Extreme Sports Gone Weird

Sure, we've all heard of adrenaline junkies jumping out of planes or rafting through dangerous rapids. But what about skydiving in a kayak? If bungee jumping off of bridges isn't crazy enough, check out these extreme sports that have seriously gone off the deep end. 

 

Artistic Cycling 

Landlocked Ocean Love: Give Green

In 2011, over nine million pounds of trash was collected along the world's shorelines, according to the Ocean Conservancy. This Saturday is International Coastal Cleanup Day and if you don't live near a coastline, it might be hard to imagine how you can lend a hand. Water-lovers of the inlands, don't fret — we'll show you how to help.

Tip #3: Donate to the cause.

You may not be able to physically join the party on Coastal Cleanup Day, but you can be there in spirit. The next best step to being there in person is to donate to the efforts. By donating to the international coastal cleanup you will not only be putting money toward future cleanups, you would be supporting clean water, protecting habitats, and helping to restore oil-polluted waters. Or maybe you would rather donate to something a little closer to home? Do a quick search for ocean programs in your area and you'll find that there are plenty of organizations looking for support. The California Coastal Commission, for example, is always accepting donations to support their  Adopt-a-Beach program. Whether you choose to donate at the local or international level, at least you'll have put your money where the trash is.

--Photo courtesy of istock/1stclassphoto

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Landlocked Ocean Love: Spread Word

In 2011, over nine million pounds of trash was collected along the world's shorelines, according to the Ocean Conservancy. This Saturday is International Coastal Cleanup Day and if you don't live near a coastline, it might be hard to imagine how you can lend a hand. Water-lovers of the inlands, don't fret — we'll show you how to help.

Tip #2: Spread the word.

You may not live near a coastline, but we're betting you have some friends or family who do. Encourage them to become a steward of the ocean. Activities for International Coastal Cleanup Day are planned nationwide and the more volunteers the merrier. There are plenty of options available, all they have to do is sign up to clean up. What if they can't find a location close by? Well, if they can't find a spot, encourage them to head to the beach anyway for a solo mission. If the satisfaction of picking up those pesky cigarette butts, plastic products, and other random trash isn't enough, at least they get to spend a day at the beach. Who knows, maybe encouraging others into action will inspire you to go on an outing of your own and join them at that beach.

--Photo by iStockphoto/Matauw

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Landlocked Ocean Love: Park Pick-up

In 2011, over nine million pounds of trash was collected along the world's shorelines, according to the Ocean Conservancy. This Saturday is International Coastal Cleanup Day and if you don't live near a coastline, it might be hard to imagine how you can lend a hand. Water-lovers of the inlands, don't fret — we'll show you how to help.  

Tip #1: Organize a park cleanup.

Everything from the inlands eventually works its way out to the coastline. So one of the best ways to show some ocean love is to keep the streets and parks of your own town as litter-free as possible. Contact your local city chamber and find out if there are any cleanups that you can join. If there's a river nearby, focus your efforts there and become a Sierra Club Water Sentinel.  If there aren't any local events planned, branch out on your own! If you spread the word to your friends, family, and neighbors chances are you'll get a lot of supporters. You can even put in the footwork and go door-to-door to get volunteers or create a Facebook event to organize your efforts. Either way, bringing together your community to clean up your area is a great way to keep that trash out of the gutter and out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

--Photo courtesy of istock/noticelj

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Green Your City

Earth Day Activites: Restore Trails

Spring Cleaning Your Country

Be Cool: Plant Trees

It doesn't take a meteorologist to know that it's hot out there! This week, we'll share tips to help you beat those triple digit temperatures without warming up the planet any further.

Tip #4: Plant Trees

As a long-term solution to an over-heated house, plant trees to create shade. You are also creating a carbon sink at the same time. These trees can also serve as a windbreak in the winter. If you cannot plant trees where you live, escape the heat of your house by spending some time in your local park to take advantage of trees there. Take part in a local tree-planting event to offset some of the carbon emissions from cooling your house.

Can Urban Trees Fight Crime?

Redwood City (left side) has significantly less tree cover than its comparatively wealthier neighbor, Menlo Park (center right).

Is the oak tree outside your home the next Superman? New research suggests that it may be more protective than it appears. Geoffrey Donovan conducted a study in Portland, Oregon, which showed a negative correlation between tree size and crime rates. The larger the crown area of trees, the lower the crime rates.

Well-established trees may deter potential burglars by creating the impression that an area is well cared for, and subject to effective authority. Donovan's study controlled for a number of factors, including the ethnic makeup of the neighborhoods and the value of homes. However, Donovan also admits that areas with larger trees were probably historically well maintained, which resulted in lower crime rates. 

This makes sense, as there is also a strong correlation between tree cover and income level. According to a study on the demand for urban forests, for every 1 percent increase in per capita income, there was a 1.76 percent increase in demand for forest cover. When income dropped by the same amount, demand for forest cover dropped by 1.26 percent. You can see this inequality from space (or Google maps). 

Pick Your Weeds and Find Love!

Wish you had time to date but are always too busy in the garden? Tired of people looking at you funny when you bring up organic farming methods over drinks? Can't seem to find anyone to share your undying passion for weeding? 

You're not alone. Now, thanks to a very creative farm in Idaho, farm-loving singles can meet up for some good old-fashioned speed — we mean, weed dating. The concept is like speed dating, only instead of playing musical chairs in a bar, romance-seeking singles are picking weeds side-by-side in hopes of hitting it off with their fellow farmhands. 

The matchmaking farm in Boise, called Earthly Delights Farm, hosts its "weed dating" event once a year in hopes of bringing at least a few garden-loving folks together — and as a bonus, they get a freshly weeded farm. On their Facebook page, the farm requested that participants BYOT (bring your own tool!) for weeding during this year's courtshipping event at the end of June. 

It's not a bad idea, really, meeting your potential future Mrs./Mr. while reaching for a weed in between two rows of almost-ripe zucchini. You both reach for the same dandelion, hands touch, flushed smiles. . . and a budding romance begins among freshly blossoming zucchini flowers. . . . Sure beats the awkward "we met on an online dating site" story. 

READ MORE: 

Green Date Ideas

Green Online Dating Sites 

Veggie Dating Site filled with Carnivores

--image by Istockphoto/vaeenma

--Allison Montroy is an editorial intern for Sierra and a journalism student at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. 

 

Stray Dog Joins Cyclists on Race to Tibet

A shaggy little stray dog joined a team of cross-country cyclists and raced into the hearts of thousands of fans across China.

The group of cyclists was five days into a 1,700 kilometer race from Sichuan Province to Llasa, Tibet, when they spotted the ball of white fur lying in the sun on the side of National Highway 318.

One of the cyclists, 22-year-old Xiao Yong, tossed a chicken drumstick to the little canine and evidently struck up a bond, because she began to follow them.

After the dog ran alongside the team for a week, proving to be a "cyclist's best friend," they set up a blog that gained 40,000 followers. The story was featured on China.org, where the little dog has become an Internet sensation.

Over 20 days of treacherous mountain cycling, the dog they nicknamed Xiao Sa, or Little Sa, kept running. She ran 50 to 60 kilometers per day, climbing a dozen mountains over 13,000 feet. 

Stunning Time-Lapse Photography of Yosemite

An amazing time-lapse photography video of Yosemite National Park is bringing international attention for photographer Shawn Reeder of Bishop, California.

The two-year project, Yosemite Range of Light, uses nearly 7,000 high-resolution still photos to create an inspiring vision of light and granite, capturing rolling cloud formations and the rainbow-lit waterfalls of Yosemite.

Reeder first came to Yosemite after winning a local waiter contest where he grew up in Maryland. First prize was a trip to Napa Valley wine-country, but the 18-year-old convinced the prize committee to offer a change of venue. Choosing Yosemite as his destination instead, he brought along his best friend, who happened to have a camera. . . .

Wild Green Recipes: Purslane Salad

Urban foraging was once the realm of hard-core locavores. Not anymore. Some farmers' markets now offer wild greens (a.k.a. edible weeds) and foraging groups abound. If you plan to forage for your wild greens, make sure you're picking what you think you're picking, as many edible weeds have toxic look-alikes.

This week, we'll show you how to prepare your wild greens.

Recipe #4: Purslane Salad

Here's yet another cousin of spinach, only more nutritious. Purslane is a succulent plant with a lemony flavor and more omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant. Add sardines for an extra dose of omega-3s!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups purslane

2 cups spinach

1/2 cup snow peas, sliced

1/2 cup cucumber, sliced into half-moons

2 scallions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup Champagne vinaigrette