Africa

Adventure Activism, Africa, Environmental Journalism, Environmental Protection / 20.07.2015

Adventurer and social entrepreneur Majka Burhardt wants to change the way we think about environmental conservation. In the interests of protecting endangered ecosystems she’s bringing together a broad collation of stakeholders in an effort to create a sustainable model of mutual cooperation and understanding. The idea is to not only look out for the best interests of plants and animals but nearby communities of human beings as well. As a continuation to her Lost Mountain initiative Burhardt headed back to Mozambique in Africa to help educate an emerging...

Africa, Life Out Loud, National Parks, Tanzania, Travel / 30.03.2015

The great writer and environmentalist Wallace Stegner put into perspective a profound notion that has changed the world. “The national park idea, the best idea we ever had,” he once wrote, “was inevitable as soon as Americans learned to confront the wild continent not with fear and cupidity but with delight, wonder, and awe.” In 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the opening of the world’s first national park the entry was marked with a monument to the understanding that the natural world is where everyone can find the basic...

Africa, Diversity, Tanzania, Travel / 28.03.2015

Over the past several months I've been touring the United States in order to promote my new book. In The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors I address the issue of diversity in the world of outdoor recreation and environmental conservation. It is my hope that by exploring those areas well outside of our comfort zones we can learn to truly love and embrace the many things that make life on our planet truly wonderful. And while much of my work has been focused on the...

Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Africa, Bikes, Cycling, Film Review / 02.12.2013

I had the pleasure of meeting director T.C. Johnstone back in October at the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder Colorado. He was among several speakers who presented the details of their most recent projects that focus on using athletics and international travel as vehicles for social change. Squarely in line with several of the Joy Trip Project’s primary mission parameters I was eager to see his incredible film that demonstrates the recovery and reconciliation of the 1994 Rwandan genocide through the power of bicycles. Rising From Ashes is a...

Adventure Activism, Africa, Charitable Giving, Ethiopia, philanthropy, Photography / 18.11.2013

In our modern world so beautifully illustrated in digital images it’s easy to forget the value of the printed photograph. With literally billions of pictures making their way through cyber space every second of every day few of us take the time to preserve those fleeting moments of our lives that are quickly forgotten but can be instantly retrieved with a few mouse clicks on a computer or taps on the touch screen of an iPad. With Facebook and Instagram we catalog and share these captured bits of...

Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Africa, Climbing, Cool on Kickstarter, Environmental Protection, Film preview / 20.08.2013

[caption id="attachment_224925" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Majka Burhardt and Sarah Garlick scouting lines on Mount Namuli[/caption] Professional climbers Majka Burhardt and Kate Rutherford are pulling together a cadre of scientists and filmmakers to help preserve the environment around a high mountain in Africa. Mount Namuli is the second highest summit in Mozambique. With a 2000-foot cliff face it’s a natural destination for these two adventuring women. But add to their mission the opportunity for ground breaking research and a spirited conservation initiative and you’ve got the makings of an incredible story....