Volunteer with Disabled Sports Far West, from Vanessa Belz

Lake Tahoe, Calif. – Disabled Sports Far West, located at Alpine Meadows Resort in beautiful North Lake Tahoe, is looking for volunteers to help teach people with disabilities learn how to downhill ski and snowboard. You must be a strong intermediate skier (or above) and have a desire to share the “mountain experience” with our students. Mandatory training is provided. Lift tickets are provided on your volunteer day. View, download and print a volunteer application by visiting our website at www.disabledsports.net or, call Vanessa at 530·581·4161 x203 or email vanessa@disabledsports.net for more information.
Earn Lift Tickets Through Green Rewards!
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Zero Waste Messiah, by Jeff McAbee

Hanover, New Hampshire – For the past sixteen years, Jim Merkel has lived on five thousand dollars a year. With a radically simple message, Americans can heed the wake up call to use less and enjoy life more.

Merkel, author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth, and former Sustainability Director at Dartmouth College, accomplishes this feat on ten acres of land in Norwich, where he lives in a 14 x 16 foot, two-story, timber-framed cabin with a 10 x 10 mud room. Read more

Fun Hogging on the Killik River, by John Schekorra

Click on the image to watch the River to Recovery slideshow.
Brooks Range, Alaska – I recently returned from an exploratory raft trip on the Killik River with Too-loo-uk River Guides and thought I’d share my experience with you. This was my second Too-loo-uk trip with owner/guide Juliette Boselli and guide Ben Johnson.

This trip was the first time Ben Johnson, an Athletes With a Cause team member, professionally guided a raft since his major ski accident in March. Read more

Oakland Needs You to Volunteer! from Lena Perkins

Survey of Multifamily Residential Buildings to Identify Soft-Story Hazards

Oakland, Calif. – Please join the City of Oakland and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) in conducting a walking, driving survey to identify soft-story hazards in multifamily residential buildings and help save lives.

This volunteer opportunity is eligible under the Green Rewards program. Read more

Xterra Triathlon Nationals

Click on the image to watch a slideshow of the race.

Incline Village, Nevada – Ever get the urge to swim 1500 meters in the frigid waters of Lake Tahoe in October? How about following that with a 32k bike ride straight up a mountain? If that’s not enough, try finishing it off with a 10k run through the woods. Sound crazy? Well crazy or not, that’s exactly what more than 300 Xterra Triathletes did last weekend on a perfect day at Tahoe. Read more

Kayaking the Sierra Nevada, by Max Cartesian

Sierra Nevada, California – Like your outdoor medium to be a little more dynamic? Whitewater kayaking is the sport for you then and there’s no better place to learn and improve than the Sierra Nevada. Here’s a quick hit on three runs to get going on. Read more

Keeping the legacy alive

Click here or on the photo to view slide-show.

Reno, Nevada – Since 1948, the Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program has been an important part of the Reno/Tahoe community. As an all volunteer run non-profit organization, Sky Tavern has been teaching local children how to ski and snowboard and to love the outdoors for 60-years. Now, partnering with the U.S. National Ski Team member Shelly Robertson and other local organizations, Sky Tavern is trying to grow its program to get kids outside year-round.

Shelly Robertson is an Athletes With a Cause team member and we will be following her progress all winter as she chases her Olympic dream. Read more

Chasing the Rush at Tamarack Resort, by Jeff Shelton

Tamarack Resort, Idaho – High above Cascade Lake on a sunny evening in August twenty people gather at the top of a chairlift. Unlike the thousands of skiers that frequent Tamarack Resort’s slopes once the snow flies, this group stands around wearing full face helmets, shorts and jerseys over body armor. We’re Downhill Mountain Bikers about to attempt to best each other’s time in a race down 2000 vertical feet of double black diamond bike trails.

Jeff Shelton is a LMN Athletes With a Cause team member helping to raise money and awareness for environmental causes. Read more

Debating the Vice Presidential Candidates

With viewership expected to exceed that of the first Presidential debate, and probably the second and third as well, plenty of people out there watched tonight’s Vice Presidential debate to see Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin spar. What did you think? Convinced that Palin could step in if McCain has a stroke? Can Biden help lead this country towards “change”? How will Tina Fey and Saturday Night Live respond?

Click here to use the comments section and talk amongst yourselves.

Rewarding Volunteerism

Reno, Nevada – Volunteer and Ski for Free! Green Rewards is an incentive program to encourage volunteerism in the Reno/Tahoe area. By working with local ski resorts and outdoor gear companies, Life More Natural is happy to provide rewards to community members for volunteering with local non-profit organizations that aim to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental conservation. Read more