Urban Returns

There are some fantastic local hiking trails in the country side of Iowa, particularly in northeast Iowa. It is here you will find great trails as part of the Effigy Mounds National Park. Here the long hiking trails provide unique history of the area, which includes fascinating information about American Indian tribes that once lived in the area. It also provides some incredible views of the Mississippi river and the surrounding states, forests, and wildlife.

With some exploring there are some other (more…)

Visitors who go to New York’s Central Park enjoy walking through the park’s flora and fauna everyday. This vast park offers a world of wildlife, plants, and flowers that many will find interesting. Squirrels can be seen scampering up trees and climbing on limbs by park visitors as they walk down the many walking trails of Central Park. An occasional coyote may be spotted on a hillside while turtles and other small wildlife may come out of Central Park’s foliage. Beautiful birds also inhabit this space, so for bird watchers, this park is a great place to visit. (more…)

Sometimes people feel like they have lost their way. The majority of the world’s population resides in, or very close to cities. Long gone are the days when most of the world’s residents lived off the land and respected all that nature has to offer. Today people only respect what coffee shops and big retail outlets offer, an easy fix to life.

Even with these great and various business that make life so much easier, people always have a yearning to go back to (more…)

When the crowded city streets start getting you down, it’s usually a signal for a change of scenery. You won’t find any more beautiful than in one of America’s national parks. These bastions of wild beauty serve as reminders that man cannot survive on broadband alone.Acadia (Maine): Located off of Maine’s coast on the island of Mount Desert and on surrounding islands and the mainland, totaling over 47,000 acres. The reserve includes Cadillac Mountainone of the earliest spots to see sunrise in the U.S. Trust usit’s worth getting up early.Denali (Alaska): This Alaskan park is named for the Athabaskan name for Mount McKinley, which means “the high one.” You can see an abundance of living wildlife and a number of historic sites which point to the park’s millennia-long past. Fossils of wading birds and theropods (bipedal dinosaurs) have been found in the area. (more…)

I was shocked the other day to turn my head on the interstate and see that a new camping location had popped up just outside of town. That sort of random coincidence can be the beginning of a great environmental adventure, with little preparation needed. If you’re planning your trip in advance, though, I highly recommend checking out ReserveAmerica.com.The site’s large databases hold info on over 4,000 parks with over 300,000 campsites, including both federal and private sites. RA was responsible for moving the campground processing industry online, and processed the first such transaction in 1997. The listings stay up-to-date, alerting you to closed-sites and special accommodation details. Whether you’re bringing an RV or just the family dog, you’ll be able to find the site that’s best for you. For more information, visit the site or contact ReserveAmerica at http://www.reserveamerica.com/contact.do.

While it’s always nice to get away and back to nature, at some point you have to come home. With air pollution the way it is these days, that can be a frightening proposition. Lately, almost everybody is looking over their shoulder to see the size of their carbon footprint. In big cities, it’s even more important. With that many people in one place, it can seem difficult to make a difference when it comes to lowering air pollution. And while there’s certainly a large task ahead of us, there are some simple steps you can take to making your home a safer place to breathe.

1. Use energy conservation techniques to limit your energy spending. Turn off lights and devices when not in use.
2. If possible, plant trees near your home to help shade your house during the summer.
3. Purchase Energy Star-rated products to use energy more effectively.
4. Limit your time in the car by combining trips, and follow the speed limit.
5. Don’t idle in long drive-through lines. Go inside instead.
6. Use devices with rechargeable batteries.
7. Recycle applicable products and buy products made from recycled material. It’s a cycle. Get it?.
8. Limit your time in the shower and use low-flow shower heads.
9. Support legislation in your local government that focuses on healthier air.
10. Make sure those letters you send are on double-sided paper. Save paper with a clean side for taking notes or making lists.

There’s nothing like a trip to the zoo. If you’ve ever visited one as a child, it’s tough to pick which memory is most vivid. Was it the monkeys swinging expertly through the trees? The lumbering elephants slowly crossing their pens? Perhaps the taste of fresh cotton candy in your mouth while watching the wolves bathe nonchalantly in the sun?Whatever it was, a zoo trip is a great gift to share with your family. Every local zoo deserves support, and you hopefully won’t have to go far to find one near you. If you’re interested in planning a more invested trip, though, you might be interested to know where you can find the largest zoos in America. (more…)