Backpacker Magazine – Online Exclusive

Green Guide

In honor of Earth Day, we bring you the first industry-wide survey on which gear manufacturers are positively impacting the environment, plus much more.

by: The Backpacker Editors

Tags:
• Environment
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• Gear
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• Weekends
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• National parks
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• Wildlife
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• Threats
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Featured Stories Going to Extremes: What do Florida's Everglades and Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias have in common? Both face uncertain futures as temperatures rise. National Parks Report Card: We surveyed more than 40 scientists, conservationists, and professional adventurers, then ranked the 15 parks that are most in peril from climate change. Solutions: 101 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint A hiker's guide to fighting climate change. Can a Lime-Green Vegetable-Oil-Powered Beetle Save the Earth?  Our intrepid writer goes on a seriously bumpy road trip into the Sierra to find out. I, Citizen Scientist: Want to help real researchers with their work? Writer Bruce Barcott describes what it's like—from fox droppings to the world's most expensive mousetraps. Ghosts of Glacier: This park's rivers of ice have been flowing for 7,000 years; they'll be gone in 30. Bye-bye, Boundary Waters: As temperatures rise, Minnesota's North Woods will likely go up in smoke. Nature The Future of Mountains: How climate change is affecting our alpine environments. The Future of Forests: As the earth warms, here's how higher temps will affect our forests. Phenomenon: Snowmelt   Rising alpine temperatures and polluted snow are threatening snowpack and water supplies. Phenomenon: Wildfire Global warming creates conditions that invite larger and more frequent forest fires. Here's how. Species We Can Kiss Goodbye These dozen creatures are threatened by global warming. The Brown Death: Pine Beetles vs. Forests Pine beetles are felling more trees than wildfires and the timber industry combined. Digging for Clues: How to Stop Extinction A big-picture biologist unearths threats to songbirds, salamanders, and a peak-loving furball. Cascades Meltdown The Lower 48's most glaciated region is losing its ice at an astonishing rate. No More Peaks in the Distance Rising treeline threatens the Northeast's best views. Carbon Dioxide and the Desert Midwest Nebraska's wild prairies could become the Western Hemisphere's largest sandbox in as few as 30 years. Super Poison Ivy is Coming More potent poison ivy is on the way, plus fast-growing weeds that will change the face of Eastern forests. Rising Tides Threaten Classic Trails Swelling oceans are threatening to submerge classic coastline hikes. Gear Green Gear Report Card 2008 How to Recycle Spent Fuel Canisters How to Buy PVC-Free Gear Lighten your (Planetary) Load Editors' Choice: Green Awards (4/07) Editors' Choice: Green Award (4/06)

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