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Human-made materials are now heavier

Humankind has reached a notable milestone this week, though it’s not one to celebrate. For the first time in history, human-made materials now outweigh all life on Earth, meaning that humanity’s footprint is actually heavier than that of the entire natural world. According to a new study in Nature, the weight of human-made buildings, roads, and other manufactured materials currently weighs 1.1 trillion tons, and doubles about every 20 years.

The study showed that at the start of the 20th century, the mass of human-produced objects was equivalent to only three percent of the weight of Earth’s total biomass. Since the post-World War II production boom, however, the manufacturing increase has been immense, rapidly increasing the mass of human-made materials.

Ron Milo of Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, and one of the study’s co-authors, said, “This study provides a sort of ‘big picture’ snapshot of the planet in 2020. We hope that once we have these somewhat shocking figures before our eyes, we can as a species take responsibility.”

If the growth rate continues at the current pace, human-made materials are on track to weigh as much as three trillion tons by 2040. This is particularly troubling because natural biomass is declining.

Emily Elacham, the study’s lead author, told AFP that humanity “can no longer deny our central role in the natural world. We are already a major player and with that comes a shared responsibility.”

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COVID health passes

Traveling in the time of the pandemic will likely soon involve a universal way to prove you’re COVID-19 free. It’s still unclear exactly what form this system will take, but it might look something like the CommonPass — a digital health application that allows travelers to prove they have tested negative for the novel coronavirus. Airlines and airports have been testing the program since October, and if it proves successful, it could easily become the standard by which we certify our health in the future.

What is CommonPass?

Photo: The Commons Project

Created by the Commons Project and the World Economic Forum, CommonPass is a convenient way to share our personal health information. The Airport Council International World, representing nearly 2,000 airports around the world, have agreed to recognize and use the CommonPass, as well as a network of healthcare providers and vaccine distributors.

CommonPass users would upload health data, like COVID-19 test results and vaccinations, and this information would be (ideally) globally accepted by border officials and airport staff. This is seen as a sensible alternative to border closures and travel bans. It would allow countries to remain open to tourism while also staying safe. It would also make travel more doable for tourists, since quarantining for several days upon arrival at a destination isn’t practical or financially viable for most.

How it works

The success of the CommonPass relies on each individual country’s willingness to adopt this health screening system. They would have to determine which test results are deemed acceptable (molecular or antigen), and whether additional health screenings will be required upon arrival. Once these conditions are agreed upon, they’ll appear in the CommonPasss system so travelers can fulfil the requirements as needed. Once all criteria are met, CommonPass generates a QR code that can be scanned by airline staff and border officials. This system also makes it easier for travelers to figure out exactly what’s needed to visit any given country by centralizing the information.

Who’s using it?

The CommonPass underwent its first US test run in October with United Airlines. It was trialled on a flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Newark Airport in New Jersey. It was also tested in October on a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. Now, four more airlines are poised to begin CommonPass trials, including JetBlue, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, and Swiss International Air Lines. This month, those four airlines will allow passengers to upload COVID-19 test results before and after select flights from New York, Boston, London, and Hong Kong.

The IATA Travel Pass

Photo: International Air Transport Association

The CommonPass doesn’t have a monopoly on the post-pandemic travel tech landscape — at least not yet. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported last month that it will soon finish developing its version of a digital health pass called the IATA Travel Pass. Similar in function to CommonPass, IATA Travel Pass will help store medical information in one convenient location, for easy presentation to border and airline personnel.

Key to the IATA Travel Pass’ success are four elements: a global registry of health requirements by destinations, a global registry of testing and vaccination centers, a lab feature where test centers can share results, and a contactless travel feature that serves as a digital passport. These four modules would make the app both informative for travelers looking for accurate, up-to-date destination health information, and a convenient proof-of-health while traveling.

Other travel passes

The Chilean government opened its borders to tourism on November 23, and has been working with American Airlines to make traveling to the country easier for US citizens. A big part of this effort is the VeriFLY digital health app for iOS and Android, which allows passengers to securely store travel documentation, flight details, and proof of a negative COVID-19 test on their phones. The app will verify that the uploaded information matched Chile’s entry requirements. The app went live for a trial period on December 7, for passengers traveling between Miami and Santiago. On December 9 American Airlines also started trialing VeriFLY on flights from the US to the Virgin Islands departing from Charlotte, NC; Dallas, Texas; Miami, FL; Chicago, IL; and Philadelphia, PA, to Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas. It will also be available on flights from Charlotte and Miami to Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix.

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Toy store FAO Schwarz is on Airbnb

On top of being one the best toy stores in the entire world, the iconic New York City FAO Schwarz is giving children another reason to get excited for the holidays. This year, FAO Schwarz, located in Rockefeller Plaza, is giving one family the best Christmas present imaginable — a night inside the famous toy store. On December 21, FAO Schwarz will be on Airbnb for a one-night rental for a NYC-based family of four.

Photo: Airbnb

That family will have the 20,000-square-foot store all to themselves, and even get a private tour of the space with a real-life toy soldier. They will also be able to go on a shopping spree, eat dinner in the most Christmassy dining room imaginable, take a music lesson on the Giant Dance-On Piano Mat (popularized by the movie Big), take part in the Build-A-Bear workshop, build a remote-controlled car, and be part of an immersive science experiment with the help of an FAO Schwarz professor.

Photo: Airbnb

According to the Airbnb page, accommodations will include a “larger-than-life sleigh bed for adults and bunk beds for children — with a slide — set the stage for a family sleepover sure to inspire visions of sugar plums. After you play and explore to your heart’s desire, you can lay your head knowing that you’ll slide right on down to the toy-filled paradise come morning.”

Photo: Airbnb

Photo: Airbnb

To book, guests must prove New York City residency and adhere to the city’s strict COVID-19 guidelines. Contrary to what you might think, this ultimate Christmas gift won’t break the bank. Booking costs just $25 per family, so you’ll have plenty left to spend on toys. Booking opens on December 15 at 12:00 PM ET.

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8 experiences to have in Vermont

There’s the image of Vermont you probably grew up with: majestic mountains, ski slopes, shelves of maple syrup, and towns that look straight from a fairytale. And while you could spend weeks sampling Ben & Jerry’s or hitting double diamonds at Killington, you’d likely leave wondering a few things. For starters, what’d you miss?

Atypical experiences — like learning a bit of falconry, some moonlight snowshoeing, or even honing your craft skills — can leave you with a deeper set of memories. Dare we say, better? Skirt the tried and true in the Green Mountain State and opt for these more unusual travel moments instead.

Note: Before you travel to Vermont, please review all travel guidance and restrictions currently in place, and contact all locations prior to visiting for the latest on closures and other safety info.

1. Chasing moonlight through the forest

Photo: Shutterstock/Josh Hummel

“Icy finger waves, ski trails on a mountainside, snowlight in Vermont” — or so the classic song goes. While this may feel like a world only Sinatra sings about, you can practice it in reality after sunset: A Moonlight Cabin Snowshoe Tour with Umiak Outdoor Outfitters leads you to a hidden sugarhouse in the woods and lets you soak in the forest sounds. For a minute, you might feel you’re in a movie. Or at least a dream.

Dog-sledding tours abound, but they don’t have to be daytime affairs, either. Some operators will take you and the energetic pack on a sled pretty much any time you want, and even after dark. Sync up with a full moon, and you might be surprised how simple it is to navigate those reins.

2. Going on an e-bike tour

Photo: Shutterstock/Songquan Deng

A bike ride on shiny wheels is always a thrill, but outfitters like Lamoille Valley Bike Tours — in northern Vermont — can show you a different perspective, with their electric-bike fall foliage tours that whiz past plains, farms, mountains, and a million maple trees. Best of all, the pedaling will be a breeze!

Their “Spokes and Spirits Tour” is for liquor enthusiasts who want to ride the most scenic stretch of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, an in-progress path set to run for 93 miles through stunning Vermont scenery. You’ll pedal to the village of Jeffersonville and Smugglers’ Notch Distillery and even take home a tasting glass.

If you’re more intrepid, make a whole weekend out of biking. On a three-day bike tour from Great Freedom Adventures, you’ll cruise past classic red barns and over charming covered bridges. Most itineraries include dining (or takeout) at legendary-to-Vermont restaurants.

3. Seeing Vermont by air

Photo: Shutterstock/B Brown

Soar above maples and mountains! Snap those pictures! This is all part of the philosophy when you take in Vermont from gliders, such as those at Sugarbush Soaring in the Mad River Valley, an area known for its breathtaking peaks.

Hot-air ballooning — especially when the leaves are decked in their fall foliage finery — is another hard-to-top experience. Places like Quechee Balloon Rides offer twice-a-day magical escapes over Quechee (home to Vermont’s deepest gorge) and prove that ballooning can be an elegant — rather than a nail-biting — thrill.

If that’s not your speed, opt for a gondola or tram ride (even during the summer), or zipline through the forests at Stowe, Smugglers’ Notch, and more.

4. Turning to a “monster” to sate your sweet tooth

Photo: Ben&Jerry’s

Little is as synonymous with Vermont as Ben & Jerry’s, which started in an old gas station in Burlington in 1978. Naturally, we can’t leave it entirely off this list. But to make it more than a run-of-the-mill dessert break, take a group of friends to visit the factory store in Waterbury and tackle the “Vermonster” — a large sundae served in a bucket with 20 scoops of ice cream, four bananas, four ladles of hot fudge, brownies, cookies, and more. The factory also offers a VIP Flavor Fanatic Experience for the truly dedicated.

Chocoholics too might feel as though they’re in Willy-Wonka land with the sheer array of vendors across the state, from Lake Champlain Chocolates (one of Vermont’s largest producers) to Laughing Moon Chocolates and its cozy shop in Stowe village. If you’re unsure about where to start, just follow the Vermont Chocolate Trail — your sweet tooth will thank you!

5. Learning the ancient sport of falconry

Photo: Shutterstock/Kat Masters

In Manchester, Vermont — Green Mountains beckoning in the background — there’s a falconry school where owner Rob Waite has been teaching visitors the art of this age-old tradition for over 30 years. Practicing falconry not only gives you a glimpse of another world, but it allows you to slow down and savor the rich landscape around you (home of the late artist Ogden Pleissner, for one, a painter who’s known for his — yep — landscapes).

Another spot to practice is New England Falconry, which operates out of a historic barn in the town of Woodstock. And the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee is a great place to learn about wild bird rescues and rehabilitation. This is your chance to connect with nature in a new way, one your friends will probably be surprised to see pictures of when you get home.

6. Finally learning to bake

Photo: Shutterstock/Kzenon

Kids and adults alike can take great pleasure in learning breadmaking and more at King Arthur Baking School, which offers virtual and in-person courses. From learning how to make gnocchi from scratch to baking baguettes and breakfast buns, this school is a great way to help your memories of Vermont live on — for as long as you keep up the practice!

At the cozy Sugar Glider Kitchen in Hartford, things are a little sweeter: You can delight in creating delicious eclairs, muffins, pastries, and ganache across various three-hour classes, no Paul Hollywood lurking over your shoulder.

7. Testing your craftiness

Photo: Shutterstock/ImYanis

Take a turn behind a different type of wheel and delve into some of the many pottery and craft classes offered in the state, including those at the ONE Arts Center in Burlington’s Old End neighborhood. Visitors and tourists stop by all the time — there’s no pressure to pop in for more than one workshop.

For something a bit less messy, hone your printmaking skills at the Shelburne Craft School — it’s been churning out beauties since 1945. The focus is on artisanal crafts, from mugs to furniture. There’s something truly fulfilling about bringing a handmade souvenir back home!

Note: If you’re more of the observer type, watching live wood-cutting demos at Andrew Pearce in Woodstock makes for a good excuse to say, “One time in Vermont, I…”

8. Hopping on a (statewide) distillery tour

Photo: David Seaver/ Appalachian Gap Distillery

Artisanal distilleries that produce small-batch spirits are a refreshing way to sample local flavors. For a true experience, try the statewide distillery tasting tour — that may sound intimidating, but here’s a handy guide, as well as a downloadable passport card, that will keep you organized.

For a few stand-alone suggestions, work your way from the solar-powered Appalachian Gap Distillery in Middlebury — they make a great espresso liqueur — to Saxtons River Distillery in Brattleboro, where they harvest locally sourced saplings to produce their delicious spirits. Bring home a bottle to replenish your cellar (aka your kitchen cabinet?), and sip and savor your memories for months to come.

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Sustainability around the Napa River

Tom Gamble, founder of Gamble Family Vineyards in Napa, can’t help but talk about ancient history when the topic of sustainability comes up in conversation.

Gamble’s winery is helping restore the Napa River to what it looked like before it was at the center of a name-brand wine region. To explain why, he starts with the beginning of Western civilization.

Agriculture built civilizations like the Greeks and Romans, Gamble says, but it also played a role in their destruction. “A lot of their farming practices led to soil erosion,” Gamble says over a Zoom tasting. “You can trace overproduction and cutting down trees to this point.”

No trees led to weaker soils, and weaker soils led to less productive agriculture, which eventually led to empire-building to secure more land. The same farming practices then hurt the land in those locations, and the cycle continued.

It’s a slippery slope, and once it’s taken, it takes hard work and lots of investment to get back to a pre-industrial state. Yet if nothing is done to reinvigorate the land, the places we love are lost or altered to a point past recognition. The list of examples over the course of human history is long. Which brings us to Napa, America’s most famous wine region.

Gamble — whose mother was instrumental in forming Napa’s agricultural preserve — is one of a number of people working to restore the Napa River through regenerative agriculture. For some, the solution to the problems facing the region’s environment is beyond what can be fixed through organics and more typical sustainability measures. Winegrowers like Gamble argue that if we want a Napa Valley that’s fertile and healthy, people need to start thinking regeneratively.

A struggling Napa River

Photo: Jeff Schultes/Shutterstock

There would be no famous Napa Valley wine region without the Napa River. In fact, there wouldn’t be many of the characteristics that make the region so attractive to visitors. The Napa River flows for 50 miles from Mount St. Helena to the San Pablo Bay, which is the northern body of water connected to the San Francisco Bay. The final stretch of the river starting in the town of Napa is an estuary that ebbs and flows with the tide from the salty San Pablo Bay water.

The river has, historically speaking, supported a healthy riparian zone — the point where the river meets the land. Cottonwood and willow trees once lined the waterfront, and animals like otters, foxes, bobcats, mink, and beavers relied on the forest and water for food and habitat. Hundreds of Chinook salmon and steelhead spawn in the river, though that number used to be in the thousands.

Much of what the Napa River used to look like has changed, according to the river restoration organization Friends of the Napa River. Fertilizers, water diversion, and sediments from road and vineyard development all negatively impact the health of the river. Erosion and plant removal only exacerbates the problem.

Even the government agrees the river needs work. In 2011, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) to limit the concentration of fine sediment to help restore steelhead and Chinook salmon populations. The EPA targeted four sources of sediment: rangelands, roads, bank erosion, and vineyards, the industry that made the city bearing the Napa River’s name so famous.

All of this is to say that there’s a lot of work to do, and wineries have a big part to play.

Gamble has told other publications like the Napa Valley Register that Napa’s wine leaders like Chuck Carpy, Jack Davies, and Robert Mondavi all deserve credit for bringing sustainability to the region’s wineries — both in terms of pay for workers and for environmental measures. Gamble’s own recognition of the importance of protecting the Napa Valley for future generations started early.

Gamble’s grandfather, Launcelot, started a cattle ranch and farm in Napa County in 1916. Wine wasn’t part of the equation, but agriculture was, and the farm passed down to Gamble’s father, George, and uncle Launce. Vineyards came in the early 1970s when the Gamble family started selling grapes to other wineries.

Yet there’s a chance there would be no wineries or vineyards here if it wasn’t, in part, for Gamble’s mother Mary Ann McGuire. She went farm to farm with a portable typewriter in the 1960s, “a foot soldier and young mother” as Gamble puts it, to encourage farmers to sign a letter to protect Napa’s agricultural history. The result was the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. Thanks in part to the reserve, developers scuttled plans to build a freeway through Napa Valley, and many suburbanization proposals were dropped.

“It all comes back to the most forward-thinking people in Napa Valley: the people who are my parents’ age who started the Napa Valley Reserve,” Gamble says. “If we didn’t have those zonings, we would have gone the way of the Santa Clara Valley, which is better known as the Silicon Valley.”

Gamble’s more recent efforts are the evolution of those first pushes to protect vineyards and the natural environment.

The evolution from sustainable to regenerative

Photo: Gamble Family Vineyards/Facebook

Gamble’s dedication to river restoration and regenerative agriculture was a long time coming. He went to the University of California after graduating high school in 1979. In his college years, he was influenced by Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring, which examines the impact rampant pesticide use has on the environment. He was a member of the Abalone Alliance, a group that practiced civil disobedience from the mid-70s to the mid-80s to promote “saner energy policy” and keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo, California, from opening and operating (though the Abalone Alliance delayed the plant, PG&E ultimately opened the reactor in 1985). Throughout his protesting years, Gamble adds, he was listening to plenty of Jackson Brown.

“I had my awakening in school, and I think it’s been an evolution, not a revolution,” Gamble says. “Two steps forward and one step back.”

When it came to running his own vineyard, part of that environmental evolution initially included making all of his vineyards certified organic. Then, in 2009, the European grapevine moth came to Napa. The larvae of the invasive species thrived off of the Napa Valley’s famous grape flowers and fruit.

“It was so bad that the state and our ag commissioners mandated that you spray for this because we had to get rid of [the grapevine moth] before it took over,” Gamble says. “I’m not naming any names, but another organic farmer refused to do any of these sprays [to stay organic]. But it was overwhelming my organic defenses, which was already tripling my farming costs.”

Eventually, Gamble gave up his organic certification so he could use the spray. The other organic practices stayed the same, but the spray negated his official certification, which would take years of applications to get back.

“I just kept thinking, ‘What’s beyond organic?’” Gamble says, adding that organic certification thinks about the vineyard, “but it’s not thinking about the creeks. It’s not thinking about the entire environment.”

What he eventually settled on was a holistic approach to the environment both in the vineyard and the surrounding land. He became active in Napa’s River Restoration project and earned a Fish Friendly Farming certification to help protect salmon spawning waters. He also earned Napa Green certifications for both the land and winery that require a focus on sustainability measures, carbon sequestration, and practices that foster the return of wildlife to their natural habitat. This approach ensures his vineyards do no further harm to the land while ensuring the land just outside of his vineyards and his property line thrives too.

In short, it’s an approach that looks at vineyard management as one part of a wider ecosystem. And it has the potential to change the landscape of America’s most visited wine region and beyond.

Today, beavers are back (though they do keep taking Gamble’s newly planted trees for their own construction projects). More fish are appearing in parts of the river that have gotten cleaner, which in turn brings back otters and birds. Coyotes and bobcats stroll the banks. Napa may have a reputation for being a more glamorous side of wine country than its close neighbor Sonoma, but the real treat is watching the natural environment flourish through regenerative practices.

Twenty miles along the Napa River have been restored over the past two decades, Gamble notes in a presentation on river restoration. He adds that the private sector is responsible for cleaning up 900 acres. The presentation also included Gamble’s numbers: In a one-mile stretch, 4,000 trees were planted in 2019, bringing the total close to 100,000 native trees.

Gamble hopes in seven generations, people will no longer worry about the river because it’s already been restored. It’s a way of thinking that Gamble credits to the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois) Seventh Generation Principle, which states the actions taken in the present should consider seven future generations.

A wine industry movement

Photo: Gamble Family Vineyards/Facebook

Gamble is far from alone in his endeavor. Vineyard owners and winemakers know all too well that a healthy environment means better tasting wine.

Napa’s Cakebread Cellars uses low-impact farming and limits tree removal, builds wildlife corridors, and protects stream channels, among other sustainability measures. Honig Vineyard & Winery manages bees along the river that pollinate the cover crops on the vineyard, as well as add to the Napa River’s ecosystem. The agency Napa Green Land has certified more than 600 wineries that meet the organization’s standards to prevent erosion and sediment runoff, conserve water resources, protect and restore riparian habitat, and reduce or eliminate harmful inputs.

Elsewhere, organizations like the Regenerative Organic Certified group are setting standards for carbon sequestration and soil health across the country.

Wineries can’t do it alone, but in the Napa Valley, they play an important role in ensuring that the generations after us still have a wine region to visit.

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AFAM music museum opening

Nashville is already one of the most prominent music capitals of the United States, and now it’s boosting its resume with a new museum focusing on African American music. The National Museum of African American Music will officially open to the public on January 30, 2021, with a ribbon cutting ceremony taking place on January 18.

The museum’s website says that the “56,000-square-foot facility will be an anchor tenant within the urban development known as Fifth + Broadway. It is the only museum dedicated to educating, preserving and celebrating more than 50 music genres and styles that were created, influenced and/or inspired by African Americans, including spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, and hip hop.”

Photo: National Museum of African American Music

The National Museum of African American Music will be the only museum of its kind in the US and feature seven galleries — six permanent and one rotating — that tell the story of Black musical traditions from the 1600s up to today. “More than 50 genres and sub-genres of American music are explored from spirituals and gospel, to jazz, blues, hip-hop, R&B and more,” the website says.

Photo: National Museum of African American Music

According to museum president and CEO H. Beecher Hicks III, “We have been preparing for this day for more than 20 years, but this museum has actually been more than 400 years in the making.”

For now, the number of people allowed inside the museum will be limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all guests required to wear masks.

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The best vegan outdoor brands

Shopping for vegan-friendly goods has become so much easier in recent years, but it has to be said, many outdoor brands are still sitting on the wrong side of history with their reliance on animal-derived products over innovative, cruelty-free alternatives. There are, however, some certified vegan manufacturers on the market. This distinction is important to look out for, as many brands may shout about their leather, wool, or down-free gear but do not mention the use of animal products in adhesives and dyes. To make your outdoor gear shopping a little easier, below are some of our favorite outdoor brands that either produce outright 100 percent vegan products or have a clearly marked plant-based range.

1. Marmot for featherless jackets

Photo: Marmot

Marmot’s featherless insulated collection ticks all the boxes — it’s cruelty-free, warm, waterproof, and stylish. The synthetic insulation is scientifically engineered to replace the same level of warmth as natural down. The lightweight formula is also great because it retains heat without having a huge amount of bulk. Another plus is that unlike natural down, which loses its insulation properties when wet, this synthetic fill performs in rain or snow. The lightweight collection is also made from 75 percent recyclable material. The featherless jackets and vests showcase Marmot’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint, but it’s also worth keeping an eye on the company overall as they are big fans of innovation and using technology to help the planet.

2. Bleed for layers and beanies

Photo: bleed organic clothing/Facebook

The German brand Bleed produces 100 percent vegan goods. The company grew from the passion of skateboarder Michael Spitzbarth, who after working in the textile industry decided that the damage to animals and the environment had to stop. Bleed utilizes materials such as cork, hemp, and organic cotton, and its products range from swimwear, cycling gear, long sleeve layers, and beanies.

3. Hoodlamb for parkas

Photo: Hoodlamb

Hoodlamb was the first company to produce winter outerwear out of hemp. It was established in 1993 by a group of Dutch surfers who found there was a lack of decent clothing that was made in line with the ethos of respect for nature. Hoodlamb’s first hemp jacket even had a double zipper, so they could keep it on when changing from a wetsuit. In addition to being morally sound, all products are highly functional and well as fashionable.

4. Mad Rock for climbing shoes

Photo: Mad Rock

Mad Rock makes highly innovative, technical but affordable climbing shoes. Although not all its shoes are vegan-friendly, those that are are clearly tagged, and you can easily add that filter on in the shop. The company is so confident in its products that they give customers a lifetime warranty on all shoes.

5. Ecoalf for outdoor kids jackets

Photo: Ecoalf

Ecoalf makes a wide range of vegan-friendly products, including stylish shoes, shirts, vests, and beanies. The sustainable Spanish company clearly labels what products are vegan-friendly, and it’s very easy to search for them on the site. There’s also an amazing collection of outdoor jackets for kids.

6. Hill Killer for cycling gear

Photo: Hill Killer/Facebook

Hill Killer’s vegan gear is also simple to find by searching the toolbar. They have three designs to choose from, and neither holds any punches. With bold color-blocking and slogans such as “Powered by Plants” and “Team Vegan,” Hill Killer’s gear is loud and proud of its veganism.

7. Inov-8 for trail running shoes

Photo: Inov-8 All Terrain Running/Facebook

Inov-8 is another company that does not guarantee that all of its lines are animal-product-free, but it does state that all shoes that do not have leather or suede are vegan. Invo-8 has also put sustainability at the heart of everything it does and promises that it will continue to extend the life of its products, reduce its environmental impact, and support sustainable lifestyles in the communities it works in and beyond. Inov-8’s outdoor shoes are reliable and range from trail-running shoes and swimrun shoes to those for orienteering.

8. Plant Athletic for sports apparel

Photo: Plant Athletic/Facebook

Plant Athletic is one of the better places to go for 100 percent vegan sports apparel. The entire range is plant-based, and the company’s commitment to the environment is impressive. Its purpose is to create change on a larger scale by encouraging others to consider a plant-based lifestyle. There’s a nice range of cycling, triathlon, and running gear. It’s also worth looking at the lifestyle section if you are in need of a new t-shirt. The Nike-inspired “Just Eat Plants” printed shirt is especially cute, as is the “Eat Plants” printed pocket one.

9. Save The Duck for insulated outerwear

Photo: Save The Duck/Facebook

There is a lot to love at Save The Duck — all garments are 100 percent free of animal products, and the quilted jackets are not only super cool, but the quality is also outstanding. The business was voted PETA company of the year in 2019 for its drive to protect animals and for setting a good example for other companies. The Plumtech padding is lightweight and smart, and jackets clearly marked with a green and white duck logo are made from polyester material from recycled bottles.

10. La Sportiva for hiking boots

Photo: La Sportiva

In this day and age, vegan hiking boots are better than the traditional leather models, mainly due to advances in technology. This means lots of us are now opting for cruelty-free boots, and there are a lot to choose from. We’ve selected the brand La Sportiva here as it has a great reputation for making outstanding outdoor shoes and has a nice range of vegan-friendly boots. It currently has five models that do not have leather or animal byproducts, including adhesives. A full list of La Sportiva’s vegan range can be found here.

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Bangkok hotel offers year-long stays

Hotels can often be so comfortable and accommodating that you never want to leave. A hotel in Thailand is nearly making that possible, offering one-year stays complete with a host of VIP perks.

The Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit is launching the One Million Baht Club, which allows guests to stay for an entire year and includes amenities like housekeeping, breakfasts, light snacks, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, complimentary parking, and use of a club lounge meeting room. It costs one million baht, which comes out to $33,400.

Photo: Hyatt

Photo: Hyatt

As part of the One Million Baht Club, you’ll also get 10 complimentary massages at the neighboring spa; 10 limo trips within Bangkok; 10 nights at additional Hyatt properties in Hua Hin, Phuket, and Samui; a Viz Black Card membership that offers discounts and perks at Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Icon Siam, and Siam Discovery shopping centers; and even an “executive” medical check-up at the Bumrungrad International Hospital. To sweeten the deal, 20 percent of the package price is given back to guests as credit for use in the hotel’s bars and restaurants.

Photo: Hyatt

It sounds like an expensive proposition at $33,000, but that works out to just $90 per night. When you consider all the amenities included, you won’t find better value for that price — assuming you have the money to spare.

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World smallest possum survives fire

The Australian bushfires of summer 2019 devastated half of Kangaroo Island, taking with them incalculable animals and plants. Given the mass destruction, it was thought that the little pygmy possums who live on the island may not have survived. But as luck would have it, they did. A volunteer conservation group called Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife found surviving animals as part of a large conservation effort on Kangaroo Island.

Photo: Ash Benc/Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife

The group surveyed 20 fauna sites and captured nearly 200 creatures from 20 different species of wildlife. Among them was the little pygmy possum, weighing just 0.3 ounces. Resembling a doormouse more than a possum, they’re the world’s tiniest possum species.

Photo: Ash Benc/Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife

Fauna ecologist Pat Hodgens told The Guardian, “This capture is the first documented record of the species surviving post-fire. The fire did burn through about 88% of that species’ predicted range, so we really weren’t sure what the impact of the fires would be, but it’s pretty obvious the population would have been pretty severely impacted.”

Hodgens said the possums on Kangaroo Island are particularly vulnerable right now, because they’re currently exposed to predators while the destroyed bushland where they live and hide regenerates.

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Google’s trending travel questions

Travel may have come to a halt in 2020, but interest in when people can safely venture out again did not.

Google released its annual Year in Search package on December 9. The data shows the top trending searches for the year — in Google’s words: “Lists are based on search terms that had the highest spike this year as compared to the previous year.” The company broke out a number of search topics, including a topic for the trending travel questions we typed into the void as we stayed inside. If our personal search history is the closest thing we have to a secret diary, then our diaries were filled with plenty of anxiety when it came to travel in 2020.

Last year, in a story about the 2019 Year in Search package, I wrote optimistically about which locations topped the trending search charts for people searching “trip to.” The Maldives, Japan, Bora Bora, Las Vegas, and Mexico made the top five that year, followed by Alaska, New Orleans, California, New York, and Costa Rica. I ended the story with a question.

“The trending places constantly change as does the way we get around, though one thing stays the same,” I wrote. “It’s always a good time to travel responsibly. So where will you go in 2020?”

While traveling responsibly has never been more important, the majority of the time it was most responsible to not travel at all in 2020. And while there’s reason to be optimistic for the future, there’s still a long way to go. Soon it will be another year. For the one we’re still waiting to pass, however, these are the most popular trending searches related to travel and the ways we found escapism in our own homes.

Top trending travel searches in 2020

The top trending travel question on Google in 2020 was “where can Americans travel right now.” Similar questions made the top 10: “when will international travel resume” at number two, “what countries can Americans travel to” at number five, “when can we travel again” at number seven, and “when will travel restrictions be lifted” at number 10.

A few locations stood out when it came to what destinations people were searching for. The first was Florida with “is it safe to travel to Florida” at number six. Another was Mexico — “is Mexico open for travel” landed at number eight — and the same question for Hawaii at number nine.

Top 10 trending travel questions in 2020

When will travel restrictions be lifted?
Is Hawaii open for travel?
Is Mexico open for travel?
When can we travel again?
Is it safe to travel to Florida?
What countries can Americans travel to?
Is it safe to travel?
When did Trump ban travel from China?
When will international travel resume?
Where can Americans travel right now?

No matter how many of us were dreaming of travel, we were inevitably stuck close to home. The top trending things we searched for along with the words “near me” were largely guided by the news. “Covid testing” was the first, and questions about voting came up three times (“early voting” at two, “voting” at four, and “ballot drop box” at eight) in a year when more Americans voted than ever before. The number five trending search for “near me” was “protests,” and the number nine was “Black-owned restaurants.” Fires and toilet paper made the top 10 as well. In the midst of all of the news-driven location searches, one bit of escapism came in at number 10: “Drive in movie theater near me.”

Top 10 trending searches for “near me” in 2020

Drive in movie theater near me
Black-owned restaurants near me
Ballot drop box near me
Nail salons open near me
Toilet paper near me
Protests near me
Voting near me
Fires near me
Early voting near me
Covid testing near me

Top trending recipes in 2020

Cooking in general, and bread specifically, ruled Instagram stories and the internet at large in the early days of the pandemic as restaurants were forced to close and new home cooks were born.

Google’s top trending recipe search was for sourdough bread, but there was so much more than just sourdough going on in the bread department (more on that later). Other trending recipe searches were more globally minded. Whipped coffee — with its globe-spanning backstory — came in as Google’s number two trending recipe search. And then there were the recipes for foods served at the places we love but couldn’t go anymore: Disneyland (“Disney churro” came in at number three, and Dole whip right after it), hotels (DoubleTree cookie ranked number five), and Ikea (its meatballs landed at number six).

Top 10 trending recipe searches in 2020

Healthy banana bread
Egg salad sandwich
Hamburger bun
Chaffle
Ikea meatball
DoubleTree cookie
Dole whip
Disney churro
Whipped coffee
Sourdough bread

Many people had bread on their minds, from wild sourdough to various styles of bread from around the world. Digging just into breads, the top trending searches include classics, historical styles, and one TikTok trend.

Top trending bread searches in 2020

Amish friendship bread
Crusty bread
Dutch oven bread
Vegan banana bread
Challah bread
Chocolate chip banana bread
Peanut butter bread
Beer bread
Cloud bread
Sourdough bread

The top trending movies and shows that got us away from it all in 2020

Theaters, like restaurants, were forced to close. Streaming took over as a balm for boredom, anxiety, the loss of community, and so much more. Some major movie release dates were pushed back indefinitely, but those that made it to our small screens at home provided a much needed movie experience.

Top trending movies in 2020

Fantasy Island
Contagion
Sonic the Hedgehog
Bad Boys 3
Just Mercy
Little Women
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey
Black Panther
1917
Parasite

Shows filled our time as well as binges led to a boom and bust cycle of people rushing through entire seasons. Remember when Tiger King came out on March 20?

Top trending TV shows in 2020

The Last Dance
All American
Ratched
Outer Banks
Little Fires Everywhere
The Queen’s Gambit
The Umbrella Academy
Ozark
Cobra Kai
Tiger King

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