Summarizing a mountain’s worth of stories, current events,
creative ideas and stuff that makes us lol.
weekly survival tip:
Since everyone is talking about how important hand-washing is to keep the coronavirus at bay Ellen Degeneres – obv – came to the rescue to make sure we’re all doing it right. Spoiler alert: There’s gonna be a lot of “Happy Birthday” humming in your future. Or Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” You choose.
Over here in our hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we’re pretty interested in a new book that was published earlier this month called “Billionaire Wilderness.”Based on five years of research and interviews with hundreds of people who call Teton County home, including some of the richest and poorest, Yale sociologist Justin Farrell tells the story of how extreme income inequality and massive wealth are reshaping the West. Teton County is the nation’s wealthiest county and it also has the greatest disparity in that wealth, he says.The book takes a deep dive into our community, exploring the ways protections on land here limit development while also pushing prices so high they are simply unaffordable for most; the reasons the uber-rich have come to the West and how they idealize it; and how complicated socio-economic dynamics play out between this elite class and the low-income workers who make our community hum. The reviews are in, and those in the LA Times andOutside Magazine are worth reading. The latter highlights the “difficult questions” Farrell asks “about how we manage American wilderness. Who is it for? Who decides where it should be preserved? Is open space more important than affordability and access?” The answers may be elusive, but reading Farrell’s book seems sure to get us closer than we were before.
Could coronavirus help us slow climate change? It’s a provocative question – no one would ask for a global pandemic of this scale as a way to help protect the environment. But the answer is, frankly, maybe. Growing evidence demonstrates that carbon emissions are slowing as a result of the spreading virus, more so than they ever have because of any policy initiative. And while that’s troubling, it’s also promising. Why? Because some say it “has shown how political and corporate leaders can take radical emergency action on the advice of scientists to protect human wellbeing.” Even if the trend is not sustained over the long-term, the near-term reduction in emissions could buy the world some time to act on global warming and could potentially lead to more lasting changes in behavior. Think: less unnecessary travel – especially by air, more remote work and more virtual meetings and conferences. So while we’re eager to see this health crisis pass with as few people hurt as possible, some experts rightly note, this is a moment that can teach us a lot. Let’s hope the world’s leaders are paying attention.
With spring inching its way towards us – or as we call it in Wyoming, mud season – we thought it might be helpful to suss out some of the year’s best rain gear for the littles. Because, while we love playing in puddles, being cold and wet while doing so really isn’t that much fun. Enterthis handy gear listthat runs the gamut from pricey options to more budget-conscious ones and includes lots of eco-friendly products too. Not only will your children stay dry and happy during the soggy days ahead, but they’re gonna look pretty stinking cute, too.
