On the road again IV: Travelling at the speed of life - the conclusion of the Cape Cod journey

July 13, 2007 — Did anyone watch LiveEarth , the 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on July 7 that brought together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis? I hope you did, because people all over the world were dancing to the same beat: it's time to change, and everybody is ready. For more info visit www.avaaz.org

Ok, now on with the conclusion of this "Eco-journey." Cape Cod: Home of John and Nancy J. Todd, Ecological Design leaders (who spoke at La Maison Verte in May), and my final destination. The emerging field of Ecological Design and its interest in remodeling society by (re)incorporating nature into our lives, homes, institutions and cities, has been the pillar of my motivation for environmental change since the beginning.

That being the case, there was no other place than New Alchemy Farm to end my journey, birthplace of the famed New Alchemy Institute . For many years, social ideals were growing alongside the vegetables at the Farm – ideals that are now gaining more acceptance in the general population that recognize our place in and connection with the natural world, and how we must work with it to change our future and heal the many scars we have created. The story of New Alchemy Institute is too rich for me to summarize here, but it's definitely worth reading. I encourage you to get and share the book "Safe and Sustainable World: The Promise Of Ecological Design," available at La Maison Verte (in French), and through Island Press in English.

Thirty years since the project began, New Alchemists have scattered across the globe, spreading their knowledge, and the Farm lies quietly. Even if the now defunct New Alchemy Institute is gone, the farm remains in good care in the hands of long-time members Earle Barnhart and Hilde Maingay. I had the chance to visit a part of the Ark, a true example of "green architecture." We frequently think of high efficiency insulation and airtight windows when we think of "green buildings," but these can also reduce indoor air quality by imprisoning toxic chemicals inside your home. To be truly green, buildings must be an integral part of their natural surroundings and must not be a barrier between nature and us.

The Ark, a sustainable house built by the New Alchemy members, truly embodies these principles: it uses the energy of the sun actively through its solar panels and passively through plants and water tanks inside its greenhouse, connects its inhabitants with the land through the greenhouse which enables year-round food and plant growth and was built by its inhabitants over years by using local, reused materials. Not only does that make it efficient and green, it also makes it beautiful and welcoming.

I also had the opportunity to end my journey having lunch with John and Nancy, who as I mentioned are founding members of the New Alchemy Institute, Ocean Arks International and John Todd Ecological Design Inc . From their 30 plus years of academic, research and grassroots work to reconnect humans and nature, they are worried about the place we find ourselves today. They remain excited to see the effervescence of the current environmental movement, but wonder if our efforts are not too little too late. They still remain positive, as they shared with me their opinion that the power lies in the individual and the local communities to change the situation, more than in the national and international strategic bodies. Let’s hope people will listen and live up to that challenge.

Finally, I must admit that one of the reasons for ending my trip on the Cape was to hang out at the beach and discover Cape Cod's national seashore as well as Martha's Vineyard. We cannot only claim to want to "Save the Earth," we have to reclaim it, and enjoy it. So I did! And on that subject, I will dedicate one of my next blogs to this important attachment that we must continue to have with nature in a book review of "Last Child in the Woods," which I had the opportunity to read during my trip. But the last part of my journey to the Cape did not end the way my trip began.

After I left Darrow School in New Lebanon, NY, I headed South. South as far as I could because on my left (where I would eventually have to turn) was the Berkshire Mountain Range. It is quite beautiful, but... too steep to handle. I probably could have made it through the mountains, if only I could have added five more days to my trip. So unfortunately for me I had to succumb to the car for the last stretch of my trip (sorry...). My mother, who lives right on the other side of the Berkshires, took her car to come get me and in a matter of a few hours I was drinking tea in her living room.

Taking this journey by bicycle has really made me realize how unconscious we have become to the difficulties and hardships of long distance voyages and what our ancestors (along with very few people still living more humbly today) had to face. Our modern modes of transportation are not only one of the biggest threats to our very survival (for more on that aspect, I suggest you read HEAT by George Monbiot), but they have also made us forget and take for granted the insurmountable obstacles that we have had to endure and conquer in our past journeys through millions of years.

Anyone (from the young to the elders) can now climb over a mountain range effortlessly and in no time at all, thanks to the automobile. The benefits are obvious, but this relatively new opportunity hides a clear and disturbing disconnection to the natural world and the speed at which It still travels... Think about it the next time you are in a car. Think about the hills, the length of your journey, the rain, the bridges... Now if only the industry could make vehicles more sturdy and less polluting... Until then, I'll still take my bike whenever I can ;) I hope you enjoyed this blog. I know I loved the journey, the people I met and the passion they embodied and shared. Be an eco-tourist, and an eco-citizen. Get involved and you'll get inspired!

‘Till next time
—V