Last week I discussed the genetics and biology of the rainforest and the importance of maintaining its diverse gene pool. Today, I’d like to go a little further into what causes deforestation. What are the causes of this devastation? The four primary causes are 1) commercial logging, 2) fuel wood gathering, 3) cattle ranching, and…
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The Genetics of Deforestation
To understand the global impact of deforestation, we must first understand the basic biology of the rainforest and the causes of deforestation. Rainforests cover less than 7 percent of the globe. They are predominantly found in a wet or moist band circling the globe along the equator. Tropical rainforests are some of the richest, oldest,…
What Now? (Part 3)
This is a continuation from the post, What Now? (Part 2) Recently, changes in the economic structure in Europe and other parts of the world have caused business interests to think on a more global scale. Technology has made this a very small planet indeed, and has forced many in the business world to…
What Now? (Part 2)
This post is a continuation from What Now? (Part 1). On the day the Los Angeles Lakers got their tails kicked by 34 points at the Garden (by Boston in game two of the “85” series), Pat Riley told his team a quote his father had once passed on to him: “Somewhere, someplace, sometime…
What Now? (Part 1)
What do we know for sure? We know for certain that there has not been a day in the last four and a half billion years that the earth has not undergone change. We also know that humans, unlike other organisms, have consciously been able to alter and modify the environment. Our inclination to do…
The Inspiration Behind The Long Ride in 2012
You don’t often get a chance in life to “do good” by doing what you love. But in 1989, I did get that chance as I had the opportunity to combine my passion for horses and the environment in the “Ride Across America.” Now 20 plus years later, we have arrived at a very important…
The Inspiration Behind the Ride in 1989
On several occasions before the ride, I had a recurring dream. It was the year 2031 and l was now in my 70’s. In the dream, I found myself in a house that was very cold. Although the lights were on, the room felt dark, although I had enough light to read a book. Then,…
Welcome to The Long Ride!
Here you will find some of the insights and stories about my ride across the United States in 1989. In addition, I want to spark some discussion about our environment today, the important changes we’re seeing and what we can do about our future. The action and effort in The Long Ride are still so…