough often impractical for those of us who dreamed of becoming race-car drivers or astronauts. Few people are able to truly self-actualize in this way. But McLaughlin, somehow, has.

Growing up, McLaughlin was an artsy kid, the daughter of a New Jersey carpenter and an interior designer. She was also a dedicated member of the early 2000s skate scene. A fan of hardcore punk music, she had an anti-authoritarian attitude toward homework, and an obsession with chunky skate shoes that would later become a hallmark of her upcycling style. Eventually, McLaughlin wandered into a four-year graphic design program at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Then, after graduation, things started to get interesting.

For three years, McLaughlin lived a double life. She was just out of college and trying to prove herself at Reebok’s Massachusetts corporate office, where she’d gotten a gig as a graphic designer. During the day, she’d work long hours, shadowing other employees, placing logos, and sometimes sleeping on the office floor. During nights and weekends, she was mostly alone. Making friends in a new city takes time; McLaughlin was too focused on her career for that. But after a while, she began to realize that placing logos wasn’t exactly keeping her creative mind occupied. She felt stuck. She was approaching creative stagnation.

Then, one night, she snuck into Reebok’s recently vacated offices. There, she discovered mounds of discarded samples and fabric swatches鈥攂oxes upon boxes of really expensive trash. She filled a bag, thinking the pieces could be good inspiration for her side projects.

Soon, she was taking her pilfered samples apart, tearing out stitching and prying apart shoes on her bedroom floor. She’d mix and match soles and glue on new pull tabs, straps, and toggles. Held together by adhesive and pins, none of it was wearable; the only goal was to make something that looked cool. Eventually, she started posting photos of her designs on Instagram, a nerve-wracking experience. One鈥攁 blue sandal made from the straps of an Ikea tote鈥攔acked up several thousand views. For a burgeoning artist with zero product-design experience, it was a major confidence boost.

After some experimentation, McLaughlin gravitated toward vintage sports equipment. There was something playful about the nostalgia of it, and the absurdity of crafting a shoe from a lacrosse stick or basketball. In 2016 she picked up rock climbing, and two years later began tinkering with chalk bags and harnesses. She saw limitless design potential in outdoor gear.

McLaughlin churned out dozens of innovative upcycled designs, one after another, on Instagram. It was a private thing鈥攂edroom projects furtively shared on a faceless page. Her bosses at Reebok had no idea she was doing it. Until one meeting in 2019.

McLaughlin was sitting in a conference room, surrounded by colleagues, kicked back in a chair, twirling a pen in her hands. It was supposed to be a routine meeting with a marketing agency, which gave Reebok ideas for upcoming campaigns and collabs. But this time, photos of McLaughlin’s Instagram creations popped up on the projector screen. McLaughlin blinked. What?

Her colleagues started glancing across the room. “Is that you?” They mouthed as the agency rambled.

“You should collaborate with this girl,” the presenter ultimately suggested. “She’s coming up with some cool ideas.” McLaughlin kept her mouth shut during the meeting but later admitted to her bosses that she was the one behind the designs.

McLaughlin was still a junior employee, so she wasn’t surprised when Reebok didn’t jump at the opportunity to fund her weird, experimental art. But the company did send her to a three-month-long program at Adidas’s Brooklyn maker space, a wonderland of sewing machines and free materials called the Creator Farm. There, McLaughlin learned how to sew and make shoes from scratch. Meanwhile, her Instagram following continued to grow, and other brands emailed her project inquiries鈥攁 video series with Depop about her work, for example, and an opportunity to teach an upcycling workshop with footwear retail giant Foot Locker. That was all the nudge she needed. In 2019, McLaughlin quit her cushy corporate Reebok job鈥攖o the chagrin of her parents鈥攁nd went full-time freelance.

“I still worry that it’s all going to stop,” she says. “Like this is a phase I’m just riding out, and one day the work is all going to disappear. But it’s funny, because I’ve been doing this full-time for six years, and it hasn’t stopped yet.”

It’s easy to see why McLaughlin and other upcycling designers have gained prominence. Designing and manufacturing apparel and footwear creates a ton of waste. That goes for fast fashion, of course. But it also goes for the outdoor industry.

Outdoor gear may appear rugged and practical, but the industry that produces and markets it is yoked to traditional fashion cycles. Yes, people want equipment that performs, but they also want to look on-trend. Most brands cash in on the appeal of new fashions by constantly changing designs and churning out new colors and cuts each season.

What’s the point of saving humanity if we can’t have a little fun in the meantime?

Creating those new styles generates lots of waste. For example: before a sneaker or hiking shoe goes to market, the factory will send a brand three or four prototypes鈥攗nwearable single shoes that get examined by the product designers, and are then thrown into the trash. Fabric swatches are much the same. It all piles up.

The constant change of seasonal colors and styles speeds up the turnover of product styles. According to a 2018 report from the EPA, American retail stores and consumers throw out about 13 million tons of clothing and footwear every year. The expense is ghastly. The waste is obscene.

Few of us are immune to this materialistic ethos. Have you ever tossed out a rain shell instead of re-waterproofing it? Gotten a new chalk bag solely because it had a cute pattern? Shelled out for a name-brand fleece with cool colorblocking, even though you’ve already got a serviceable midlayer? I know I have.

Through her work, McLaughlin forces consumers to question the outdoor industry’s process. And people are catching on. Upcycling is having a moment, and its ethos appears to have struck a chord with Gen Z consumers.

Gen Z faces more pressure from climate change鈥攁nd climate anxiety鈥攖han any generation ever. Add to that post-inflation prices and a tough job market, and DIY starts to look mighty appealing, both as a cost-saving hobby and as a revolutionary movement.

Upcycling has also amplified new voices. For decades, brands have been the arbiters and gatekeepers of style. Now, a far more grassroots group of tastemakers is rewriting the rules and deciding for themselves what gets to be considered high fashion鈥攁nd what gets dismissed as trash.

McLaughlin is one of the most prominent, but there are others. Anna Molinari, a 27-year-old designer based in New York City, makes skirts from plastic bags and decorative chain mail from soda can tabs. Rivers McCall, 23, crafts handbags and even cocktail dresses from old climbing rope. Both artists have dressed Wyn Wiley, the drag queen and environmental activist better known as Pattie Gonia. The partnerships have put cutting-edge upcycled designs in front of millions of viewers.

Upcycling鈥攁nd its close siblings, thrifting and DIY鈥攚eren’t always cool. When my parents were young, new products were synonymous with wealth and importance. Old clothes meant you were a charity case. But over the last few decades, that’s begun to change. In fact, buying new will now earn you serious backlash in some corners of the internet.

“Social media has normalized second-hand shopping to the extent that there’s this sentiment of judgment if you buy a new designer bag,” says Molinari. She doesn’t necessarily disagree. “No one needs to buy new clothes. Buying new is so unnecessary, and watching the environment decline so quickly is terrifying,” she says. “I think everybody needs to take this seriously.”

Social media isn’t just a way to spread the zero-waste gospel. It has also allowed new generations to learn the timeless arts of sewing and repair.

I, for example, learned to sew from my mother, who hand-made my dresses in grade school. She learned from her mother, who learned from her grandma鈥攖he fearsome Ma Stalvey, who lived on a farm in southern Georgia, wringing the necks of chickens, cooking cornbread, and churning out shirts and nighties for her ten children out of the fabric flour sacks the grocery truck brought once a week. If it weren’t for those women, I’d never have picked up a needle. I don’t know that I ever would have wanted to; sewing always felt like a thing grown-ups did on school nights with the middle-aged mending circle at the local JoAnn’s. The act of sewing wasn’t aesthetic. It wasn’t edgy. And it certainly wasn’t cool.

But now, somehow, it is. According to Claudia E. Henninger, a fashion researcher and professor at the University of Manchester, the pandemic accelerated an interest in crafting. Gen Z ran with it.

“Social media has been massive,” Henninger says. “People can suddenly see other people knitting or crocheting or being creative. If that person can do it, then I can do it, as well.”

TikTok quickly emerged as a massive repository of sewing and crafting inspiration, and DIY tutorials and process videos exploded on Instagram. Entire crafting communities emerged. These days, if you upcycle, you’re not just a quirky teenager tinkering in your bedroom. You’re a part of something big.

That extends to the community of outdoor enthusiasts. Secondhand gear shops are popping up across the country. And outdoor brands are increasingly offering take-back programs, upcycling workshops, and repair services. Those that already have them are seeing major gains. Take Patagonia, which has offered repairs since the seventies. Its current pre-owned gear program, called Worn Wear, launched in 2012. The brand has seen more Gen-Z customers flocking to Worn Wear鈥攏ot to mention massive viewership of its DIY repair videos on YouTube. Since 2018, The North Face, Arc’teryx, and REI (which has re-sold used gear for more than 60 years) have all launched or expanded existing used gear resale programs, as have more mainstream brands like Carhartt, Lululemon, and even Juicy Couture.

“I think it’s starting to become more culturally accepted,” Henninger says. Molinari sees long lines of customers outside of curated thrift stores in New York City on most weekends. “There’s the virality of videos about vintage clothing hauls,” she says. In the UK, Henninger often walks by protest sewing pop-ups: people set up in front of high street retailers and sew their own clothes, informing curious passersby that they don’t have to shop at big-name fashion houses to look good.

“That’s very powerful,” Henninger says. Nicole Bassett, a textile recycling expert and the co-founder of The Renewal Workshop, believes the upcycling movement could someday have a huge impact on the fashion industry. Over time, it could slow style turnover, undermine brands’ bottom lines, and finally force big companies to rewire their supply chains.

“We’re not on the precipice yet鈥攚e’re in the beginning of a very big change in our economics in general,” says Bassett.

Pockets are a common theme鈥擬cLaughlin’s way of giving the finger to the lack of functionality that’s historically plagued women’s clothing.

As with any revolution, this movement faces hurdles. Young people don’t always have the purchasing power to pass over items with lower price tags鈥攅ven if those products are less sustainable. But customer behavior indicates that Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are moving toward products that are environmentally conscious.

“Sustainability can be a very boring topic. And climate is honestly a boring, dry thing,” says Wyn Wiley, the person behind the Pattie Gonia persona. “But now there’s all this creativity and interest from Gen Z. They’re under more pressure than ever鈥攂ut they’re also getting more creative than ever.”

As for McLaughlin? Sustainability wasn’t top of mind when she first started upcycling; she was initially attracted to samples and off-cuts only because they were free fodder for low-stakes experiments.

“When I started doing this work, I didn’t even know what upcycling was. Then, during COVID, brands started cleaning out their offices and realizing just how much stuff they had. That’s when they started reaching out to me for help,” McLaughlin says. At first that gave her pause. She was at a turning point in her career, and wanted to make sure the brands she worked with weren’t just doing sustainability as a shtick.

“But then I realized, I don’t work for the brands,” she says. “I work for the people who buy from those brands. Brands make all this stuff, and the responsibility falls on the consumer to figure out how to discard an item or recycle it.” Most of the time, there’s nowhere for that stuff to go. Most gear isn’t recyclable. Thrift stores are overwhelmed. We all have too much stuff in our houses. Waste is a serious issue.

Since 2021, McLaughlin has done consulting work with big brands about how they can limit waste and creatively reuse the scraps they already have. But she admits that her work sometimes feels like it’s just making a dent in the enormous problem created by fashion’s waste.

“I think there are days that are easy and exciting, and I feel really good about everything and like I can figure it all out,” she says. “But there are a lot of other days where it’s more like, ‘Oh my god, how did we get here? What are we doing? How am I helping to contribute to this?'”

McLaughlin escapes her worries by rock climbing鈥攕he finds the creative problem-solving on the wall helps complement her problem-solving in the studio. She also finds that the full-body movement helps her think. Her other tool is humor.

“There are so many hard conversations surrounding sustainability,” she says. “I want my work to be a moment of levity.” Often, that means leaning into the absurd.

“Making a bra out of lemon squeezers is funny. Putting pockets on a shoe is funny,” she says. “Most of the time, when I talk with brands about their process or what they could do to reduce waste, they’ve so overwhelmed. So when I’m designing, I want to make a statement, but I also want it to be fun.”

It’s a unique take on climate optimism. McLaughlin’s opinion is that, the more we lead with hope and humor, the more empowered we’ll be to take on the catastrophes facing our planet. What’s the point of saving humanity if we can’t have a little fun in the meantime?

“For me, upcycling is about being creative and using what you have. But it’s also about having fun,” she says. “I mean, that’s the root of upcycling: imagination and lightheartedness. That’s what keeps me going. And I think that’s what will get brands鈥攁nd the fashion industry鈥攅xcited about making change.”

5 Questions with Nicole McLaughlin

1. Your favorite material to work with is: Bread. Any time I work with food it’s always a really insane challenge of trying to figure out how to sew it, or construct it such that I can still take it apart and eat it after.

2. If the studio was burning down and you could grab one thing it would be: My grandfather’s squash trophy. He played until he was 80 years old and was a huge inspiration to me. When he passed away, all the kids in the family each took a trophy to remember him by.

3. The sports you played as a kid were: Tennis and basketball. And skateboarding.

4. You like to listen to: Podcasts and audiobooks while I’m working. I just flew through the whole Twilight series鈥擨’d never read them, and my sister told me I needed to. If I’m listening to music, usually it’s lo-fi beats and shoegaze.

5. Right now you’re reading: Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It’s been a good reminder to define my goals and purpose. Otherwise, it can be easy to lose sight of those things.

The post All Hail Outdoor Gear鈥檚 Upcycling Queen appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Beauty industry buzzwords come with contradictions. If you prefer to invest in products that are safe for both your body and the Earth, you鈥檙e likely already aware of this conundrum. Descriptors like 鈥渘atural鈥� and 鈥渟ustainable鈥濃�攁long with 鈥渃lean,鈥� 鈥済reen,鈥� and others鈥攕trive to communicate a company鈥檚 commitment to prioritizing your health and that of the planet. But finding products that are both natural and sustainable is a difficult feat鈥攁s is defining the labels themselves.

鈥淭here are still lots of myths in the industry that endure despite us having access to more information,鈥� says Ana Green, Education Manager at , an online institute for organic beauty product formulation. She and CEO Lorraine Dallmeier dive into this gray area on the brand鈥檚 podcast, . 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a lot of confusion about both natural and sustainable beauty and what those things are.鈥�

Green notes that because a focus on natural beauty arose before the discourse around sustainability, there is a common perception that natural beauty products are always sustainable. Spoiler alert: This is not always the case.

What Do the Terms ‘Natural’ and ‘Sustainable’ Even Mean?

鈥淪ince the rise of clean beauty, there have been many definitions of natural and sustainable,鈥� says Jenefer Palmer, founder of the skin and body care company . 鈥淭he truth is, there is not one consensus definition of either within the cosmetics industry.鈥�

Natural Versus Sustainable Beauty Products

Although “natural” and “sustainable” are seemingly linked concepts, they鈥檙e not synonymous.

• Natural: 鈥淣atural鈥� tends to describe products that rely predominantly on materials derived from nature (such as plants and minerals) rather than synthetic (i.e., chemically synthesized and human-made) ingredients.
• Sustainable: Products labeled 鈥渟ustainable鈥� claim to put the planet first and feature formulations that cause the least possible detriment to the environment.

Natural and Sustainable Don’t Automatically Mean Safe for Humans

Neither term is regulated, making misuse and misunderstanding inevitable. Kaley Beins,听a senior scientist in toxicology at the听, explains that the lack of legal enforceability surrounding the claims means that companies can define them as听they choose. 鈥淎dditionally, neither of these terms address human health and safety. Just because an ingredient is naturally derived or manufactured in a sustainable way doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean it is safe,鈥� she says.

Creating products that are mindful in a holistic sense鈥攇ood for you and the planet鈥攊s an undertaking that isn鈥檛 always possible in our current consumer landscape…yet.

Allison Audrey Weldon, CEO and founder of the home, hair, and skincare brand , explains that transparency around sourcing is an essential first step.听鈥淪imply knowing where exactly the ingredient comes from and how it鈥檚 made helps with accountability. However, it does bring up more questions about sustainability.鈥�

鈥淭he complexity of sustainability as a topic makes the perception of both natural and sustainable difficult,鈥� says Green. She explains that brands and consumers tend to focus on select areas that are meaningful to them rather than 鈥渢he bigger picture of sourcing, long-term sustainability, and ensuring the preservation of natural resources.鈥�

Examples of Natural and Sustainable Products

Some natural ingredients are less sustainable than their synthetic counterparts due to factors such as overharvesting and extraction, transportation across thousands of miles, and borne by the necessary processing. However, when you consider the entire life cycle of the ingredient, some natural options become the more sustainable choice.

Lavender

Weldon shares an example of the numerous contradictions within the space. She uses locally grown and distilled lavender in many of her products, believing it to be more sustainable than many synthetic alternatives for both fragrance and skin health. 鈥淣ot only does it support a local farm and industry, but it doesn鈥檛 travel far, is healthy for humans, and it鈥檚 biodegradable,鈥� she says. In this case, the natural ingredient serves as both a sustainable and natural one.

Rose Otto Oil

Then there鈥檚 Rose Otto oil, a popular ingredient in both the fragrance and skincare spaces. 鈥淩ose Otto oil comes from Bulgaria and requires masses of rose petals to create one drop,鈥� says Weldon. This environmental impact could make creating a synthetic version more sustainable.

But it鈥檚 not a zero-sum equation. 鈥淲hen that Rose Otto oil is washed off in the shower and goes into the ocean, its biodegradable nature may redeem the ingredient in comparison to the manufacturing and life cycle of a synthetic alternative.鈥�

We Need Products That Are Both Good for Us and for the Planet

Many beauty brands that favor naturally derived ingredients do so for their purported efficacy. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 , anti-bacterial agents, vitamins and/or minerals, or essential , having the actives come from a natural source is a pure, effective way to correct, protect, and prevent the issues people are dealing with,鈥� says Serina Godin, chief product officer of skincare brand .

In an era plagued by and , the rationale for prioritizing sustainability by protecting the planet and preserving the natural world is self-evident. 鈥淲e love and respect the plant kingdom and want to give more than we take,鈥� says CEO of Britany LeBlanc. 鈥淎s over-harvesting limits supply or impacts natural environments, we are seeking other ways to leverage upcycled ingredients and sustainable sourcing.鈥�

Creating products that are mindful in a holistic sense鈥攇ood for you and the planet鈥攊s an undertaking that isn鈥檛 always possible in our current consumer landscape…yet.

What Does the Future of Mindful Beauty Look Like?

Although manufacturing and purchasing less is the most sustainable route available in terms of skincare and cosmetics, there are more brands than ever before working to better align the industry鈥檚, at times, disparate goals.

鈥淲e believe that natural and sustainable must go hand-in-hand,鈥� says Godin, citing initiatives like regenerative farming and wild harvesting as examples of ongoing efforts. For its part, hair care company (a branch of the ) has partnered with the , a non-profit organization dedicated to regenerative organic agriculture, in an effort to innovate and cultivate processes that enhance soil health and regeneration.

For Sonia Ziveri, Chief Sustainability Officer for the Davines Group, collaboration is the key to creating meaningful change. 鈥淚 believe that enduring, positive change can only happen when an increasing number of public and private entities, as well as individual citizens, come together to work toward a common goal.鈥�

So, whether you鈥檙e shopping for products for a new skincare routine or evaluating your current collection, when you encounter either descriptor, question it. And then research it. You鈥檒l either debunk a claim, discover a brand that鈥檚 doing the work, or (more likely) some hybrid of the two. You鈥檒l come away informed and ready to make a decision. After all, what is a mindful consumer if not a realist?

Want more听国产吃瓜黑料听health stories?听.

The post No, Your Natural Beauty Products Aren鈥檛 Necessarily Sustainable appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The post The 国产吃瓜黑料 Guide to Caring for the Planet appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

As a gearhead who mostly tests running shoes and apparel made for high-energy activities, I don鈥檛 often fire up about a sweater. But when I pulled on for the first time, I didn鈥檛 want to take it off.

I wore it while working at my desk. I wore it while walking my dog. I even ran about a mile in it on a cold evening during a youth soccer practice when I felt like I just needed to move. I especially love pulling it on after a day outside on snow. The thing is ridiculously soft and warm, and it looks good, too.

You鈥檇 think my favorite new sweater would be made out of the natural fiber we all know and love thanks to brands like Smartwool, Ibex, and Icebreaker: Merino wool. But there鈥檚 a new natural fiber that may just give good-ole Merino a run for its money: alpaca.

Merino (a type of sheep) wool and alpaca fleece both come from cute, fluffy animals that are sheared without harm typically once a year. Merino and alpaca both consist of hollow fibers with amazing properties that keep the animals鈥攁nd humans鈥攚arm when it鈥檚 cold and cool when it鈥檚 warm, regulating body temperature. Both fibers naturally resist odor, wick sweat, and breathe well. And they鈥檙e both biodegradable and renewable. So, is one better than the other?

According to Kris Cody, founder of the quickly growing outdoor apparel company Paka, the superior fiber is the wool from the animals that live in the Andes Mountains of South America: the alpacas.

A Relationship with an Alpaca Sweater

Ten years ago, while taking a gap year before college and backpacking through South America, Cody stumbled upon a sweater handknit by a Peruvian woman at a street market in Cuzco, Peru. 鈥淭hat sweater became my companion,鈥� says Cody, who recently opened an office in Boulder, Colorado and now has 20 employees stateside. 鈥淚t worked in every single climate on my trip. I built a relationship with that sweater.鈥� So much of a relationship that when the then-18-year-old started college to study neuroscience at the University of Virginia that fall, he couldn鈥檛 get the sweater鈥攁nd its origin鈥攐ut of his mind. Or heart.

鈥淚 just felt such a connection back to Peru鈥攖he culture, the people, and the sweater. I didn鈥檛 want to lose it.鈥� The fact that seemingly everyone at UVA kept asking him where he got the sweater, coming up to touch it, and marveling that it felt as soft as cashmere further flamed his love affair.

鈥淚 was fascinated because it feels like a luxury, fashion fiber,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd I recognized the fact that this animal [the alpaca] had evolved in the craziest climate on the earth where you freeze and burn in the same day with 70-degree temperature fluctuations. In looking at the fiber and the hollow air pockets and how much function was embedded, I thought that it would be really revolutionary for the outdoor apparel industry.鈥�

At 19 years old and just having finished a year of college, Cody bought a one-way ticket to Peru to track down the woman who had sold him the sweater. 鈥淚 flew back with no business plan but wanted to get to know the family of weavers.鈥� He spent a couple of weeks retracing his steps from his trip a year earlier, searching for the weaver who had sold him his sweater. 鈥淚 was just so interested in finding the real source of where it came from,鈥� he says. His persistence and the fact that 鈥淐uzco鈥檚 not so big鈥� led to success.

When he finally stumbled upon the right doorstep, he explained his obsession to the local Peruvian weaver, Gregoria. Though skeptical at first, Gregoria trusted Cody enough to introduce her to her family, and her weaving process. Cody says he lived on the family鈥檚 rooftop for weeks. 鈥淚t just became this relationship of getting to her family and learning more and working on some ideas and prototypes in her kitchen. We began sharing this dream of, 鈥榃hat if we brought this to the U.S.? What, and how, do we do this in a way that works and that represents the culture?鈥� It was a collaboration.鈥�

Cody came home with a bag of 50 sweaters that he sold on Shopify out of his dorm room. A year later, he returned to Peru with a film crew to create about the origins of the sweaters he鈥檇 been selling with the intention to spread the word and launch a Kickstarter campaign. The video, which highlighted the Peruvian people and alpacas, went viral, and Paka was born.

Fast-forward eight years, and Paka employs 300 weavers in Cuzco. The company aims to multiply each weaver鈥檚 income by eight percent, helping to improve the statistic that one in three children under 5 years old in Cuzco suffer from malnutrition. The company contributes one percent of annual sales to female education, helping young Peruvian women attend university. Through its partnership with a local nonprofit, Paka assists women of neighboring communities of Cuzco to learn how to weave, allowing many to move from manual labor like farming to skilled, artisanal traditions passed down from the Inca. Each sweater is signed on the tag by the woman who made it. Mine is signed by 鈥淧amela A.鈥� On one side is a small emblem of an adorable alpaca and on the other side a tiny woven patch (which the company calls an Inca ID).

I am, in fact, wearing my cozy, cashmere-like as I write this. I wish I had kept the biodegradable tag that came with it (and comes with every Paka item), because on that tag was a QR code鈥攁 source certificate鈥攖hat would have allowed me to trace my sweater back to the exact adorable, fluffy alpaca from which its fibers were sheared, cleaned, dyed (with environmentally friendly dyes), woven, and knit.

Even if I don鈥檛 know the details, my sweater鈥攁nd my other Paka apparel鈥攃hannels an Andean alpaca and every person who went into making it every time I wear it.

Alpaca’s Unique Qualities

There is nothing wrong with Merino wool. I love Merino wool. But alpaca, Kody says, has several unique characteristics.

鈥淚 love Merino wool as well,鈥� says Kody. 鈥淚 think there are a lot of benefits for both of them, and also reasons to synergize alpaca and Merino, because the structure is very different.鈥� Kody explains how alpaca fiber is hair-like and Merino a crimped fiber, which means that Merino wool adds volume to garments while alpaca does not, giving alpaca a greater insulating capacity with a lower weight. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the medullated air pockets in alpaca that make it three times warmer than merino,鈥� he says.

Alpaca, he says, is softer, and three times lighter than sheep’s wool. It tests warmer than Merino and has half of the moisture retention of Merino, which, Kody explains, translates to less bacteria build-up and thus, less odor.

鈥淚n my opinion,鈥� he says, 鈥渁lpaca is the most odor-resistant fiber you could ever wear. It repels moisture because these air pockets inside of the fiber hold heat and repel water.鈥� It鈥檚 those same air pockets that give it thermoregulation properties. 鈥淚 think that is the super-strength of alpacas having evolved in 70-degree daily fluctuations. That thermal regulation story is really what we are focusing on the most.鈥�

So, why aren鈥檛 more brands using alpaca? While Merino wool has been utilized by numerous outdoor companies for years鈥攚ith great success鈥攖he framework for using alpaca is still a new frontier. Kody points to the 鈥渧ertical infrastructure鈥� he and his team have built by spending time on the ground in Peru with 7,560 alpaqueros (alpaca cowboys) employed by Paka, the local weavers, and other artisans involved in the process.

鈥淚 think it’s very important that people know what’s behind the whole alpaca animal and story that the people have with it,鈥� says Cody. He explains how alpacas are neither pets nor butchered for food like cows in the U.S. 鈥淭he people in Peru have this synergistic, co-dependent relationship with the alpacas to survive out in the Andes. They live alongside each other. There are no fences. The alpaca come in at night. The people take care of their herds and use the wool for warmth. The culture behind that, the weaving patterns and traditions and everything behind alpaca is really important.鈥�

The post Is Alpaca the New Merino? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Chick fil-A used to be my guilty pleasure, especially when traveling. When I’m rushing through airports that seductive red and white sign always calls for a detour and a Chicken Deluxe. Now, thanks to about the plastic chemicals found in food packaging, that sandwich is dead to me. A team of scientists and concerned citizens recently tested more than 300 unique foods for harmful plastic chemicals. My beloved treat sat near the top of the inauspicious leaderboard.

My regular readers know that I have long been concerned with the scary amount of plastic chemicals that we interact with as we 听go about our daily lives.

There鈥檚 the black plastic in our utensils. And the PFAS (a.k.a forever chemicals) found in everything from our clothing and furniture to our beauty products and toilet paper, the foaming agents in our toothpaste and laundry soaps.

The list goes on and on. We are a society addicted to plastic chemicals and all the modern conveniences they afford. Meanwhile, cancer rates in people under 50 are . I am in doubting that this is merely coincidence.

But nothing freaks me out more than chemicals making their way into my family鈥檚 food. Who among us could ever enjoy a bite of a Chicken Deluxe听again if we knew it were laced with poison?

I decided to look into what we know about chemicals in food packaging, what regulators are doing about it, and how we can protect ourselves.

Plastic Chemicals Pervade Our Everyday Food

I鈥檝e been seeing more and more stories pop up in my newsfeeds about plastic chemicals in food. I鈥檝e had moments of paralysis in the grocery story trying to find a decent head of lettuce that wasn鈥檛 swathed in a plastic.

A group of Californians felt the same way. They听embarked on a six-month research project to test common food items鈥攆rom local grocery stores and take-out joints鈥攆or the presence of chemicals that enhance the performance of plastics. Phthalates, for instance, are a class of chemicals used to make plastic more pliable. Think: milk jugs and yogurt cups. Bisphenols are plastic hardeners found in beverage bottles and linings of canned goods.

The independent group, working under the name PlasticList, purchased 775 food samples of 312 items. Everything from Almond Breeze milk (currently sitting in my fridge) and grass-fed steak from Whole Foods to Taco Bell chicken burritos and, yes, my beloved Chicken Deluxe from Chick fil-A. They then tested those items for the presence of 18 common plastic-related chemicals that fall under the umbrella of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (or EDCs). Ample proof exists that EDCs cause like cancer, diabetes, and reproductive and neurological disorders.

The is pretty shocking: the PlasticList team detected plastic chemicals in 86 percent of the food tested. 鈥淏ut this doesn鈥檛 mean we should all freak out,鈥� says Yaroslav Shipilov, the PlasticList team leader. 鈥淎lthough it was surprising to discover the presence of plastic chemicals in such a huge percentage of the food we tested, in all but 24 specific cases, the items are still safe to eat according to the three major regulating bodies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).鈥�

Shipilov hopes that his findings will spawn more testing. He also hopes that the regulating bodies will update their outdated safety limits, which are decades old and often contradictory. 鈥淔or example, in some cases we have chemicals that have been banned from children鈥檚 toys, but not food. This suggests that they are not safe for toddlers to touch, but are fine for them to ingest,鈥� he says.

Are Plastic Chemicals Harmful to People?

Make no mistake about it. A rapidly growing body of evidence proves that plastic chemicals are really bad for human health, not to mention the harm they cause the environment.

To get an overview of the health impacts, I reached out to Philip J. Landrigan MD, a pediatrician and biology professor at Boston College. Landrigan serves as director of both the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good and the Global Observatory on Planetary Health.

In October 2023, Landrigan published , a wide-ranging report covering the many health and environmental implications of plastic chemicals.

鈥淧lastics have allowed significant benefits to humanity in the fields of medicine, electronics, aerospace, and more. But it鈥檚 also clear that they are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the economy, and the earth鈥檚 environment,鈥� says Landrigan. 鈥淭housands of chemicals鈥攊ncluding carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicants, and persistent organic pollutants鈥攍each out of plastics and harm human health at every stage of the lifecycle, from production to discard.鈥�

For example, Landrigan says, consider the coal miners and oil field workers who suffer from cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. (These workers extract the raw materials that create plastic.)听The plastic production workers who have an increased risk of leukemia, lymphoma, and brain and breast cancer. The plastic recycling workers who contend with high rates of toxic metal poisoning and neuropathy. The workers in the plastics textile industry die of bladder cancer and lung disease. And the families who live near plastic production facilities who have increased risks of premature birth, low birth weight, asthma, childhood leukemia, lung cancer, and a host of other life-threatening ailments.

The report says that these harms exceed $500 billion per year in health-related costs in the U.S. alone.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 most concerning to me as a pediatrician,鈥� says Landrigan, 鈥渋s the risk that chemicals in our food pose to pregnant women and young children. We all need to be more aware of plastics鈥� threats to human health. And we need to take intentional steps to reduce our exposure and our children’s exposure to plastic.鈥�

Food Packaging Regulations Are Rolling Out鈥揃ut Not Fast Enough

The federal government has been slow to respond in a meaningful way to the growing body of evidence that plastics in our food system are poisoning us.

Just last week, a group of environmentalists filed a new lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the use of phthalates in plastic food packaging. For close to a decade, the FDA has ignored calls to take stronger action against phthalates. We lag far behind the European Union in this regard.

Reporting from suggests that this refusal is due to pressure from the chemicals industry, which would surely suffer in the face of a phthalates ban.

Still, some states have begun to take independent action to protect our food from plastics chemicals.

鈥淪tates have taken the lead on phasing out dangerous chemicals from food packaging and containers,鈥� says Gretchen Salter, policy director for Safer States, a national alliance that works to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. 鈥淥ur shows that 16 states have adopted 29 policies to remove chemicals like PFAS, phthalates, and bisphenols (chemicals like BPA and BPF)听from food packaging. Additionally, Washington state has recently 听to ban all听bisphenols in drink can liners and require disclosure of the use of all听bisphenols in food can liners.鈥�

5 Ways To Protect Yourself From Plastic Chemicals in Food

Try as we might, avoiding plastic food packaging altogether is downright impossible. But there are some things we can do to not only limit our exposure to their inherent chemicals (like phthalates, bisphenols, and PFAS), but to be part of long-term solutions that will protect our kids, grandkids, and all the generations to come.

1. 1. Avoid fast food and take-out. When you can鈥檛, get that hot food out of its packaging as soon as possible to avoid chemical leaching. Even pizza boxes contain PFAS.
   2. Bring your own take-out containers. When dining out, bring a glass or metal container from home for leftovers. And avoid putting plastic take-out containers into the microwave. Although the specific research around this practice is , most experts believe this can cause additional contamination and leaching.
   3. Opt for fresh, whole foods. Skip the packaging whenever you can. For example, buy loose veggies rather than those ensconced in plastic. For meat and fish, buy direct from the counter. Ask for it wrapped in paper, rather than picking up a package from the chiller, where it’s been resting in a plastic package for who-knows-how-long. (Note: even that butcher鈥檚 paper likely has chemicals on it, so unwrap it as soon as you get home.)
   4. Ditch all plastic from your kitchen. Yep, you heard me鈥攁ll of it. Storage containers, colanders, utensils, cereal bowls. Start to replace all of those items with glass, wood, metal, and ceramic. I鈥檝e scored some really high quality replacements at the second-hand stores I love to frequent. And don鈥檛 forget the Saran Wrap and Zip-Lock bags. Transition away from those, too, and go with beeswax bowl toppers and silicone baggies.
   5. Speak up! It takes one minute to to create a Global Plastics Treaty. Do it! Another powerful action you can take is to write a letter to your state congress representatives. Urge them to support the Global Plastics Treaty as well as state laws to ban toxic plastic chemicals. Here are to get you started.

Kristin Hostetter is 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 sustainability columnist. Sadly, she has eaten her last Chick fil-A Chicken Deluxe. But she’s currently working on recreating a healthier version in her home kitchen.听 Follow her journey to live more sustainably by for her twice-monthly newsletter.听

The post Proof That Our Food Is Filled with Plastic Chemicals appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I鈥檝e read more books on climate action than I can count. So I don鈥檛 say this lightly: I鈥檓 obsessed with the one I just finished, by听Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.

In it, Johnson, a marine biologist and co-founder of the nonprofit think-tank , conducts interviews with 20 experts in everything from finance to farming to film and asks them to imagine what a replenished and healthy world might look like if we use the collective wisdom we already have to combat climate change.

I read this book in mid–November, right after the 2024 presidential election, and I was pretty gripped with climate anxiety.

This is not another preachy enviro-book. It鈥檚 not pushing hope for hope鈥檚 sake down our throats. Instead, it spotlights innovative solutions that are already working鈥攍ike an increased reliance on renewable energy, greening up transportation and buildings, regenerative agriculture, and reducing food waste鈥攁nd urges us to consider the possibilities when these things scale. Interspersed throughout the interviews are lists of jaw dropping facts, poems, and essays. And plenty of calls to action.

There was one paragraph that really hit me. In her interview with Paola Antonelli, senior curator for architecture and design at New York鈥檚 Museum of Modern Art, Johnson asks her a question that recurs throughout the book: 鈥淗ow can we be part of the solutions we need? Is there a call to action?鈥�

鈥淭he call to action is really to be better humans,鈥� Antonelli says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how else to put it. Be better humans by understanding that we live for others. Otherwise we don鈥檛 have much reason to live. And when I say 鈥榦thers,鈥� I mean also the rest of the environment, all creatures and things. The answer is love.鈥�

I decided to reach out to Johnson for a climate pep talk. The book hit shelves in September 2024, and we’ve had a presidential election鈥攁nd a lot of global unrest鈥攕ince then. I was curious how Johnson felt now, and whether her attitude or ideas had shifted with the socioeconomic and political tides. Plus, I just really didn’t want the book to end. Johnson鈥檚 casual, conversational style of writing left me feeling like we were already friends and hoped I could glean even more insight from one of the most exciting minds in the climate movement.

OUTSIDE: Talk me off the ledge: the book鈥檚 premise听ponders what the听world would look like if we get climate action right. But can we actually get it right? In the time that we have? How?听

JOHNSON: I have a lot of angsty journalists on my calendar right now and I’m just like, at what point did I become everyone’s climate shrink? How did I become the pep talker? It鈥檚 sort of funny because I am decisively not an optimist. I’m well aware that this climate scenario could very easily go even further off the rails. But it has literally never occurred to me that we should give up because that’s absurd, right? You don’t give up on life on earth.

And so it just always comes back to the question of what can we do to make it better? Because not trying is not an option. I was raised by two people who were in various small ways active in the movement for civil rights. At no point did people in that movement say, 鈥淭his is too hard. Let鈥檚 just give up and be unequal forever.鈥�

Sometimes I think there are a lot of people out there who are just quitters when it comes to climate change. They think the odds are too long and they鈥檒l be gone anyway. But that’s a very weak and sad response.

Part of the problem is that we’ve been told that we have to stop or solve climate change. And those verbs are clearly delusional because we can’t solve it and we can’t stop it. But we can make things much better than they otherwise would have been if we didn鈥檛 try.

People just need to roll up their sleeves and get their heads in the game. I don’t really know what to say about the anxiety that most people are feeling except to say this: you will feel a hell of a听lot better if you’re doing something about it.

Most of the people reading this interview care and want to take action. But unfortunately there are so many who don鈥檛, who just go about their lives, and intentionally or unintentionally don鈥檛 think about what the world will look like in 50 years. What would you say to them? Wake up! As the saying goes, if you鈥檙e not part of the solution,听you鈥檙e part of the problem.

You use a Venn diagram exercise to help people find their niche in the climate movement. Can you explain how it works? To ensure a livable future on this planet, we need to move beyond the platitudes of reduce, reuse, recycle. There is no one person or one entity that can fix this problem. We need to create a culture where everyone has a role to play. Are we gonna put our heads in the sand or pitch in?

The Climate Action Venn Diagram is a tool that helps everyone find their unique role by finding the intersection of three questions. 1) What brings you joy? 2) What are you good at? 3) What work needs doing?

The book is the result of my Venn diagram.

The Biden-Harris administration has arguably taken more climate action than any in history. A lot of environmentalists are bummed鈥攅ven scared鈥攁bout the results of the recent presidential election. You wrote the book before it happened. How did the election impact you personally and how will it impact your work and message moving forward? The last Trump administration rolled back well over 100 environmental protections and we don’t want that to happen again. In this current environment, I think we may need to do some reframing. We may get more traction if we talk less about 鈥渃limate change鈥� but keep pushing on the solutions. For example, there may be some openings in just the basics like the government protecting clean air and clean water, and we can reframe a lot of climate stuff in those terms because all Americans care about that.听

When you feel like you鈥檙e banging your head against the wall, stop doing what you’re doing and find a different way. Because if yelling climate facts at people was enough, we would have solved this already, right?

I also think it will be really hard for the Trump administration to turn its back on the economic benefits we鈥檝e seen from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Especially when so many red states are benefitting the most. Texas and Iowa lead the nation on wind energy. Not because they鈥檙e a bunch of hippies but because the finances just make sense. As of 2022, the clean energy sector employs more than 3.3 million people, over three times more than fossil fuels.

My reaction to this election was OK, what does this mean for me and my work? My answer, after reevaluating all my projects: I just need to double down. That includes focusing on what city governments can do to adapt to climate change, via my think tank Urban Ocean Lab, and supporting the next generation of climate leaders through teaching at Bowdoin college, and consulting with corporations that are trying to get it right since the federal government isn鈥檛 adequately regulating their climate impacts.

But overall, the role that I see for myself in climate work is to welcome more people into it. We need way more people working on climate solutions. So how can I help people get creative and find their own personal approach?

Was your book tour, which really wasn鈥檛 a book tour in the traditional sense, part of that approach? Yes, the Climate Variety Show, which we put on in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Portland, Maine, was born out of my own complete lack of desire to read my book aloud in bookstores across the country. What could be more boring? People are already bored of climate change, so how do I entice people in? I feel like there are things we haven’t tried yet as far as communications and influencing our friends and family.

So the was all about taking climate seriously without taking ourselves seriously. It was basically like a high school talent show鈥攃omedy, dancing, hula-hooping, poetry, games, music, puppets, and magic all mashed up into an evening of delightful chaos.

And everyone there filled out their Climate Action Venn Diagram in real time. If you want to get a sense of what it was like, you can hear audio clips in and see a in my Substack newsletter.

In What If We Get It Right?, you end each chapter by asking your interviewee the top three things they wish everyone knew about their particular area of expertise. So I鈥檇 like to ask you: What are the top three things you want everyone to know about your book?

1. It鈥檚 quite a fun, spirited read. I鈥檝e been told the vibe of the book is like eavesdropping at a dinner party with me and 20 dear friends and colleagues, because the book includes interviews with these brilliant folks who are showing the way forward to their 鈥渧isions of climate futures,鈥� as the subtitle puts it. And if you listen to the audiobook, you get to actually hear these conversations.
2. There鈥檚 magnificent art and poetry mixed in.
3. I envisioned this book as something that people would read and discuss together, so, for book clubs and teachers, I made .

Oh! And as a bonus, the very last page has , which I spent an inordinate amount of time putting together and includes anthems for victory, love songs to Earth, tunes for tenacity, and sexy implementation vibes.

Kristin Hostetter is 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 sustainability columnist. This column is the result of a similar Venn diagram exercise she did several years ago when she became a founding member of the . Follow her journey to live more sustainably by for her twice-monthly newsletter.

The post This Book Is the Cure for Climate Anxiety appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Auden Schendler, one of the biggest climate advocates in the outdoor industry,听doesn鈥檛 start his new book, Terrible Beauty, with any of the myriad lessons he鈥檚 learned over decades of environmental work. Schendler, who is vice president of sustainability at Aspen One (parent company of Aspen Snowmass), doesn鈥檛 drop into scare tactics, or data, or the myriad ways global warming is harming recreation, business, and our ability to thrive. Instead, he opens with a camping trip in the Utah desert with a couple of buddies, chasing down dirt devils for the sheer glee of being outside in a storm.

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

The book goes on to examine the ways we need to approach environmentalism if we want to experience that joy in the future. In his 25 years heading up sustainability initiatives for one of the ski industry’s biggest corporations, Schendler has been at the forefront of climate action. He converted Aspen’s utility to renewables, convinced its tissue supplier to stop cutting down old-growth trees, and led the outdoor industry in political lobbying. But he says we need to do more. A lot more. Corporate sustainability is failing, he says, and individuals aren鈥檛 leveraging enough of our personal and political power because we鈥檝e been cowed into thinking we don鈥檛 have any. And now, the clock is ticking. According to Schendler, modern environmentalism is broken鈥攂ut he has some ideas about how to keep it moving forward.

Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul is a book about citizenship, the pursuit of purpose, and uphill battles you might not win but have to keep fighting anyway. It鈥檚 a book about right now.

What do you hope people take away from this book?

I want to suck people into the joy of the universe, then give them that technical payload on climate in a way that motivates them. When you ask people, 鈥淲hat do you care about?鈥� It’s things like community and family and wild places. But when you ask them, 鈥淲hat are you doing to protect those things against this existential threat?鈥� they throw up their hands. I wanted to give people tools to figure it out. So there鈥檚 a bunch of stuff about banks and how the financial sector impacts climate change, but this is a book about the human experience. I鈥檓 trying to say modern environmentalism is failing, but what can replace it? Can it be exciting?

Let鈥檚 talk about that failure. You鈥檝e that skiing is toast, and that we鈥檝e failed on climate as a society. How do we go forward in the face of that?

When you鈥檙e in a movement that鈥檚 losing it鈥檚 not glamorous, but this is where I think there鈥檚 a connection to the outdoor world. The purpose has to come in the doing of the thing. It鈥檚 like type 2 fun. It鈥檚 not about winning or losing鈥擨 think in any human endeavor it鈥檚 very rare to be able to say,听鈥測es, we won.鈥� Instead, we have to think about it like a practice. We鈥檙e improving the world. As much as a day in my life as a climate fighter is depressing, it鈥檚 also fascinating and weird and filled with these odd twists and turns and micro wins and crippling losses. There鈥檚 a lot of glee in getting into mischief.

You argue that the ways we鈥檝e largely been doing environmental work, particularly corporate sustainability, isn鈥檛 actually addressing the root causes of global warming. How do we change?

When we discovered that CO2 was going to be a problem in the fifties, we should have started getting off [fossil fuels], but we didn鈥檛 because we were misinformed, or because politicians were bribed, and since then we鈥檝e been working toward targets that are in line with what the fossil fuel industry would want. For instance, in my world, the outdoor world, you could say, 鈥渓et鈥檚 talk about recycled skis,鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 really move the needle. Instead, we need to be publicly lobbying our peers and elected officials on climate.

What can someone like me, who isn鈥檛 part of a big business or advocacy group, do to move the needle?

My prescription is this: You get a six pack and you get a few smart friends, and you ask each other 鈥淲here do we have power?鈥� You come up with an answer, then dismiss it if it鈥檚 not to scale.

Think about environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who said 鈥淚鈥檓 going to sit in this one spot for a year.鈥� That helped. You have to just try some stuff. The question is really: Do we want to be citizens or not? Can you go to a town council meeting and talk about the planning and zoning board? You can鈥檛 just sign an online letter and call it good. You have to do real stuff and move your body and get out into society, instead of giving into the inclination to stay in or avoid confrontation.

That requires bandwidth, and there are people who don鈥檛 have that, and that鈥檚 OK too. Revolutions don鈥檛 come from 100 percent of the population mobilizing, it鈥檚 typically 4 to 9 percent, and that can make a difference.

Bandwidth, and who has the ability to act on climate, seems like a really big part of the conversation.

When climate is forcing you into survival mode, you don鈥檛 have the leisure that humans need to thrive. You can鈥檛 just be recovering from the last fire or flood all the time. This is environmentalism writ large right now. You think I have the luxury to care about climate? I can鈥檛 feed my family or pay my health care bills. This gets to the broader question of whether we鈥檙e actually taking care of each other, and we鈥檙e not.

The tension in the book is that the thing that could destroy us is also a fundamental opportunity for change as a society. How do you walk that line?

The cover of the book meant to express that. Like, 鈥淒amn, this thing is kind of fucked up, but it鈥檚 still beautiful.鈥� I think about Tolkien’s idea of the long defeat, and how we鈥檙e in this long battle of good versus evil. We鈥檙e slogging through Mordor. I think this is humanity鈥檚 biggest project but we鈥檙e still making things better. It鈥檚 going to be uncomfortable and hard, but it can still be full of purpose and joy.

The post In “Terrible Beauty,” Auden Schendler Explains Why We鈥檙e Losing the Climate Fight鈥攁nd Why We Have to Keep Trying Anyway appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Update (January 9, 2025): The study cited in this article had a mathematical typo in calculating the exposure risk of a harmful chemical called deca-BDE, inflating the number by tenfold. As a result, some news outlets have canceled the study. But the recommendations to avoid black plastic in the kitchen remains, according to co-author of the study, Megan Liu: 鈥淒ue to our miscalculation (not included in the abstract, highlights, or conclusion) the estimated exposure of one of the chemicals detected, deca-BDE,听in kitchen utensils is an order of magnitude lower than we originally reported. But our recommendation to use alternatives such as wood and stainless steel, especially with kitchen utensils, remains. Deca-BDE is a banned flame retardant that can still pose health hazards, especially to children. Plus, our study also found 10 other harmful flame retardants in certain black plastic items. None of the chemicals tested are regulated in recycled plastics. And they should be.鈥�

Fair warning: if you invite me to dinner at your house and I spy a black plastic spatula in the utensil canister on your counter, I鈥檓 confiscating it. Not because I鈥檓 a thief, but because I care about you. I don鈥檛 want black plastic anywhere near your scrambled eggs or anything else that goes into your mouth.

A published in Chemosphere, a scientific journal covering environmental chemistry, sounds the alarm on the toxicity of black plastic, which is commonly used in kitchen utensils, take out containers, sushi and meat trays, and even childrens鈥� toys.

The study tested 200 household items for bromine, a chemical that indicates the presence of dangerous brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Of the 87 items that contained bromine, the 20 with the highest concentrations were then analyzed for BFRs. 17 came back positive. The items with the highest levels of BFRs: a take-out sushi tray, a black plastic spoon, and a children鈥檚 pirate necklace.

For me, the scariest part of this discovery is that BFRs have been banned in the U.S. since 2004. So why are they showing up in products on our shelves today? It鈥檚 because we鈥檝e recycled BFRs into places that they were never intended to go and it raises big questions about the safety of plastics recycling in general.

Is It Safe to Use Black Plastic?

The growing consensus among experts is that black plastic poses risks to human health and the environment. BFRs are linked to including endocrine, liver and kidney toxicity, cancer, adverse effects of fetal and child development, and more, according to The National Institute of Health Sciences.

鈥淥ur study showed that BFRs (including one called deca-BDE which has been banned in the U.S.) still exist in a percentage of new black plastic household items,鈥� says Megan Liu, co-author of the study and the science and policy manager for , an environmental health and advocacy nonprofit.

The problem, she says, is that BFRs is a broad class of chemicals and only a handful of them have been outlawed. (This is a common challenge with chemical regulations, as I discovered when researching an article on PFAs, aka forever chemicals.) When a specific iteration within a large class of chemicals is banned, companies often switch to a similar鈥攁nd equally harmful鈥攐ne. It鈥檚 been likened to a dangerous game of whack-a-mole in which companies technically stay compliant but exacerbate the danger.

Liu says black plastic contamination traces back to electronics or e-waste recycling. For decades, BFRs have been added to electronics to prevent fire-related injuries and damage to property. BRFs鈥攂oth the banned ones and their cousins鈥� are still in circulation as old and new e-waste makes its way into the recycling system.

鈥淲ithout regulations to end the use of harmful chemicals and prevent them from being recycled, toxic flame retardants will continue to enter our homes through the back door and show up in products,鈥� says Liu.

Plastic Was Never Meant to Be Recycled

This black plastic study reveals an inherent and much deeper problem with our plastic recycling system. Despite how desperately we want to recycle the plastic we consume, it was designed to be durable by its very own founding fathers.

Consider this听 against Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The suit alleges that the mega companies contributed to the plastics crisis by misleading consumers with advertising that praises the recyclability of single-use beverage bottles. 鈥淓xcept at the margins,” the suit reads, 鈥渋t is theater鈥攁 show designed to make consumers feel good about, and be willing to, consume unprecedented volumes of defendants鈥� single-use plastic.鈥�

But don鈥檛 take my word for it. Take it from one of the early champions of disposable packaging. At a 1963 plastics conference, Lloyd Stouffer, editor of Modern Plastics magazine, gave a horrifyingly听celebratory speech about the disposable nature of their darling packaging material and all the money it would make them.

鈥淭he package that is used once and thrown away, like a tin can or a paper carton, represents not a one-shot market for a few thousand units, but an everyday recurring market measured by the billions of units,鈥� he espoused. 鈥淵our future in packaging does indeed lie in the trash can. You are filling the trash cans, the rubbish dumps and the incinerators with literally billions of plastics [sic] bottles, plastics jugs, plastics tubes, blisters and skin packs, plastics bags and films and sheet packages–and now, even plastics听cans,鈥� he said. I picture him raising his fist in celebration, dollar signs in his eyes. 鈥淭he happy day has arrived when nobody any longer considers the plastic package too good to throw away.鈥�

You can read the text of for yourself, and you should because it will blow your mind. It reads like an SNL parody. He waxed on and on about how all the different types of throw-away plastic鈥搄ars, bottles, cigarette boxes, shrink wrap鈥搘ere replacing reusables at a staggering rate. All while saving companies millions.

In this room full of industry titans, Stouffer was leading a pep rally for pollution.

Jackie Nu帽ez, advocacy and engagement manager for Plastic Pollution Coalition, summarizes the fundamental in four words: 鈥淭oxics in and toxics out.鈥� In other words, that should be taken out of the recycling system all together, and dealt with as the toxic/hazardous waste that it is.

鈥淚t鈥檚 ludicrous,鈥� says Nu帽ez. She even takes issue with the word 鈥渞ecycling鈥� when it comes to plastics. She argues that when plastics are reclaimed and melted down, they deteriorate and lose some of the function they were originally designed for. 鈥淓very time you heat up plastic, the chemical bonds weaken,鈥� she says. 鈥淭o turn it back into usable new plastic, virgin plastic must be fed in, perpetuating our hunger for plastic.鈥�

It sounds like the evil twin of a sourdough starter that needs to be fed in order to rise.

Is It Better to Not Recycle Plastics?

Our long-term goal, according to both Liu, Nu帽ez, and many other environmental and health experts, should be to phase out plastic production.

According to Plastic Pollution Coalition, about 460 million metric tons of plastic are now produced annually. That number is expected to triple by 2050. Yet, ever made has been reclaimed. Recycling rates for other materials, like aluminum, glass, and paper, are far higher.

鈥淭his black plastics study brings to light a disturbing fact about plastic recycling,鈥� says Liu. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 recycle our way out of the toxic plastic crisis. It is critical that governments adopt strong restrictions on harmful chemicals and plastics to protect the health of all people.鈥�

While Nu帽ez agrees that we need strong policies and regulations, and that polluters should pay for the harm they鈥檝e done, she does not think that we should just give up and stop recycling.

鈥淵es, consumers should still separate out and sort their plastic according to their local guidelines,鈥� says Nu帽ez. 鈥淭his is our current, albeit flawed, system. It鈥檚 not broken, it鈥檚 just contaminated with plastic.鈥�

How Can You Be Safe from Plastic?

While it鈥檚 clear that single-use plastic is bad for us and for the planet, it鈥檚 also, very hard to avoid it in today鈥檚 world. That听 said, here is an听ever-growing list of ways that I try to keep myself and my family safe from its harmful effects.

• Speak up! This is perhaps the most important thing you can do to create meaningful change. Ask your grocers and favorite restaurants to offer packaging choices that are nonplastic. Ask them to allow and embrace reusables. Write to your legislators and local officials and tell them we need to break free from plastic. Vote for politicians who support these views.
• Throw out your plastic kitchen utensils. This includes spatulas, spoons, strainers, bowls, cups, cutting boards, and containers.
• Shop smart. When you have the choice between plastic and any other material, steer clear of plastic. This is especially important when it comes to food packaging and anything that touches food.
• Adopt a reusable mindset. Carry听your own water bottle. Bring your own cup to the coffee shop. Even tote your own container to restaurants for leftovers. This not only keeps you听safe, it sends a message to the proprietors that you do not approve of single-use plastic.
• Know your local recycling guidelines. Really know them. Call your town or local recycling center and ask specific questions about exactly what they鈥檒l take and won鈥檛 take.
• Sign petitions. It鈥檚 a fast, easy way to be part of collective action. Here are two you can sign today in minutes: supports federal legislation that would limit plastic pollution. supports a global treaty with the same goals.

Kristin Hostetter is 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 sustainability columnist. She is on a perpetual quest to banish plastic from her life. Follow her journey to live more sustainably by for her twice-monthly newsletter.

The post Black Plastic Has No Place in Your Kitchen appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The leaves are starting to fall here in New England and that perennial urge to bust out the rake and leaf blower is nagging at me. But for the first time in, well, forever, I will resist that urge. Because it turns out, raking up and bagging or burning those leaves is not only bad for soil health. It also takes away habitat for important wildlife like bugs and birds, who are critical pollinators.

I know what you鈥檙e thinking. What will my neighbors think if I ignore my yard work? We鈥檝e been taught鈥攂y society, by our homeowner鈥檚 associations, by our parents, and by our landscapers鈥攖o keep our yards clean and tidy. To remove leaves and branches as they fall. To whack back our shrubs and perennials after they bloom. And to invest in big fall and spring clean-ups that scour our flower beds free of debris. Your neighbors might think the alternative鈥攁 yard with fallen leaves, long grass, and flowers gone to seed鈥攊s untidy, or even a threat to property values and health (by attracting bugs and animals).

But ecologists say we need to rethink our preconceived notions of beautiful, well-maintained yards. Lawns comprise 44 million acres in the U.S. alone, more than double the acreage of all our national parks combined. And as satisfying as a perfect green lawn may be, it鈥檚 an ecological dead zone that doesn’t support any of the essential听functions鈥攍ike pollination, carbon sequestration, and nutrient recycling鈥攖hat sustain our ability to live on this planet.

According to a by NatureServe, a nonprofit specializing in biodiversity data, more than one third of species and ecosystems in the U.S. are at risk of disappearing. This kind of biodiversity loss would be catastrophic for humans, ecologist and entomologist Doug Tallamy told me in an interview for a story I wrote about rewilding.

Thankfully, natural landscaping is trending. According to House Beautiful, the practice鈥攚hich includes native perennials, wildflower and pollinator gardens, xeriscaping, and lawn reduction鈥攊s one of . That鈥檚 good news for folks on a budget (and those who want to reclaim their fall weekends) because natural landscapes are way less cost- and time-intensive to听maintain. It鈥檚 also good news for all the bugs, birds, and bees, which are so critical for biodiversity.

But back to raking. As I write these words, I can hear the buzz of leaf blowers in my neighborhood. I can see a big truck piled high with collected leaves, about to be carted off to who knows where. Meanwhile, in my yard, I鈥檓 watching them fall and wondering how to harness their glory.

Why Experts Say Don鈥檛 Rake

鈥淟eaves are not litter,鈥� says Matthew Shepherd, the director of outreach and education at Xerces is a nonprofit focused on protecting and conserving insects and other invertebrates. 鈥淭hey provide critical food and shelter for butterflies, beetles, bees, moths, and other invertebrates. And we need to stop thinking of these tiny creatures as pests, but rather as heroes. Instead of banishing them from our spaces, we need to roll out the welcome mat.鈥�

Insects are critical to humans because they transfer pollen from plant to plant, which helps plants and crops reproduce. 鈥淲ithout these pollinators, and ample habitat for them, our global food supply would be drastically diminished,鈥� says Shepherd. Insects are also a valuable food source for birds, reptiles, and other insects, and they help aerate soil and decompose organic matter.

Additionally, leaf debris helps build healthy soil that holds moisture. Leaves are nature’s fertilizer: free, nutrient-dense organic matter that breaks down and feeds the soil. It’s pretty ironic that we sweep our yards clear of them and then run to the garden center to buy chemical fertilizers (which, according to The Freedonia Group, a market research firm, is a $4 billion market).

Here鈥檚 How to Get the Most Out of Your Leaves

As I watched the leaves pile up on my lawn, I started to wonder whether there were any downsides to letting them be. Is there such a thing as too much leaf litter? What if they dried out鈥攃ould they be a fire hazard? I reached out to Jamie 鈥淒ekes鈥� Dedekian, an organic lawn expert I’ve come to trust at my local garden center, Country Garden, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, to get some basic best practices.

鈥淚f you let leaves build up on your lawn over time, and just let them sit, the answer is yes, they will smother and could kill it,鈥� Dedekian told me. But the answer is not to do a big fall clean up. Instead, he recommended a few easy “clean-in” techniques that will harness all the goodness in those leaves and distribute them in a beneficial way across your yard.

As they start to fall, blow whole leaves into your flower beds, where they鈥檒l create wildlife habitat and eventually decompose and feed the soil and plants. Once you’ve created a blanket in the beds that鈥檚 a few inches thick, then it’s time to feed the lawn some leaves. 鈥淩emove the bag on your mower and mulch them up into small pieces,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially a free compost application. As those small bits of leaves decompose they will actually help your lawn, not hurt it.鈥�

If you live in a wildfire-prone area, you will also benefit from some leaf redistribution, because dry leaf litter听can pose a fire hazard in hot, dry, windy conditions. Shepherd suggests raking them into a pile a safe distance away from structures鈥攖he U.S. Department of Agriculture at least 30 feet from the home鈥攁nd letting them decompose naturally there.

鈥淓ven a small pile of leaves can make a positive impact,鈥� Shepherd says. 鈥淛ust find a corner of your yard, make a pile, and let it be. The animals will find it, and they鈥檒l appreciate it.鈥�

5 Pro Fall Tips for the Eco-Conscious Gardener

As I wrapped up my conversation with Shepherd, I asked him what yard tasks I can be doing to improve the health and beauty of my space this fall. After all, I love gardening and yard work, and with less raking to do, I鈥檇 have lots of time on my hands. Here are his ideas.

1. Relax and watch. 鈥淛ust sit and enjoy your morning coffee while watching the finches feed on your seed heads and the bees buzz around the last of your lavender,鈥� says Shepherd. 鈥淪ometimes protecting and promoting habitat means doing less. Part of gardening should be just sitting back and enjoying it. Actually taking time to notice and watch and appreciate the wildlife that you’re bringing in.鈥� It鈥檚 also a good time to make notes about plants that thrived and those that didn鈥檛, and make a list of new plants you want to try next year. Think about your bloom period through the year. 鈥淒id you have periods when you didn’t have a lot of bloom? Are there native plants you could introduce to fill those gaps?鈥� he says.

2. Collect seeds. Are there plants you love and want more of? For me this year it was cardinal flowers, which drew hummingbirds into my yard every day. I鈥檓 leaving many of the seed heads intact for the birds to feed on, but I鈥檓 collecting some to plant.

3. Make a brush pile, also known as habitat pile. Find a lonely corner of your yard and start building a pile of sticks and branches for animals to. Start with the largest logs and branches on the bottom, and keep adding as time goes on. Be sure to leave gaps for airflow and wildlife access.

4. Save the stems. Some bees nest in the stems of shrubs and perennials, so resist the urge to chop them down to nubs.

5. Split native perennials. Fall is a great time to divide many plants. Dividing entails digging plants up and splitting the root ball into smaller sections to replant in different spaces. This practice promotes growth and is a great way to fill in gaps in your garden. I鈥檝e got tons of splitting to do this fall: black-eyed Susans, daisies, catmint, sedum, and lavender to name a few.

Kristin Hostetter is 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 sustainability columnist. On most weekends when she鈥檚 not out hiking, you can find her puttering in her garden or in the kitchen cooking up the fruits of her labor. Follow her journey to live more sustainably by for her twice-monthly newsletter.

The post Raking Leaves Is Pointless鈥攁nd Bad for Your Yard appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

With all the greenwashing that goes into destination marketing, it can be easy to lose sight of the true meaning of 鈥渟ustainability.鈥� It鈥檚 simple: 鈥淪ustainable鈥� travel is travel we can keep doing. And a huge part of that equation is going to places that have are committed to climate neutrality, where you can trust that your behavior upon arrival is sustainable by default.

These destinations have put serious thought and resources into creating sustainable experiences for travelers who want to do better and feel better about how they use their precious vacation days. More than most other places on Earth, there has been significant governmental investment in public transportation, tourist education strategies, environmental rehabilitation, and waste management. They鈥檝e weighed all that behind-the-scenes stuff that you don鈥檛 have a lot of control over on a short trip鈥攖he environmental overhead, if you will.

To make this list, we looked for cities, countries, and regions that are internationally recognized for environmental innovation. We considered places with听impressive public transportation networks, where you can easily get deep into the backcountry without renting a car. We also looked at rankings of per-capita carbon footprints, which correlates to how sustainable daily life is for the average resident. These destinations stood out for being easy to get around (without cars or commercial airlines), protective of cultural traditions, and sustainable overall by design.

1. Sweden

With one of the lowest per-capita carbon footprints in all of the developed world, it鈥檚 no surprise this Scandinavian nation offers perhaps the most guilt-free traveler experience you can find鈥攚hether you鈥檙e going for urban sightseeing or outdoor adventure. For starters, the country has an incredible waste management system. Earlier this year, Sweden enacted a law that requires everyone鈥攊ndividuals and businesses alike鈥攖o separate food waste from regular trash, which is then converted into biofuel. The country also recycles 35 percent of all plastic waste, and 82 percent of aluminum.

About 60 percent of Sweden鈥檚 electricity comes from renewable sources, and the country intends to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. (In comparison, the United States gets only 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, according to the Department of Energy.)

More significant commitments to green energy abound in various Swedish cities. The port city of Gothenburg has been ranked the world鈥檚 most sustainable city on the Global Sustainable Destination Index for seven years running. Nearly its entire public transit system runs on renewable energy, and over 90 percent of its hotels have been environmentally certified. Stockholm鈥檚 whole land-based public transit system also runs on green energy, and the Swedish capital aims to make all of its ferries carbon-neutral by 2030. In the far north, the city of Skellefte氓 is currently working on electric snowmobiles to offer visitors a quieter way to spot wildlife in the winter.

Access to nature is ingrained in the country鈥檚 ethos, which means there鈥檚 a broad 鈥渞ight to roam鈥� for hiking and camping pretty much everywhere. Even still, the government has recently started investing more heavily into building waymarked trails in lowland regions. To that end, Sweden has spent about $600,000 on the brand-new , which connects roughly 170 miles of new and existing trails across 22 islands using a series of ferries. As of October 2024, you鈥檒l be able to thru-hike the Archipelago from north to south (or vice versa), starting with a ferry ride from Stockholm itself.

I recently got a sneak peek of the trail on a visit out to the islands of Ut枚, N氓ttar枚, Sandhamn, and 脜l枚, and was stunned by how pristine, quiet, and diverse the land was. Some sections traverse soft, sandy beaches where you can swim in solitude even in mid-August. Others wind through evergreen forests dripping with so much moss and lichen that they seem enchanted. You can backpack the entire trail, camping for free on beaches and in forests, or you can stay in well-equipped inns, B&Bs, and guesthouses on every island.

Flight-free travel is easy across the country. Sleeper trains and overnight ferry services connect the major urban centers in the south to other mainland European cities, and the whole country is well-connected by train. From Stockholm, long-distance trains will take you directly into the Arctic.

Beyond all this, Sweden is helping other countries lower their environmental footprints, too. Swedish companies including Northvolt are . Spending your tourism dollars in Sweden contributes to this green economy.

2. Switzerland

Don鈥檛 even think about driving a car in Switzerland. There鈥檚 just no need鈥攁s soon as you arrive, you can take trains, buses, and trams right into the mountains. And if that鈥檚 not enough, gondolas, chairlifts, cable cars, and funiculars can dump you right out onto the trails. The entire nation鈥檚 public transportation network is at your disposal with a , which grants you license to hop on and hop off as you please.

Behind the scenes, about 75 percent of Swiss energy comes from renewable sources, and the country has a serious commitment to recycling. 82 percent of PET bottles actually get recycled in Switzerland, compared to about 30 percent in the U.S.

Switzerland is a vocal champion of international climate issues while also putting policies into practice at home. The nation鈥檚 tourism board has attempted to make the country synonymous with sustainable travel through its long-running 鈥淪wisstainable鈥� campaign, which promotes environmentally-friendly businesses throughout the tourism sector. In order to work with the campaign, partners have to undergo a grading process to prove they meet minimum criteria for sustainable practices.

The national tourism board is also addressing overtourism by touting lesser-known regions eager to welcome visitors. Val Poschiavo, for example, is one of many gateway towns to the , an ancient trade route-turned-hiking-trail. The region has excellent infrastructure but relatively few international visitors, which is an extra bonus for you if you鈥檙e looking for a destination where travel feels鈥攁nd is鈥攅asy while also seeming completely different from your everyday life.

3. Costa Rica

Costa Rica has long been synonymous with eco-tourism for the abundance and diversity of wild experiences within its borders. More than a quarter of the country鈥檚 land is formally protected, and according to the Global Alliance of National Parks, that makes it the world leader in percentage of land protected.

Over the last few decades, Costa Rica has worked hard to repair the damage of previous deforestation. In 2019, it received a Champions of the Earth award from the United Nations for those efforts鈥攖he highest environmental honor the UN awards. In 1987, the nation was only about 40 percent forested, and today that鈥檚 increased to over half. But the nation has no plans to stop there. Currently, the country generates about 98 percent of its energy from renewable sources. By 2050, the country hopes to be entirely carbon neutral.

Costa Rica does have some work to do with regard to recycling and waste management. In 2018, it was found that only nine听percent of renewable waste was recycled, though the country is now taking measures to address this. Earlier this year, Costa Rica passed laws banning the free distribution of single-use plastic straws and bags at the point of sale. Companies selling single-use bottles also have to agree to at least one of several measures to increase their use of recycled plastic, contribute to waste-management programs, or reduce their use of plastic packaging.听 听听

4. The Highlands, Scotland

Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland has a broad 鈥渞ight to roam鈥� that mimics that of Scandinavian countries. Even on private land, you鈥檙e allowed to camp, hike, and paddle pretty much anywhere you like as long as you鈥檙e respectful of people鈥檚 homes and personal space. Protecting the land is an important aspect of Scottish culture, so you鈥檒l also find a strong bent toward听sustainability here. The government has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2045.

If you want to take a guided adventure, go with Wilderness Scotland, an outfitter based in Aviemore. They鈥檝e long been a leader in the tourism industry when it comes to building and operating sustainable trips, and I鈥檝e seen first-hand how the company uses sustainable, locally-owned partners to elevate their small group adventures (starting at $1,825 per person). On one trip to Cairngorms National Park, we e-biked through the mountains to the off-grid Loch Ossian Youth Hostel, which can only be reached by foot or bike. The company uses trains where possible and has a fleet of electric vehicles to cart travelers when private wheels are necessary. They鈥檝e also scored every single one of their offerings so you can see how your carbon footprint on, say, an overnight, island-to-island kayaking and camping trip around the Hebrides compares to a trip where you鈥檇 stay in local inns and hotels.

Best of all, you can take the swanky Caledonian Sleeper Train straight from London to trail towns like Fort William, a terminus of the West Highland Way, and Inverness, where you can walk to put-ins for the .

5. Kyoto, Japan

Japan is a world leader in public transportation and plastic recycling. But the city of Kyoto wins for more than just environmental sustainability. The city has done an impeccable job of preserving its history and cultural heritage, too. It , like woven and dyed textiles, woodcrafts, and handmade washi paper, to keep them alive. There are also , which have been lauded for their dedication to maintaining their original form even as they age and restoration becomes inevitable.

Kyoto offers a fascinating balance of the new, the old, and the natural, all of which are connected by near-perfect public transportation. Within the city limits but worlds away from its busyness, you鈥檒l find the rural town of Ohara hiding among the foothills. Here, the natural environment blends seamlessly with urban comforts. Enjoy a stay in a ryokan to get a sense for traditional Japanese hospitality. Bathing rituals at onsen, or spring-fed baths, offer a glimpse at traditions that have evolved over more than a thousand years. Several temples in the area provide a quiet place for reflection among well-manicured grounds.

The city is also a leader in sustainable tourism among other peer cities in Asia. In 2019, it was the first Asian city to join the , which measures cities鈥� progress on various sustainability measures and creates benchmarks for improvement. Of course, there鈥檚 also ubiquitous public transportation connecting Kyoto to the rest of Japan, offering guilt-free access to adventure and culture well beyond the city limits.

The post 5 Destinations You Can Feel Good About Visiting in These Overtouristed Times appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.