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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.60

Did you have a treehouse when you were a kid and love spending time in it? Wish you could live in one now? There are a few folks out there who decided to make that dream a reality. Check out their amazing creations.

ADULT TREEHOUSES (video)

We came across this awesome video of an acorn sprouting into a small sapling over the course of 8 months. It's a wonderful thing to watch to start a new year. 

SPROUTING OF AN ACORN (time-lapse video)

The TEAGUE X Sizemore is the ultimate urban bicycle. It's handlebars become a lock. It has brake lights and turn signals, as well as electric assist. The fenders are minimal and the storage adjustable. Put us down for one! Or maybe a new RETREET fleet?

TEAGUE X SIZEMORE: THE ULTIMATE URBAN BICYCLE (video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.59

If you were to step back in time 100 years, the streets of NYC would be noticeably barren of trees. As the population grew by 65% and more and taller buildings jutted towards the sky, leafy green protrusions also spread across the cityscape. Take a look at some amazing before and after shots that truly show what a difference a tree makes!

NYC BEFORE AND AFTER (photos/article)

As the holidays approach, stories abound of wonderful organizations holding bike giveaways for needy children. Do a quick search! One in particular is especially inspiring. For years, The Bicycle Man gave hundreds of children in the Fayetteville area of North Carolina happiness on two wheels. Now, his widow carries on his legacy.

THE BICYCLE MAN GIVEAWAY (video)

Need to take a break for all the merriment? Enjoy a virtual stroll through some of the most gorgeous paths on the planet. Even better, go for a walk and soak in the subtle beauty of your own neighborhood!

MAGICAL PATHS (photos)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.58

Cycling culture creates jobs: hundreds of thousands of them. According to a new study commissioned by the European Cycling Federation (ECF), 7.4% of Europeans use a bicycle as their preferred mode of transportation, and two bicycles are sold for every car. In fact, some even point out that the number of jobs created by cycling in Europe (655,000) is larger than the number of jobs created by the largest three American automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, combined (510,000).

BICYCLES MAKE JOBS (article)

Koen Olthuis, a Dutch architect, has dreamed up a series of floating pillars of sea trees that would serve as a wildlife habitats in coastal waters next to the world's largest cities. These layered habitats, intended to be inaccessible to humans, would be skyscraper-sized refuges for flora and fauna.

SEAT TREES (article)

Then there's the Impossible electric bicycle, which folds up into a snazzy object that can fit into a backpack. This new design is incredibly light and durable, capable of taking a 180-rider up to 15 miles. Check out their Kickstarter page!

THE IMPOSSIBLE ELECTRIC BICYCLE (video - Kickstarter)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.57

This Sunday, we thought it fitting to start off with photos of a very unique construction: a majestic Gothic cathedral comprised of living hornbeam trees. The framework, completed in 2010 and laid in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, will eventually rot away, replaced by pillars of trunks with a canopy of meshed together branches forming a vaulted ceiling.

TREE CATHEDRAL (photos)

Next, a fun PSA from the UK that urges drivers to pay attention to their mirrors. You never know what you'll see! Potentially NSFW.

NOW YOU SEE ME (video)

Looking for a good book to read this holiday season? If you enjoy nonfiction, we recommend "American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation," by Eric Rutkow.

As listed on Amazon, "Rutkow's 'deeply fascinating' (The Boston Globe) work shows how trees were essential to the early years of the republic and indivisible from the country's rise as both an empire and a civilization. Among American Canopy's many captivating stories: the Liberty Trees, where colonists gathered to plot rebellion again the British; Henry David Thoreau's famous retreat into the woods; the creation of New York City's Central Park; the great fire of 1871 that killed a thousand people in the lumber town Peshtigo, Wisconsin; the fevered attempts to save the American chestnut and the American elm from extinction; and the controversy over spotted owls and the old-growth forests they inhabited. Rutkow also explains how trees were of deep interest to such figures as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt, who oversaw the planting of some three billion trees nationally in his time as president."

Pickup a copy of this great book online at AmazonSmile using the link below and support RETREET with your purchase!

BOOK RECOMMENDATION (link to AmazonSmile)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.56

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Perhaps the best holiday of all, it is a day to remember and appreciate the gifts, both big and small, that life has bestowed upon us. We hope you were able to enjoy delicious food and stimulating conversation with family and friends.

Here at RETREET, we are most thankful for all of the folks who have helped us in any way to plant more trees for more people over the past three years. Our community is our heart. THANK YOU for being a part of it.

Now that you're most likely stuffed full of leftovers (we are!) and enjoying the fleeting few hours left in your holiday weekend, it's time to enjoy SS&T.

Lilly Yokoi, a member of one of Japan's most famous entertainment families, is known as the Ballerina on the Golden Bicycle. Learn why by clicking the link. Her tricks are unparalleled. 

LILLY YOKOI - THE BALLERINA ON THE GOLDEN BICYCLE (video)

Then take a forest bath through this glorious set of photos, which will put you in a great mood to start a new work week.

FOREST BATHS! (photos)

And finally, marvel at the reintroduction of the dandy horse, one of the precursors to the bicycle. Looks like a fun way to burn some of those extra calories!

NOIR VIF - THE DANDY HORSE REBORN (images)

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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.54

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. Veterans Day, still called by its original names Armistice Day and Remembrance Day in many parts of the world, was created to celebrate the end of that unprecedented conflict, which took place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. One project in the U.K. wants to commemorate the sacrifices made by millions during that time by planting four Centenary Woods across the country. What an amazing example of the healing power of trees!

CENTENARY WOODS (video)

In Nuenen, Netherlands, artist Daan Roosegaarde unveiled a bicycle path inspired by Van Gogh's famous painting Starry Night. His dreamy pathway is enough to make even the most timid cyclist want to take a night ride.

VAN GOGH BICYCLE PATH (photos)

The Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle, Washington has built an urban food forest on 7 acres of public land. Located in one of the most diverse zip codes in the United States, their neighborhood community has come together to grow their own food to rehabilitate the local ecosystem, improve public health and educate about the climate impact of food production.

BEACON FOOD FOREST (video)

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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.51

Believe it or not, millions of years ago forests covered Antarctica. The weird trees that lived there at the time adapted to survive both for months on end without sunlight during winter, and for one very long day during summer. Learn more about the amazing dead forests of Antarctica. 

Then, check out the bicycle Ford produced with Pedego: a stylish super cruiser that can travel up to 20 miles at 20 mph on a single charge. That's certainly the first zero-emission vehicle they have made and a rather desirable ride!

The Nature Conservancy recently created a wonderful new campaign, If Trees Could Sing, through which well-known musicians share stories and facts about their favorite trees. Fun and educational! Definitely worth a look.

STRANGE FOSSILIZED FOREST OF ANTARCTICA

FORD & THE PEDEGO ELECTRIC BICYCLE

IF TREES COULD SING