Emergency Cleanup at Hampton Beach

Yesterday I received a sad email from the director of the Blue Ocean Society. After a weekend of gorgeous weather, Hampton Beach is in a deplorable state because many of the thousands of visitors chose not to dispose of their trash responsibly. She relayed to me that Blue Ocean volunteers have removed about 700 pounds of trash from the beach during cleanups in the past 2 weeks. The picture below is just a small example of the extent of the weekend's damage.


There is an emergency cleanup of Hampton beach planned for Sunday, May 3 at 10 AM. Even an hour of your time will be a big help in collecting the trash before it washes out into the ocean, where it could harm marine life. If you are able to join the Hampton cleanup, please contact info@blueoceansociety.com.

On another note, we want to remind folks to be responsible when going out to enjoy the outdoors. Leave no trace whether you're backpacking, car camping, or going out to enjoy the beach. Even if you can't join us at the beach cleanup, pick up that trash you always walk by or join a cleanup near you.

-Connie

NEMO Classroom Lessons #932: Minimum Weight vs. Packed Weight

We get asked all the time what the difference is between minimum weight and packed weight. When choosing a tent, it's important to know both.

Generally, minimum weight is the absolute lightest a tent can weigh to still be a liveable and weatherproof shelter. For a double wall tent, this usually refers to the inner tent, fly, and poles; for a single wall tent, this includes the tent shell and poles/airbeams. Packed weight is the weight of a tent with all it's bells and whistles (stuff sack, stakes, gear lofts, guy-out cords, repair kit, etc).

For instance, Gogo's minimum weight is 1.9 lbs, and its packed weight is 2.5 lbs.


Tent companies usually quote the minimum weight first when referring to a tent because, well, it sounds more impressive. Be careful of what people are referring to when they say their tent weighs 4 lbs... it could be more like 6 lbs with all of its goodies in the end. Then again, those goodies may help transform your shelter into a comfortable home.

-Connie

Hey There, What's Your Footprint?

Wednesday night's slideshow with Alison Gannett at the Rattlesnake Bar went off with a group of Boston's finest. Thanks to our friends at Osprey, Keen and EMS, we had some great silent auction items and the group raised about $500 for the Save Our Snow Foundation. For those of you who missed the FREE Harpoon beer and seeing Alison rip sick lines in Alaska while learning small things you can do to cut your carbon footprint, maybe take a moment to visit these friendly websites:

www.alisongannett.com
www.carbonfootprint.com
www.energystar.gov


Suzanne calculated her footprint and has decided that living within eyesight of work is not so bad after all.

~Kate

Earth Day Celebration

As Earth Day approaches, we wanted to remind those of you who live in the Boston area that we'll be hosting Alison Gannett and her Global Cooling Ski Adventure Slideshow at the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill on Boylston St. next Wednesday, the 22nd from 6 - 9 pm.


Our friends at Harpoon will be supplying some complimentary pints and we'll also have appetizers and raffle prizes on hand. The folks at Osprey, Keen, SmartWool and us at NEMO, are also providing product for the silent auction. All proceeds go to fund Alison's Save Our Snow Foundation, so you'll be supporting a good cause while re-supplying your gear collection.

There will also be a beach clean up at Jenness on Monday afternoon. Those interested in joining the fun can contact us at the office. Afterwards, the crew will be catching The Present at the Portsmouth Music Hall.

Because Earth Day is everyday...Kate

Reviving your gear

We use McNett products for seamsealing tents. If you own Moki or Tenshi, you have too. But if you’re like us, you probably have a pile of gear that is waiting in the wings to be repaired, (re)waterproofed, or patched. Since replacing all your gear is so 2007, use this weekend to get it ready for a new season of use. Check out McNett’s online repair guide to help with everything from repairing pinholes in your sleeping pad, resoling your boots, or relofting your sleeping bag.


-Connie

Treehuggers We Are

We got a nice mention today over on Treehugger's site about the work we've been doing on our G.R.N. line.


It's always great to read about the individuals/companies on Treehugger that are reducing their environmental impact. As we always say, NEMO is a small company but even small companies and individuals can make a difference.

-Connie

NEMO Office Dog Profile Part 2: Charlotte Bean

Age: 4
Breed: 1/4 Rhodesian Ridgeback, 3/4 Lab
Favorite Snack: any veg -- I'll try them all
Pet Peeves: Work. They just don't play enough frisbee at work.
Favorite part of being at NEMO: guaranteed snacks and the (not-so-frequent) frisbee throwing breaks during the day
Best known for: jumping really high when excited (aka Charlotte (Jumping) Bean)
Greatest Fears: changes on a regular basis. Was once hardwood floors, screened in porches and punching bags. Most recently the sound of my dad working on any project around the house – he swears a lot. Or Cam operating loud power tools in the NEMO office.
Favorite command to disobey: ‘Get out of the kitchen!!’
Wishes NEMO would make: an AirSupported™ frisbee
Aspirations: to play in a 24 hour frisbee contest


-Charlotte

Coming soon to the East Coast: The Present

After its opening tour over on the West Coast, Thomas Campbell's new surf flick, The Present, is making its way over to the East Coast. We’re planning on heading over to the Portsmouth premiere, but here are the rest of the venues.


If you aren't familiar with Woodshed Films (who released this movie), make sure you check out their past, present, and future surf-related films.

The East Coast showing of The Present coincides with the rising ocean thermometer (it may hit 40F this weekend if we're lucky!). As our skis/snowboards are once again being sequestered to the closets, we are starting to set our eyes on the waves (except for John who has braved the bitter cold ocean all winter long).

Here's the film trailer for your own inspiration to hit the waves:



-Suzanne

Longboarding across South America

We’ve recently made friends with the folks over at Loaded Boards after getting a email telling us about their amazing trip. Our friend Adam, along with some of his buddies do a big trip every year where they longboard across what us mere mortals would call a country. The trips have included 2005 Skate Across USA, 2007 Skate Across France, 2009 Skate NZ, 2009 Skate Across Peru and Bolivia.


They describe the latest 2009 Skate Across South America trip as a ‘self supported skateboard trip from Lima, Peru to Potosi, Bolivia. A journey of self torture and happiness.” Check out the self torture below: they’re skating UP that hairpin….



We were also psyched to hear that a couple of Gogos made the journey with them.


Adam and Co. have turned longboarding into a different kind of artistry altogether. We were so mesmerized by some of the moves they pull in this video, it's inspired us to find some of our own secluded roads to practice.



-Connie