Category: ethics

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Mt Everest Base Camp Trek for Those Battling Type 1 Diabetes

Guest post by Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation:

Today the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation announced that fundraising efforts are reaching new heights.

Beginning October 27, Foundation friend and Highlands Park, Colorado search and rescue volunteer Gary Fraser will be undertaking an arduous journey to the base camp of Mount Everest in honor of Sophia Ruggieri, who tragically died from complications due to Type 1 Diabetes.

After a series of flights that will culminate in a white-knuckle landing into Lukla, Nepal, one of the world’s most dangerous airports, “Fraser’s Trek for Type 1” will cover 15 days of grueling climbs, with stops in multiple Sherpa villages as Mr. Fraser acclimates to the thinning atmosphere on his way to the Everest base camp at 17,600 feet.

“I am so happy to be able to honor Sophia and bring attention to this great cause by my expedition to the Everest base camp,” stated Mr. Fraser. “Sophia loved hiking, and I know that her spirit will help inspire me during this demanding journey.”

Proceeds from Fraser’s Trek for Type 1 will be used to support children and young adults battling Type 1 Diabetes, including by providing college scholarships and paid attendance at a specialized T1D camp. 

To support Gary’s climb and help those with T1D, please click on the Give Lively link here:

Support Fraser’s Trek for Type 1

Those who donate $100 or more will receive a commemorative “Fraser’s Trek for Type 1” t-shirt. To see updates of Mr. Fraser’s journey, please visit the Foundation website at www.sophiaruggierifoundation.org.

THE SOPHIA RUGGIERI MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

The mission of the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation Serving Those with Type 1 Diabetes Inc., a 100% volunteer public charity, is to identify cost-effective ways to help T1D youth, and to provide such aid directly, such as through college scholarships, or indirectly through other 501(c)3 organizations.

The Foundation was established to honor Sophia Ruggieri, a Dacula, Georgia resident, loving daughter, sister and friend, who passed away from Type 1 Diabetes.

The organization’s inaugural and ongoing fundraising event, Sophia’s Stroll, is a testament to Sophia’s love for hiking the forests and trails of North Carolina, travel and exploration.

Each summer, the Foundation sends children to Camp Kudzu, a Georgia-based camp that for 25 years has brightened the summer for children ages 8 to 18 who have Type 1 Diabetes, where Sophia enjoyed volunteering.

At Camp Kudzu kids not only have fun, but they also get to learn important steps in dealing with this silent disease.

In addition, the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation awards college scholarships to students with Type 1 Diabetes and helps fund the provision of needed medical supplies and devices.

For more information about the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation, please call 470-389-2931, email info@sophiaruggierifoundation.org, or visit www.sophiaruggierifoundation.org.

Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation

+1 470-389-2931

info@sophiaruggierifoundation.org

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British Columbia Marine Trails Code

I spend a lot of time on the B.C. coast. Love it.

Our hike in the world is the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island.

Often I’m on First Nations Traditional Land. And I want to be respectful of each First Nations rules.

Here’s the Marine Trails Code Of Conduct.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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$100 Million Donation to U.S. National Parks

Aug. 26, 2024

The National Park Foundation (NPF) today announced a historic $100 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

This transformative grant — the largest ever received by NPF and the largest grant benefitting national parks — celebrates a pivotal moment in safeguarding the future of America’s treasured national parks. …

Lilly Endowment’s grant will serve as a catalyst to scale and accelerate NPF’s impact. Working together with the National Park Service and park partners, NPF will allocate the funds to four key priority areas:

  • Inspire the Next Generation of Park Stewards: Creating opportunities for youth and young adults that will foster a deeper understanding of history, appreciation for environmental stewardship, and connection with our natural world.
  • Conserve and Preserve Threatened Parks and Wildlife: Addressing critical initiatives that will ensure the health and longevity of the fragile ecosystems and diverse species that call our national parks home.
  • Ensure a World-Class Visitor Experience: Securing a future where national parks can accommodate unprecedented growth and leverage new technology, while remaining accessible and awe-inspiring for all visitors.
  • Tell a More Complete Story of America: Delivering a more comprehensive historical narrative, including the experiences of communities whose voices and contributions have not been fully told as a part of the American story. …

To learn more about the National Park Foundation’s mission and donate today, visit nationalparks.org.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is one of the world’s largest private philanthropic foundations.

… historically focused on three primary grant areas: community development, education, and Christianity. …

It has given to some politically and religiously conservative causes, especially in the 1960s.

… Climate change denial …

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Women – 140 days Great Himalaya Trail

Wow. What an undertaking.

The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) Women Leaders on the Trail Campaign (GHT Women Leaders campaign) is a once in a lifetime opportunity to elevate the roles and status of female Nepali guides and porters in Nepal.

The campaign involves organizing a group of female Nepali guide(s) and porters to trek on the Great Himalaya Trail for 140 days beginning February until July of 2024.

This campaign is in support of the mission of the non-profit human rights organization, The Porter Voice Collective, which aims to advocate for the human rights of porters in Peru, Nepal & Tanzania via all forms of media and storytelling. …

Details

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Anu Shrestha, Campaign Manager (Nepal)

Gauri Malakar, Campaign Advisor

Sara Frenning, PVC Researcher & Campaign Coordinator, Videographer

Pema T. Sherpa, GHT Logistics Coordinator

Marinel de Jesus, Campaign Manager (Global)

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Was Nepal right to ban solo trekking in the Himalayas?

That’s the title of a thoughtful article on National Geographic:

Part of the magic of trekking in Nepal used to be how easy it was to get started, but on 1 April 2023, the government imposed a radical shake-up of the country’s trekking rules. Whereas previously travellers could hike alone anywhere in the country, now they must hire a guide to walk through Nepal’s 12 national parks and six conservation areas, including the popular Everest Base Camp and Annapurna …

 “For less-experienced trekkers, having a good guide can definitely enhance your trekking experience, but guides aren’t trained to a consistent standard in Nepal,” says Bradley Mayhew, author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya guidebook. “Encouraging trekkers to hire a guide by providing better-trained guides would be a smarter approach than forcing all trekkers to take a guide, regardless of their experience.” …

Nat Geo

As an experienced hiker who’s been to Nepal more than 10 times, I’ll switch to the Indian Himalaya.

But there are certainly some advantages in requiring a guide for new trekkers.

related – Our guide to INDEPENDENT trekking in Nepal — back when it was still allowed.

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American Prairie nature reserve

American Prairie is a massive prairie-based nature reserve in northeastern Montana being developed as a private project of the American Prairie Foundation (APF).

This independent non-profit organization is creating a wildlife conservation area …

… opportunities such as hiking, mountain biking, hunting and fishing …

Within large but securely fenced areas, APF is developing a bison herd free from cattle genes. …

americanprairie.org

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Torres del Paine in a Wheelchair

At the age of 18, Álvaro Silberstein had a tragic accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

But his passion for the outdoors never died and years later, he made history while doing Patagonia’s most famous trek (the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile) in a wheelchair.

While founding the Wheel the World project and partnering with local tourism organizations, he started a real revolution of inclusive tourism in South America.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Check out Wheel the World.

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Trespassing Across America – by Ken Ilgunas

An excellent book. Even if you have no interest in hiking or pipelines. 😀

In fact, you won’t learn much about hiking. A thru hiker would not be impressed. Ken’s gear was too heavy. And he hiked the wrong months of the year.

Ken Ilgunas has a Masters in English from Duke. He’s a terrific writer.

This book has given me the best insight into how poor North American rural people think. An insight into why they vote for political Parties that make the rich richer, the poor poorer. Worse education and health care.

Children and grandchildren leave for big cities. Life is tough for those remaining.

Ken mostly sought out small town religious leaders, asking them for advice on where he could tent safely. He was astonished by the generosity of those spiritual leaders.

Ken worked as a backcountry ranger in Alaska. And was forced to take a job as dishwasher in a high Arctic oil camp.

Jobs there were high pay — very low quality of life.

Those arguing for the Petrotoxin industries usually shout JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Ken came away thinking these were actually lousy jobs. High rates of alcoholism and drug abuse.

In September 2012, I stuck out my thumb in Denver, Colorado, and hitchhiked 1,500 miles north to the Alberta tar sands. After being duly appalled, I commenced my 1,700-mile hike south following the route of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast. It would become a 4.5 month journey across the Great Plains. To follow the pipe, I couldn’t take roads. I’d have to walk across fields, grasslands, and private property. I’d have to trespass across America.

The book is about my journey–fleeing from cows, taking cover from gunfire, and keeping warm on a very wintry and questionably-timed hike. But it’s also about coming to terms with climate change and figuring out what our role as individuals should be in confronting something so big and so out of our hands. It’s about taking a few months of your life to look at your country from a new perspective. Ultimately, it’s about embracing the belief that a life lived not half wild is a life only half lived.

kenilgunas.com

Most of the folks he met were supportive of Keystone XL Phase IV — but over the months Ken didn’t come away with even one good argument in support of the project.

Few jobs. Short term jobs. MOST of the money kept by the corporation, not those people who had dirty oil flowing over their property.

Most of the dirty Canadian oil is shipped overseas.

There are plenty of pipelines in North America. If you must ship Petrotoxins, pipelines are likely the least terrible way.

But Keystone XL became symbolic of the debate over how to slow or reverse climate change.

On January 20, 2021, Biden revoked the permit for the pipeline on his first day in office. It may never be completed.

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All Patagonia Profits to Saving the Planet

Yvon Chouinard:

“As of now, Earth is our only shareholder,” the company announced. “ALL profits, in perpetuity, will go to our mission to ‘save our home planet’.” …

Each year, the money Patagonia makes after reinvesting in the business will be distributed to the non-profit to help fight the environmental crisis. …

Chouinard and Patagonia have long been groundbreakers in environmental activism and employee benefits. In its nearly 50 years in operation, the Ventura, California-based company has been known for extensive benefits for employees, including on-site nurseries and afternoons off on good surf days. …

Patagonia’s billionaire owner gives away company to fight climate crisis

#respect

I like Patagonia gear. And I’ll continue to be a loyal customer.