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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.68

Have you ever enjoyed a tasty beverage atop a tall tree? That was all the fashion in 1850s Paris, when residents flocked Les Guinguettes de Robinson to drink and dance atop the chestnut trees. An innkeeper in the hamlet of St. Eloi, inspired by the story of Robinson Crusoe, dreamed up the bars, which quickly became a big hit. Time for a revival!

LES GUINGUETTES DE ROBINSON (photos)

From the tops of trees we take you to the top of a mountain, only to come straight down. What an amazing descent. White knuckles.

CRAZY MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE (video)

On the subject of amazing, behold the world's 10 most remarkable trees. Which one is your favorite? Have you visited any of them?

10 MOST REMARKABLE TREES (photos)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.67

We rarely see cycling skills to match those of ACT 4, an all-female team from Slovakia. Give this short video from one of their competitions a watch and be amazed! It's hard to imagine doing most of these tricks on two wheels.

ACT 4 CYCLING TEAM FROM SLOVAKIA (video)

Sometimes, reverse psychology is the best way to get your point across. That's exactly the tactic TreePeople, a nonprofit in California, employed when making this film about saving concrete. It's sure to make you smile.

SAVE CONCRETE! (video)

The Loopwheel is an innovative concept that replaces spokes by integrating shock absorbers directly into its design. This sweet wheel makes for less bumpy and quieter rides.

LOOPWHEEL (article and video)

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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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OKC RETREET
March 28+29, 2015

We held our first conversation about OKC RETREET eighteen months ago, after our partners at Texas A&M Forest Service suggested we reach out to Oklahoma Forestry Services to setup a planting in the wake of an EF5 tornado struck Moore on May 20, 2013. The devastation had made international news: 24 lives lost, 1,150 homes destroyed, 4,000 trees swept away, and an estimated $2 billion in total damages. RETREET was eager to help our neighbors and excited to work in a new state.

SWIPE MAP OF MOORE - BEFORE & AFTER THE TORNADO

Moore needed some time to heal, so we decided to wait a year, until the next planting season. In Charlotte, North Carolina, at the 2014 Partners in Community Forestry Conference last November, our Executive Director sat down with representatives of Oklahoma Forestry Services and Arbor Day Foundation to discuss the need for trees in Moore. It was the start of an amazing partnership. Together, we decided that both OKC RETREET and Oklahoma Community Tree Recovery Campaign, a newly launched project of Arbor Day Foundation, would take place the closing weekend of Oklahoma Arbor Week. Our national partner ACTrees suggested we reach out to Tree Bank Foundation, well-respected local nonprofit organization that would be a great resource for both events.

THE TREE BANK FOUNDATION, ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION, RETREET, & OKLAHOMA FORESTRY SERVICES

With dates selected and a team of partners at hand, RETREET set out to raise funds for the event and collaborate with local organizations. Once again, ArborGen offered to provide $2,500 towards the purchase of trees, allowing us to offer larger specimens to each family. JCPenney sent $2,000 in support of general operations and The Home Depot approved a grant request for $1,350 of supplies, including mulch, shovels, pruners, gloves, pickaxes, and coolers. Hampton Inn & Suites gave generously reduced rates to our RETREETers.

Enthusiasm for OKC RETREET at the local level was palpable. Numerous entities, including City of Moore and SERVE MOORE wanted to be involved, and a whole host of volunteers offered to come out to plant trees. At the beginning of March, notifications were sent to residents of Moore regarding the availability of trees and, within three weeks, 193 requests were received, 2.5 times the 80 requests we expected to be able to fulfill. OKIE was contacted two weeks before the plantings so that all utilities could be marked and a representative from Oklahoma Forestry Services and its partners visited with each recipient thereafter to ensure that every tree would be planted in the right place.

MEETING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Two days before OKC RETREET was set to begin, another tornado hit Moore. Though much less powerful than the previous one, enough damage was done that relief efforts had to begin all over again. Trees and RETREETers were en route and everything was lined up for the weekend. It was up to the City of Moore to decide whether or not to proceed.

After serious consideration, and with teams of volunteers cleaning up debris in multiple neighborhoods, the locals resolved to see OKC RETREET come to fruition and not allow the new storm to postpone our plans. Recovery efforts from one tornado would occur alongside relief efforts from another. #MooreStrong!

DAMAGE FROM THE MARCH 25, 2015, TORNADO

On March 28, 2015, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, 22 RETREETers were joined by 50 local volunteers in Veterans' Memorial Park. After a short welcome from city representatives, a tree planting demonstration, and lunch provided by Moore Beautiful, the assembly broke into small groups and planted a total of 162 trees in Moore, an even mix of 15-gallon Shumard Oaks and 7-gallon Redbuds, Oklahoma's state tree. The locations included Veterans' Memorial Park, the Community Renewal Center, and 78 home sites. All plantings were completed within 7 hours; a truly inspirational effort. Volunteers converged on the Community Renewal Center for a delicious dinner following the planting, sponsored by Silver Star Construction and whipped up by RETREET's own Daniel Avazpour.

DINNER AT MOORE COMMUNITY RENEWAL CENTER

Several TV stations showed up to cover the event and, that evening, while RETREETers enjoyed the nightlife of Bricktown, our story ran on most major networks in OKC. Over the following two days, affiliate stations all over the country picked it up.

FOX 25 - OKC

ABC 5 - OKC

Sunday morning, RETREETers gathered at Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. They were given a personal tour of the grounds by Oklahoma Forestry Services and then taken through the museum. After that sobering experience, the group went for a bike ride along the Oklahoma River and on some of its great bike paths. It was a perfect ending to a fulfilling and fantastic weekend.

RIDING BICYCLES AROUND OKC

RETREET would like to thank everyone who was involved with OKC RETREET in any way. We look forward to our next outing in the area and hope to return this fall. To help us plant more trees in Moore, consider SPROUTING A TREE!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM OF OKC RETREET

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.65

Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi are a truly amazing duo. Haixia lost his sight and Wenqi his arms in unrelated accidents at work. Determined to continue leading productive lives, the two best friends started a business and have planted 10,000 trees over the past 10 years, overcoming incredible challenges together. Their inspiring story deserves a read.

BLIND MAN AND ARMLESS FRIEND PLANT TREES (photo essay)

An often-forgotten fact of history: cyclists were the first advocates for paved roads. Back in the late 1800s, the bicycle was the new technology on the scene, and riding conditions were terrible. Enter the League of American Wheelmen, who pushed for better roads, convincing their fellow citizens that improvements would benefit all. Even Henry Ford gave credit where credit was due. Remember that the next time you are on the road! 

CYCLISTS: FIRST ADVOCATES FOR PAVED ROADS (photo essay)

On a completely related note, there are some awesome futuristic concepts regarding the next generation of roads for cyclists. Among them, the SuperCycle pathway, a 221km elevated bicycle superhighway in London. Check out the details and components of this amazing design!

SUPERCYLE PATHWAY IN LONDON (photo essay)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.64

Who wouldn't want to move to Turin, Italy, after seeing this amazing building designed by architect Luciano Pia. 25 Verde incorporates trees and plants into its undulating structure, protecting residents from noise and air pollution. Click below to see more!

VERTICLE TREEHOUSE (photo essay)

A California-based company has designed the perfect coffee cup: one that is biodegradable and grows into a tree when planted. Imagine a world in which each coffee you drank sequestered 1 ton of CO2 during the 40 years following its consumption? Amazing.

BIODEGRADABLE CUP THAT TURNS INTO A TREE (photos/video)

There are lots of innovative bicycle helmets hitting the market these days, from stylish to invisible. The DORA helmet puts safety communication at its core. With a headlight on the front, a brake light on the back, and two turn signals, this could very well be the choice helmet of the future. 

ALL-IN-ONE BICYCLE HELMET (video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.63

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."

- Susan B. Anthony

This week on Sunday Show & Tell, we start with a virtual forest walk. Spend your evening on a stroll though some magical and soothing locales from around the world.

BEAUTIFUL FOREST WALKS (photos)

Next, take a trip underground to Mega Cavern, a spelunking mountain bikers ultimate paradise right outside of Louisville, KY. Formerly a crushed stone mine, this 17-mile long, 320,000 square foot venue is known simply as THE MINE.

MEGA CAVERN - UNDERGROUND BICYCLE PLAYGROUND (film)

Finally, in the all senses of the word, is the burial pod that allows you to become the tree of your choosing. Imagine replacing cemeteries with spiritual forests where each tree physically represents a person. An interesting idea...what do you think?

BURIAL PODS THAT TURN YOU INTO A TREE (photo essay)

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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)

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)

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)

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BASTROP RETREET V
February 7+8, 2015

Last weekend, 37 RETREETers from 5 different states and 2 foreign countries planted 163 trees at 33 homes in Bastrop, TX, in the wake of the 2011 wildfires, and 21 trees at Dove Springs Recreation Center in Austin, which serves an area severely affected by the Onion Creek Flood of 2013. It was an amazing effort made by a fantastic group of people.

Three weeks leading up to BASTROP RETREET V, we released a promo film that was shot by Shoot First Pictures and edited by FistCloud Productions. A moving piece that deftly showcased our ongoing efforts in Bastrop, it went a bit viral online. Give it a watch!

Aside from planting trees, RETREETers rode bikes, acquired skills, made friends, listened to live music, and enjoyed Texas history over the weekend. In partnership with TreeFolks, we hosted our third annual community event on Saturday night, February 7. Dubbed the MILLION TREE SHINDIG, it commemorated the planting of 1,000,000 pine saplings by TreeFolks and 767 hardwoods by RETREET, to date.

MILLION TREE SHINDIG featured live chainsaw carving by Griffon Ramsey, this year's People's Choice Award Winner, as well as performances by Raina Rose, The Lost Pines, Aunt Ruby's Sweet Jazz Babies, and Trái Bo.

We want to thank all members of The communiTREE who contributed to BASTROP RETREET V, which would not have been possible without their support. These wonderful companies and organizations deserve our collective gratitude.

To the Eugene McDermott Foundation, Felvis Foundation, Texas Urban Forestry Council, and City of Bastrop for their financial support, and ArborGen for sponsoring the trees, THANK YOU!

To Miller Family Automotive & U-Haul for loaning us a truck to make deliveries, Richardson Bike Mart for gifting us bicycle rentals, Bike World for supporting us on the ride to Bastrop, Neighbor's Kitchen & Yard for donating 15% of proceeds from their food sales the night of MILLION TREE SHINDIG, H-E-B for bringing lunch on Sunday, RECOVER for hooking us up in the merchandise department, and all of the RETREETers for giving of yourselves both physically and financially, THANK YOU!

Can't wait to see you all on the next one. OKC RETREET is March 28+29!

View the album of BASTROP RETREET V by clicking the photo below.

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.61

Beth Moon, a photographer based out of San Francisco, spent 14 years traveling the world photographing the world's most ancient trees. Her collection of shots is beyond gorgeous, and definitely worth your attention.

ANCIENT TREES (photos)

You many have already head of the world's first invisible bicycle helmet, but this video gives some great insight into how it actually works. Peep it!

THE HÖVDING (video)

In a previous edition of SS&T, we shared an article about Jadav Payeng, the widely-proclaimed Forest Man of India. The inspiring tale of Jadav, who has spent the past 25 years planting an entire forest in a barren wasteland, was captured in the this film. Enjoy!

FOREST MAN (video)