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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.96

Living Lands, a nonprofit organization, has pulled together a powerful group of partners to plant 3.7 million trees in South Africa to combat desertification, an issue that affects 168 countries across the globe. Learn about how trees act as a form of insurance to protect against land degradation and restore watersheds.

PLANTING TREES IN SOUTH AFRICA (article)

A Detroit-based company called Shinola has a beautiful city bike on the market. Experts at leatherwork, their bicycles employ a number of strong characteristics that were forged over the years in the motor city. Beautiful design!

SHINOLA BICYCLES FROM DETROIT (photo essay)

Interested in the science behind urban tree health? The article below is a great resource regarding the latest and greatest. Geek out.

URBAN TREE HEALTH (article)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.88

We start off this week with a simple entry: a seriously awesome downhill run on a beautiful mountain by Brandon Semenuk. Smile.

DOWNHILL RUN (video)

Trees have a major impact on urban landscapes. Many people know they provide shade, food, oxygen, and animal habitats, but there are other, lesser known, benefits. Can you guess what they are? HINT: we've posted a couple of related articles in recent weeks.

BENEFITS OF THE URBAN FOREST (article)

Last month, a redesigned intersection opened in Salt Lake City, UT, to the joy of local cyclists. Touted as the best intersection for bikes in the world, this novel idea sprouted from the mind of a professional video game designer. Hopefully, it will be the first of many!

THE BEST INTERSECTION FOR BIKES (photo essay/video)

Feeling a bit lethargic now that fall is in full swing and temperatures have dropped? There's good news! A campaign from National Wildlife Federation is promoting the concept of leaving the leaves, as in, no raking. It's good for the soil, trees, and wildlife. That leaves more time to ride your bike.

DON'T RAKE YOUR LEAVES (article)

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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)

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)

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)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.42

Have you ever had your bike stolen? Awful, isn't it? A team of engineering students from Chile has designed a bike whose frame is a lock. A novel approach to preventing theft, this bike can't be stolen intact. Check out Yerka Project at the link below.

Recently, The Diane Rehm Show explored issues facing U.S Forests and Trees, both urban and rural. It's a fascinating listen for a post-ride Sunday afternoon.

Speaking of which, why do you ride your bike? Certainly, there are many reasons to do so. Enjoy an inspirational advertisement about just that. It'll being a smile to your face.

Happy Sunday!

YERKA PROJECT (video)

U.S. FORESTS & TREES (podcast)

GET ON YOUR BIKE! (video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.41

Congratulations to the riders of the 2014 STIHL Tour des Trees, who just completed their epic 585-mile week-long ride across Wisconsin! These amazing folks raised a total of $473,883 this year in support of urban tree research and education grants. Their grit, determination, expertise, and passion are qualities we are thankful to regularly welcome on RETREET. Hope to see more of you this coming fall!

Take a look at 16 of the most magnificent trees in the world in a series of stunning photos. Have been lucky enough to see any of them in person? Which is your favorite?

Finally, The FLIZ seems like a return to some of the first iterations of what became the modern bicycles we all know and love. Lacking pedals, it resembles running with wheels. Would you give it a spin?

2014 STIHL Tour des Trees

16 Most Beautiful Trees in the World

The FLIZ

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.38

Have you been watching the World Cup? A fun fact about Brazil: the largest urban forest in the world surrounds the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero. It was planted by hand 150 years ago. Read more about this amazing project below.

An amazing project has been launched by Belgian artist Naziha Mestaoui. "One Beat One Tree" connects the growth of virtual trees that are projected on cityscapes to the heartbeats of viewers by monitors connected to their smartphones. Then, corresponding real trees are planted in areas throughout the world.

Most reading this blog know biking makes you a better person. Not better than everyone else, just a better version of yourself. How? Why? Click the link!

TIJUCA FOREST

ONE BEAT ONE TREE

RIDING A BIKE MAKES YOU A BETTER PERSON

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NYC RETREET FILM

Walter Meyer, our NYC reTREEt partner from Local Office Landscape & Urban Design, explains how NYC reTREEt came to be, the importance and function of the planting plan, and the colossal impact we made in The Rockaways.

Footage courtesy of Patrick Reis.