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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.106

We've seen folding bicycles before, but the GI FlyBike really takes the cake. This futuristic ride halves in size in seconds and makes for easy storage. This is clip we could watch again and again. And again.

GI FLYBIKE (video)

Happy Birthday to the world's oldest tree! Methuselah, a bristlecone pine, just turned 4,847. It's exact location is kept a secret by the US Forest Service in order to protect it, though we know it stands somewhere in the Great Basin. Here's to many more years!

WORLD'S OLDEST TREE (short article)

What's better than a public food forest? One that floats! Swale, an edible tourist attraction built on a barge, is set to disembark this June in NYC. If you have a chance, check it out.

FLOATING FOOD FOREST (article)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.105

The magical creations of Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy have mesmerized us for many years. This week, we came across a collection of some of his natural wonders that is definitely worth sharing. Who knew you could do so much with just leaves and sticks?

THE ART OF ANDY GOLDSWORTHY (photo essay)

Retrofitting old airplanes to turn them into carpet tree bombers: there's an idea we can get behind. An experienced forester can plant 1,000 saplings in a day. And the plane? 900,000. We'd love to see this in action.

AERIAL REFORESTATION (video)

Looking for a new ride? Not sure where to go and what to ask? Check out this post about buying a new bicycle, in which all of your most embarrassing questions are answered. Happy shopping!

BIKE SHOP QUESTIONS (article)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.101

NASA is using a system of satellite and lasers to create a 3D map of the world's forests in order to determine the amount of carbon dioxide that they encapsulate. The system they've devised, called "lidar," is phenomenal, and is the latest advancement in tree cartography. Learn more below.

NASA USES SPACE LASERS TO MAP FORESTS (article)

Norway is investing $1 billion to create a system of two-lane bicycle highways that connect the country's nine largest cities. The hope is that this new infrastructure will greatly reduce the impact of emissions, and the goal is for at least 10% of journeys to occur by bicycle in 2030. We hope it works!

NORWAY SPENDS $1 BILLION ON BICYCLE HIGHWAYS (essay)

Architects in Ho Chi Minh City were asked to create a new university campus. Taking into account the rapid urban sprawl and takeover of the natural environment, one group created a beautiful design that purposefully invokes a city overrun by vegetation. Seems almost post-apocalyptic. After seeing the photo spread, we definitely want to attend this university!

FOREST CAMPUS IN HO CHI MINH CITY (photo essay)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.66

Today, RETREET launched a new program - SPROUT!

An important part of our mission is to educate the next generation of environmental stewards. Through SPROUT, we teach kids of all ages about trees and then offer you the chance to turn their imaginary trees into a real ones for those rebuilding their communities in the wake of disaster.

Spend a moment looking through the tree gallery. See one you like? SPROUT it!

A new idea has sprung up regarding large scale reforestation, and it involves an unlikely technology. As you can see in THIS VIDEO, BioCarbon Engineering suggests using drones to plant up to 1,000,000,000 trees as a time.

PLANTING TREES WITH DRONES  (video)

Volvo is also making waves with LifePaint, a reflective safety spray that is invisible in daylight but shines brightly in car headlights. As they say, the best way to survive a crash is not to crash!

VOLVO LIFEPAINT (video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.55

NASA recently announced plans to use a laser system originally designed for the International Space Station to create a 3D map Earth's forests in an effort to better understand and quantify their degradation over time. Super cool.

Another amazing technological advance has been proposed by Austrian designer Kristof Retezar. The Fontus is a bicycle bottle system that collects water from the humidity in the air as you ride. Imagine having that during a long ride through the desert!

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art released a vast archive of 400,000 mostly high resolution digital images for public use. What a treasure trove! We searched through their digital archive and found some fantastic paintings and drawings of trees that we had to share. Check out the link below to the album we created, and feel free to use the images at will for any non-commercial purpose!

3D MAPPING FORESTS WITH SPACE LASERS (article)

COLLECTING WATER FROM THE AIR (article)

TREE IMAGES FROM THE MET (photos)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.53

The Netherlands once again leads the pack in bicycle infrastructure design, installing the first solar-powered bike lane. Dubbed the SolaRoad, the 230ft stretch is a pilot project that will eventually lead to energy collection to power street lights, traffic systems, electric cars, and even houses.

The Giving Tree turned 50 this week! Do you have childhood memories of this classic? What are your thoughts on its meaning? Click the link below to watch an animated film version produced in 1973 and featuring the voice of the author, Shel Silverstein. One of our favorites.

And finally, the Rodafonio! This Chilean cycling band contraption needs to join us on RETREET sometime, don't you think? Awesome!

SOLAR-POWERED BIKE LANE (article)

THE GIVING TREE (video)

RODAFONIO (video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.52

One year of SS&T is in the books! We hope you have been enjoying our posts and continue to do so.

This week:

1) Urban Releaf is on an inspiring mission to plant trees across Oakland, CA, and engage the community along the way;

2) Ferrari partner Pininfarina Fuoriserie has created an $11,000 electric fixie, a 1930s era classic coated in woven leather and walnut;

3) Harley-Davidson and The Nature Conservancy have teamed up to plant 50 million trees across the globe by 2025;

4) University of Michigan spent $400,000 to move a centuries-old historic oak tree 100 yards, employing some impressive technology to get the job done.

Enjoy these great stories! Remember, if you come across something you think we should share, send it along!

URBAN RELEAF PLANTS TREES IN OAKLAND (film)

FERRARI PARTNER CREATES $11,000 ELECTRIC BICYCLE (photos)

HARLEY-DAVIDSON TO PLANT 50 MILLION TREES (article)

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SPENDS $400K TO MOVE OLD TREE (audio)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.49

In Japan, fallen maple leaves become a delicious snack after a little bit of frying with sweetened tempura batter. Speaking of fallen leaves, read some excellent tips for what to do with yours instead of stuffing them into trash bags. HINT: trees feed themselves!

You may have heard of the Copenhagen Wheel, which sources say will revolutionize urban transportation. But do you know what makes is so special and what the fuss is all about? Watch a short news clip that explains.

FRIED MAPLE LEAVES IN JAPAN (article)

WHAT TO DO WITH FALLEN LEAVES (article)

THE COPENHAGEN WHEEL (video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.21

Google has teamed up with a number of environmental organizations to create Global Forest Watch, an interactive tool that both details the 500 million acres of forest that has been lost since 2000 and sends out alerts whenever further deforestation occurs. Click the link below or visit www.globalforestwatch.org to see more.

Then, learn about arborsculpture, the craft of training trees into useful and artistic shapes as they grow. On the flip side, check out some beautiful sculptures of trees created out of twisted strands aluminum wire.

Before you go, check out the clip from NBC about our most recent project, Trees for Cleburne!

GLOBAL FOREST WATCH

ARBORSCULPTURE

ALUMINUM WIRE TREE SCULPTURES

TREES FOR CLEBURNE!