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The Joy Trip Project

The Joy Trip Project

Reporting on the Business, Art and Culture of the Active Lifestyle

The Joy Trip Project

The Joy Trip Project

The Joy Trip Project

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#BlackLivesMatter, Capitol Christmas Tree, Commentary, Destinations, Diversity / 29.11.2016

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a brisk afternoon in late November I walked from the United States Capitol Building to the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington D.C. My legs were a bit sore having already spent a long morning on my feet taking pictures of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Just arrived from its home in the Payette National Forest near McCall, Idaho the People’s Tree had made a long journey of more than 3,800 miles over four weeks of travel to receive a hero’s welcome from a...

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Adventure Activism, Capitol Christmas Tree / 14.11.2016

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]verlooking the Clearwater River a crowd slowly gathered to witness something remarkable. Making its way to Washington D.C. from the Payette National Forest in Idaho the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was due to arrive at one of more 26 scheduled stops across the country. Here at the Nez Perce National Historic Park rangers of the National Park Service had erected a traditional First Nation tipi to mark the arrival of the People’s Tree. On this clear November day members of the Nez Perce Tribe rode onto the asphalt parking...

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Commentary / 23.10.2016

Smack in the middle of the North American Association of Environmental Educators Conference my business card scanner started working again. Held this year in my home town of Madison Wisconsin the event brought into my world some of the finest minds working diligently on the critical issues of science in the natural world. Most inspired by the keynote from Dr. David Suzuki, a renown geneticist from British Columbia host of “The Nature of Things”, I took to heart his prophetic words of rebuke and encouragement. “It is un-American...

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Commentary, Diversity, Environmental Justice, Essays / 11.10.2016

Fall chores had preempted my regularly scheduled Sunday morning rituals. Yoga would have to wait as I raked the first round of fallen leaves from the lawn and prepared a pile of yard waste in anticipation of a Thursday pick-up. Sasha came bounding into the garden like a black scud missile on target to obliterate my efforts in a flurry of paws and her wagging tail. Our puppy loves the displacement of splashing puddles and swirling leaves as she turns every moment of our lives into a happy...

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Breaking News, Center For Humans & Nature, Diversity, Greening Youth Foundation, National Monuments, National Parks / 09.09.2016

[caption id="attachment_2064043" align="alignright" width="575"] Greening Youth Interns meet with US Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in Washington DC[/caption]   Until the lion learns to write, the tale of the hunt will glorify the hunter ~ African Proverb   [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen I was collage-age I doubt that I would have had the poise or presence of mind to speak to a cabinet member of a sitting President.  The students who met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell carried themselves with a level of confidence and conviction that I couldn’t help but...

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Commentary, Diversity, National Parks, New Century Vision, On Assignment, Yosemite / 07.09.2016

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s fate would have it, I was heading to Yosemite any way. It was just a few days in advance of my departure on a two-week Joy Trip with stops in California then Utah, a sharp right turn to Washington DC and back to California. I had already arranged a few interviews to gain some additional perspective on the role that people of color play in efforts to protect and preserve the natural world. So when a travel editor from the Guardian newspaper in London contacted by email...

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