Blog on a Log
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Choosing Your Best Camping Stove
Thursday, December 30, 2010
How to Wear Your Buff
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Please Don't Save the Planet - Why the environmental movement needs your children
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and there's no shortage of blogs, tweets and articles suggesting ways you can reduce your footprint and be more eco-friendly.
I'm all for saving the Earth. Hey, it's where I keep all my stuff. Generally speaking I'll support initiatives that mean we use less, recycle more, and otherwise try to reduce how hard we are on this (currently) uniquely habitable planet. But there's one thing I'm not going to do to save the environment - and I'm not sure you should be willing either.
A 2009 Oregon State University study argued that the greenhouse gas impact associated with having a child is almost 20 times more important than other eco-friendly practices, such as driving high-mileage cars or recycling. They said that choosing not to have an extra child is the most eco-friendly decision a person can make.
Full of middle-child uncertainty, I worry I might come down on the wrong side of the vague "extra child" divider - and I wasn't the only person to question when to draw the line. Ecosalon took OSU to its logical conclusion, and argued what is really called for is to have no children at all. "Here's a simple truth," says one woman quoted in the article, "For an average person like me...the single most meaningful contribution I can make to a cleaner, greener world is to not have children."
There's a cold, utilitarian logic to this argument. Even the best eco-warriors among us can't live entirely footprint-free. Therefore, less children = less people on the earth = less harm to the environment. Earth would get along pretty fine without us. The only beings who would miss humanity would be...well....humanity. Forget cutting down on the number of kids - wipe our species off the earth completely and I guarantee better results than any other footprint-reducing initiative.
But that doesn't mean I'm not having children.
Yes, we are hard on the environment, and yes, no reductionist measures will ever be as effective as removing humanity's influence full-stop. But reductionist measures are not our only option.
Levitt & Dubner's Super Freaknomics (recommended reading for those who haven't) argues that reducing new emissions is not an effective means of combating global warming. "It's illogical to believe in a carbon-induced warming apocalypse," the authors contend, "and believe that such an apocalypse can be averted simply by curtailing new carbon emissions." We're too far gone for reducing our eco-footprints to be more than a stop-gap. What we need is to figure out how to reverse the damage that's already been done.
Levitt and Dubner alone discovered three ingenious projects in development that would cheaply and effectively slow (or even halt) the effects of global warming. Sure, these measures aren't fixing the pre-existing damage either, but they could buy us practically unlimited time in which to research how to do so.
And you know what research needs? Researchers. Human beings who have the drive and passion to study the harm humanity has inflicted on our environment and try to determine how we can fix it, not just stop doing more.
So don't go childless to save the environment. Have children, and raise them to be eco-aware and passionate about saving the earth. Make sure they understand the difference between living eco-friendly, and attempting to remove humanity from the earth altogether. Once we save the earth, it'd be nice to think there was someone around to enjoy it.
B
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Layering 101
I put on my baselayer top (patagonia capilene 3) inside-out by mistake yesterday. I could tell almost immediately - I was warm... but sweating like crazy! I turned it right side out and I became warm and dry. It's all got to do with the way moisture is drawn through the fabric of your layers. Watch this video to find out more - and try to remember to put your clothes on the right way out!
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Thursday, December 30, 2010
Welcome to the Blog On A Log!
It's official - the new Wilderness Supply Blog is up and running and you're reading it! And might I say what an intelligent and good-looking individual you are for doing so.
Wilderness Supply Company is an outdoor store with a passion for adventure. We have two physical stores (in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Thunder Bay, Ontario) and our online shop. Wilderness Supply supports adventure in its many forms, and so will this blog. Whether you find it with a paddle in hand, by slipping into a well-worn pair of hiking boots, by gliding through a winter wonderland or by traveling to every end of the Earth, this blog will focus on the varied information and gear relevant to you and your adventures.
Your intrepid blogger is one B, located in our great Canadian prairies and a committed adventurer herself. I've tented in every province, backpacked through Europe, and spent most of my life in and out of the Whiteshell as a hiker, paddler, and all-around vagabond. I'm excited to be sharing my experiences (flip-flops and bogs do not mix) and also asking some questions (8 month trek in 45L backpack - can it be done?) here on the Blog on a Log.
Check back every week or so for new posts on a variety of relevant adventure and outdoor subjects. An RSS feed is coming soon so you can subscribe in your email or feed reader.
Happy trails!
B