• As noted earlier, ski areas are getting spooked about climate change. The latest manifestation: the Aspen Chamber Resort Association has voted to withdraw from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to differences with the national group’s position on climate change. “Aspen’s economy is inextricably tied to the future of the global climate,” the local chapter said, “and all area entities have deeply embraced the idea of reducing our carbon footprint. With our resignation from the U.S. Chamber, the ACRA shows its solidarity with this position.” According to the ACRA, “the U.S. Chamber, which so vigorously opposes important energy reform, is out of that alignment.” The Aspen group joins Nike and Apple, which have dropped their membership in the U.S. Chamber over similar concerns.
  • On a related note: China, China, China. (Sigh.) You were the future, with your bike-friendly cities and your low BMI citizens. And now look at you. According to Atlantic Cities, “Bicycle use in Beijing has dropped from about 60 percent in 1986 to 17 percent in 2010.” Certainly, Beijing isn’t China. But you can see where this is going. More cars, more emissions, fewer bikes, fat people. Trust us on this one, China. We’ve lived this dream.
  • We’re pretty firmly in the less-is-more camp when it comes to pack weight. Ultralight means we can carry more creature comforts or walk longer without getting tired. But we’re open to a dissenting voice when we hear it, and we hear it in the Concord Monitor’s Tim Jones, who lays out a reasonable argument—think about light enough, not just light—and five arguments against ounce-obsessing: comfort, safety, function, durability and value.
  • Yesterday’s News Department:  Here’s an old story about a very old man, Li Qing Yun, who supposedly died in 1933 at age 256. Let’s not try to verify that. But we like his secret to longevity: “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” (We’ve said this for years.) And blah blah…blue-zones…blah blah…eat greens and cheese from grass-fed animals…low calorie diet. You know the drill. Li Qing Yun grasped intuitively what modern scientists have discovered through laborious research: marriage is good for your health. (He had 24 wives.)  One intriguing detail in his regimen is his frequent consumption of wolfberry tea. He was also known to sit “with his eyes closed and hands in his lap, at times not moving at all for a few hours,” which is what we call cat-napping.

Image via 350.org.