Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 36: Talcum Powder

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:19:08 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. In January 2005, Carson and a few friends climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Day 36 of the bike trip, 2008 brought Carson and Eric to Mount Washington, Oregon. As Carson points out, both versions of the Mount Washington bring all sorts of interesting challenges. Seeking to alleviate one of the bike trip's major pains, Carson puts some talcum powder to good use before tackling the last day of the bike trip across America. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 31: Bon Appetit!

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:16:14 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. A month and 11 states ago today, the bike trip began. With coupon in hand, Eric and Carson found a buy-one-get-one-free Indian dinner in the Boise newspaper and decided what better way to reminisce about the frequent struggles of the journey's first two Appalachian weeks and the fallow field doldrums of the third. Although Carson's hands and fingers were numb and tingled with the memory of 2,200+ miles, another body part - the belly - was soon feeling the effects of the bike trip. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 30: Alone

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:59:13 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. There was no Internet connection or cell phone coverage in Fairfield, Idaho, and we do not suppose that is much of a surprise. The countryside and mountains in Idaho are vast and empty, but utterly majestic and spectacular. Eric got a flat tire 15 miles into the Day 30 ride, but changed it in record time: how could one get anxiety in this serene and seemingly boundless landscape? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 29: Moonscapes

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:56:36 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Early on the morning of Day 29 outside of Arco, Idaho, Eric and Carson are approached by a ground-shaking "piece of equipment." It did not, however, portend of the day to come. Instead, the long, monotonous Idaho roads became the astounding Craters of the Moon National Monument. The volcanic rock formations, juxtaposed with wildflowers, spindly trees, blue-white-black skies, a brief downpour, slick roads, campers, and gung-ho mountain bikers who wanted to know where we started our trip ("Idaho Falls," Eric said, and then paused, and corrected himself: "Boston!") made for an otherworldly, but very enjoyable, afternoon...enough so, that Carson waxed philosophical about the trip as the day was ending. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 28: Mountain Pass

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:50:37 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. On Day 28, the fickle weather held, and the first three hours of today were the best of the trip thus far. There were long climbs (the first was Teton Pass ~ 4 miles at 10% grade over 8,600 ft) and longer, serpentine, wicked-fast (read: SCARY!) descents. Imagine the classic Tour de France mountain stage you may have seen on TV. The remainder of the afternoon had a bit of everything: cold, heat, rain, snow, tractor trailers, empty back roads, hills, flats, headwinds, tailwinds, a calm, people honking, people waving and giving thumbs up. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 27: Snafus

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:47:26 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. After 1,865 miles, a thwarted Eric and Carson encountered Jackson, Wyoming and National Weather Service alerts warning of an approaching BLIZZARD (12-16 inches in late May!). Looking to make the most of the forced rest day and wait out the storm, we found a store that specialized in 'green' home supplies and had a nice, long conversation with the owner about how our individually sustainable actions can "add up." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 26: Storms

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:37:35 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Truth be known, by the time we had biked to Wyoming, there were several times along the way where Carson was on the verge of pressing the bike trip's red abort button. Day 26, outside Dubois, WY was no exception. The conditions generally had not wanted to cooperate. Through 50 miles on this day, the goings were great. The scenery was beginning to change and become the sweeping landscapes we often see on a postcard. The things short notes were made of, however, quickly changed. First came the darkening clouds, then lightning bolts that surrounded causing Eric to take cover in a thicket of trees, then the hail... after it cleared, Carson returned to the bike to find 40+ mph headwinds and eventual driving rains. About 6 miles from Dubois, a man in a truck pulled up and offered a ride. Mercy at last! ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 24: Recycle

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:52:36 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. A parking lot in Casper, Wyoming, isn't the most intuitive place to be thinking about recycling -- but it's here that we encountered an impressive array of municipal recycling bins, one for every kind of recyclable material. You can't see it on the video because we waited for a moment of quiet to let the camera roll, but while we were there, people were driving up and making use of all of these bins. It all adds up!... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 14: Inflate

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:24:20 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. A few days after accidentally ripping the valve off a new innertube, Eric starts off Day 14 from Peru, IL by properly inflating his tires. We inflated our tires every morning in attempts to maximize efficiency; as in a car, better tire pressure = less friction. Learn more about "Inflate" here... ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 10: Lights Off

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:35:03 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Lighting is one of the biggest users of energy in the home, which is why Carson was so enthusiastic about demonstrating low-energy compact-fluorescent light-bulb technology. It turns out -- perhaps not surprisingly -- that Carson is a better biker than product pitchman. In any case, don't lose the essential message here: you can nix a lot of carbon emissions -- and save money in the process -- just by changing your light bulbs to CFLs and turning off the lights whenever you leave a room for more than 15 minutes! By the way, if you keep the incandescent bulbs, turn them off EVERY time you leave a room for optimal energy savings. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 9: Meeting Jill Palermo

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:05:46 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. On the first rest day of the bike trip, Eric and Carson paid a visit to WE ADD UP headquarters near Cleveland, Ohio, and interviewed co-founder Jill Palermo about her T-shirt campaign to combat global warming. Jill gave us the exclusive back-room tour, where we heard about how she got the idea to start WE ADD UP, and saw T-shirts getting ready to be sent out so that their new owners can be counted in the fight against climate change. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 8 & 18: Eat Less Meat

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:08:14 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Day 8 was the last day before the first rest day of the bike trip across America. If only the rest day for the body and mind meant a rest day for the appetite! Kicking back in Stow, Ohio, Carson and Eric cooked a big chili meal of the vegetarian sort. Eat less meat! About a week later, Eric interviewed a giant cow from Denison, Iowa who agreed: eat more veggie chili and help stop climate change! ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America: Day 5, Pain

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:16:58 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Another day of harsh weather and heavy head winds left muscles Carson didn't know he had sore. Day 5 of the bike trip across the country led us, somewhat ironically, to Wellsboro, PA. Everything wasn't exactly well in Wellsboro! It took nearly 8 hours to bike 90 miles - You do the math! In attempts to recover quickly (what would turn out to be one of the more challenging aspects of the bike trip) and reverse the pooling of blood in the legs that happens over long periods of biking, Carson elevated his legs. An encouraging Eric was quick to remind Carson that holding on to moving cars for help is probably "Plan Z" and that every day could be the "best day." Stay tuned for videos from upcoming days to see if that's true! ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America: Day 4, Wind

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:28:00 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Day 4 was an 81-mile day into the mountains and, appropriately, winds of northern Pennsylvania. Luckily, before the day began, Eric and Carson ate an enormous oatmeal breakfast, complete with honey, cranberries....yum! Rather unluckily, Eric got a flat tire about 5 minutes into the ride. Since he was close to the hotel and a snow flurry was soon approaching in the heavy winds, Eric turned around while Carson pressed on. The wind can't always be at your back.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America: Day 3 (bonus), Playing on the Radio

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:59:00 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. After the interview with Chris Ruhe, where Carson talked about cycling across the country, his band Miles From Land (milesfromland.com), and the WE ADD UP campaign against global warming, Carson played a new song of his: Wires. It's one of the first songs he has written with his relatively new baritone ukelele. "I said brutal truth or white lies? Take your pick. Improvise. Ad lib....."... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking Across America: Day 3, On the Radio

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:57:39 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. When we started out to bike across the country, we had an idea to try and play music at some college radio stations; back in Boston, Carson is in an indie rock band called Miles From Land. We were excited when "Planet Blue," a radio show at Vassar College's (Poughkeepsie, NY) WKVR, offered us a chance to stop by on Day 3 of the bike trip. Chris Ruhe, DJ of Planet Blue, a show focusing on environmental news from the previous week, interviewed a worn out Carson (271 miles in 3 days!) on air about the bike trip, a mutual love of cycling, and the partnership with WE ADD UP. Both Chris and Carson agreed that it is important to encourage others that even the smallest, environmentally sound actions do, indeed, add up.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Biking America with We Add Up to Raise Awareness and Fight Global Warming

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:03:50 GMT

This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. Hi there. We're Carson and Eric, friends and transportation consultants in Boston, where we share an office adorned by a large pirate flag. We've taken some shorter trips (Mount Washington, Death Valley, etc.), but when Carson, the endurance athlete, came up with the idea of biking across America, Eric, the planner, figured it was a good excuse for a much bigger adventure. The plan: Carson will bike the whole distance, while Eric -- who will bike some of the way -- provides support, all in the name of raising awareness about how to reduce our carbon footprint. With the nod from our bosses, and in partnership with WE ADD UP, we set out on a sunny Saturday morning from Boston, joined by many of our friends and colleagues at a cheery send-off.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Carson Poe and Eric Plosky, Boston, MA