Knowing the value of a thing can create the desire to preserve it. The same maxim holds true for nature; enthusiasm for preserving nature grows as one begins to form attachments to activities in natural settings. People who hike, camp, hunt, fish, ski, swim, surf, rock climb, run, bike or boat understand the value of the forests, lakes, oceans and trails. After all, it is a healthy ecosystem that allows people to take deep invigorating breaths or restorative swigs of water from a stream.

In demonstration of this idea, Laird Hamilton, a featured ECOIST on Sundance Channel’s THE GREEN, clearly gains passion and inspiration for environmentalism from his love of the ocean.

Many a sceptic of global warming has reconsidered their position after experiencing first hand the decline of a natural area that they remember enjoying throughout the previous portions of their lives. While it is unfortunate that one does not recognize the importance of something until it is gone, nature can in many cases be repaired even when it seems hope is lost. The planet is much older than we are, and has survived meteors and ice ages.

Consider getting involved in eco-sports. They are fun activities that can help you enjoy yourself and in some instances be great team building tools. There are some great websites out there for eco-sport lovers, here are a few of them.

- ecoSports [www.ecosports.com]

- Website for Fishing [www.naturalsports.ca]

- Get custom outfits for all your favorite ‘natural sports’ [www.naturalgarments.com]

- Interesting festival for nature and sports events in Vermont [www.vermontartfest.com]

ECOISTS: Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton lives to be on the water. His passion for surfing and water sport in general is a great thing for green activism, as every movement can benefit from a fearless leader who regularly faces 20 foot tall walls of water. Laird Hamilton’s main passion in life is surfing, a sport which depends on the continued health of marine life; therefore, it’s easy understanding why Laird advocates the preservation of the oceans. To get a glimpse into Laird’s amazing finesse on water, take a look at his website [www.lairdhamilton.com].

In order to use his success in life as a springboard of sorts, Laird has also poured his support into a cause known as “Swell Cinema”, a non-profit production company that brings important documentaries like “Voting in America” [www.votinginamerica.org] and “Reporter Zero” [www.reporterzero.com] to millions of people.

Here is the Laird Hamilton clip from ECOISTS

ECO BIZ: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

This week’s ECO BIZ subject is Ben Cohen, one of the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream founders. Just about everyone knows about Ben & Jerry’s, and that is a good thing since the company is so dedicated to preserving the environment. There has always been something alternative about their ice cream; whether it’s the colorful packaging or wildly unusual flavors. This alternative side of the ice cream company has also extended to their business philosophy. Ben Cohen describes the company’s role in the community at large as “spiritual”. Can a business be spiritual? If it’s possible, then how do we let non-spiritual companies get away with it? Ben Cohen describes the spirituality of Ben & Jerry’s by saying that it is a “caring, community based business”. The business reaches out the the community by advocating important issues on their packaging, helping to fund rallies and sponsoring special events themed around important issues. One such event was a rally promoting the concept of a dairy industry free of genetically cloned cows and artificial hormones. So do you think it’s possible for a business to be spiritual? Log in into THE GREEN discussion board and let us know your thoughts on the issue.

Here is the ECO BIZ episode for this week, we hope you enjoy.

Elsewhere on the internet, we found out that Ben & Jerry’s co-founders have started a “college for climate change” and it seems like quite an accomplishment. The idea is to take a group to the arctic and teach them about climate change on the frontiers of global warming. Check out this video [www.youtube.com].

Doing the right thing rarely tastes this good, so even if you have to readjust your belt, at least you can feel good in your heart next time you get a big helping of creamy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.