RETREET BLOG

RETREET redefines disaster relief by engaging communities to replant lost trees.


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.109

Happy Father's Day! Everyone knows who the world's best dad is – yours! Speaking of the best, check out this amazing list of the world's most superlative trees. There are some real gems in this collection. Connecting these dots would be an incredible trip indeed.

A GUIDE TO SUPERLATIVE TREES (infographic)

A GUIDE TO SUPERLATIVE TREES (infographic)

If your dad is an avid cyclist and you're looking for the perfect gift to give him next year, consider the TwiCycle. Featuring arm-cranks attached to a front wheel gear, this unique ride offers a full body workout. Watch the promo video!

FULL BODY BICYCLE WORKOUT (video)

FULL BODY BICYCLE WORKOUT (video)

Have you ever seen a tree droop at night? Researchers in Austria, Finland, and Hungary studied birch trees using lasers and found something fascinating: trees may sleep. You'll have to click the link below for details.

TREES SLEEP AT NIGHT (article)

TREES SLEEP AT NIGHT (article)

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.89

Beth Moon, an aptly-named photographer from San Francisco, spent the last 14 years photographing the world's oldest trees illuminated by starlight. As she explains, "the series was inspired by two fascinating scientific studies that connect tree growth with celestial movement and astral cycles." Her series of photos is an absolute must see.

OLDEST TREES BY STARLIGHT (photo essay)

OLDEST TREES BY STARLIGHT (photo essay)

This fun, short video starts with a woman walking a baby carriage down the street, then takes an unexpected turn. That's a sweet sidecar!

PRAM CAR - 1951 (video)

PRAM CAR - 1951 (video)

Finally, a scientific study that validates tree hugging! Not only is having direct contact with trees good for your health, so is merely seeing them. It also helps with cognitive development and brain function. If you had any doubts, put your mind at ease with this article. Then, go outside and hug a tree. 

TREE HUGGING SCIENTIFICALLY VALIDATED (article)

TREE HUGGING SCIENTIFICALLY VALIDATED (article)

Indian billionaire Manoj Bhargava has a simple solution for the 1.3 billion people living without electricity in the world: ride one of his bikes! 60 minutes of effort on the Free Electric hybrid bike will power a home for 24 hours. Exercise and electricity? Take our money!

PEDAL POWER (article/video)

PEDAL POWER (article/video)

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.79

New Zealand BMX cyclist Jed Milton just set a new world record, becoming the first person to land a quadruple backflip. This video, courtesy of Nitro Circus, is unreal. Nothing like a little friendly competition to push boundaries!

QUADRUPLE BACKFLIP (video)

QUADRUPLE BACKFLIP (video)

Bicycles have played a number of key roles throughout the last century, serving as everything from military transportation to an emblem of the women's rights movement in the US. National Geographic gathered 16 shots that really put historical context to our favorite machine. Cycle through!

A CENTURY OF CYCLING (photos)

A CENTURY OF CYCLING (photos)

What is a tree worth? Would it surprise you to know that a new study found that an additional ten trees on a given clock corresponds to a one-percent increase in how healthy nearby residents felt? Every little bit helps! This builds upon a thread we originally mentioned in SS&Tvol76. Read more about the many benefits of our green friends at the link below.

WHAT A TREE IS WORTH (essay)

WHAT A TREE IS WORTH (essay)

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.76

Last week, a new scientific study out of University of Chicago built upon what a growing body of research has shown for years: living amid a thriving urban forest is good for your health. The sample included 30,000 residents of Toronto and 530,000 trees that have been catalogued by the city, and comparative analytics revealed some amazing findings. For the first time, quantifiable benefits of having mature trees in a neighborhood became available. One notable quote, for instance, was "having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger." Interesting stuff! Read more about "Treelaxation" at the link below.

TREES ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH (article)

TREES ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH (article)

Some people are content to rest in the shade beneath the trees, but others need a view from the top down. Professional climber Chris Sharma returned to his home state of California after nearly 10 years of living in Catalunya, Spain, in order to climb giant sequoias for scientific research. After an extensive career that established Chris as one of the best climbers in the world, this chance to reconnect with trees, the very reason he got into climbing in the first place, was one he couldn't miss.

FREE CLIMBING REDWOODS (video)

FREE CLIMBING REDWOODS (video)

Also from the world of Red Bull, downhill mountain biker Aaron Gwin pops a tire just a few seconds after his start and, while he doesn't win the race, he puts a seriously epic run into the books. Amazing video!

ON FIRE WITH NO BACK TIRE (video)

ON FIRE WITH NO BACK TIRE (video)

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.62

Sunday Show & Tell is back! Its brief hiatus was due to all of the exciting announcements and activities we have shared over the past month or so. There is just so much to say!

This week, we start with the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, the tallest skyscraper in South America at 1,066 feet. That's as tall as the Chrysler Building! Located in the middle of the Amazon, this tower was built to monitor the relationship between the world's largest rain forest and the atmosphere. Take a peak at these amazing photos.

AMAZON TALL TOWER OBSERVATORY (photo essay)

AMAZON TALL TOWER OBSERVATORY (photo essay)

Since the late 1970s, China has been planting BILLIONS of trees on the southern end of the Gobi Desert. After centuries of deforestation, advancing sand dunes began to seriously threaten farmland and cause horrible dust storms in some of China's largest cities. The answer? The Great Green Wall! Learn all about it at the link below.

THE GREAT GREEN WALL (article/photos/video)

THE GREAT GREEN WALL (article/photos/video)

Speaking of China, American-based Chinese designer Pengtao Yu dreamed up the Cojoy Dual Bicycle. This cooperative set of wheels looks like a cross between a wheelchair, a roller-coaster, and a paddleboat. We'd love to give it a whirl!

COJOY DUAL BICYCLE (photos)

COJOY DUAL BICYCLE (photos)

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.46

Who wouldn't want to ride the world's fastest e-bike? The M55 Terminus, manufactured out of aerospace grade titanium and aluminum, easily reaches top speeds of over 50 mph. Only 275 of these bad boys have been produced (5 editions of 55), so getting your hands on one will be difficult. What a ride it will be though!

The results are in: scientific studies prove that hugging trees is good for your health. Get out and get hugging! You'll live longer.

If you have a few extra minutes, take a look at an amazing map that shows every tree in the USA. We will surely add a few green dots to it before the end of the year. Over 3,000 of them are already ours!

M55 TERMINUS - THE WORLD'S FASTEST ELECTRIC BICYCLE (video)

M55 TERMINUS - THE WORLD'S FASTEST ELECTRIC BICYCLE (video)

HUGGING TREES IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH (article)

HUGGING TREES IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH (article)

AMAZING MAP SHOWS EVERY TREE IN THE USA (map)

AMAZING MAP SHOWS EVERY TREE IN THE USA (map)