Around Earth Day 2009, Earth Promise conducted a series of interviews asking people from a number of areas questions about the environment, what they are doing to help, their thoughts on the direction government, business and organizations are going in. For all the Earth Day 2009 interviews along with others since then, click here and enjoy.
One of the people we had the privilege to interview was Nathan Winters. Not an actor, a politician, musician or movie director. All he did was ride his bicycle across the United States to raise for the Nature Conservancy and increase awareness regarding our environment and the importance of protecting it and caring for it. To read more about Nathan and his amazing journey, visit his site at www.FollowNathan.org.
Ten months after our first interview and since he has completed his ride, we were able to interview him again and see how the experience was.
Earth Promise: So 4,300 miles later…. First off, it is an amazing accomplishment. My wife, who is an avid rider, is very jealous! As a recap, can you tell the readers again about the ride and why you did it?
Nathan Winters: During the spring and summer of 2009 I took the notion of riding my bicycle across America. I would travel 4,300 miles over the course of 5 months. It was done with a very nomadic spirit and documented through social media and a very personal journal.
Throughout this journey I carried a piqued curiosity into agriculture, food systems and environmental issues as I conducted a research project. I would stay, meet with and interview a very diverse group of individuals, experts and organizations from various regions across our nation. I engaged with and captured the opinions and thoughts of as many people as possible through in-depth conversations.
EP: Tell me about the ride? What states did you go through?
NW: I decided on the northern route in an effort to visit a few states I had not visited prior to this trek. All in all I would touch 14 states including ME,NH, VT, NY, PA, OH, MI, WI, MN, SD, ND , MT , ID, WA
EP: On average, how many miles would you ride a day?
NW: It varied greatly depending on who and what was in the area. For instance, when I was in the north east I found many of the communities to be fairly close to one another and often rode less than 30 miles in a day. When I was in the plains towns were often 60 miles apart and I had no choice but to ride that distance. For me a great day on the bike was 50 miles followed by good conversation and a cold beer. It is also important to note that given my nomadic spirit I would often times stay within a community for several days. So there were also plenty of times in which I would not be on the bike but rather conducting my research.
EP: Tell us about some of the highlights.
NW: There are honestly so many of them. I stayed and met with endless types of individuals, families and organizations. For me the biggest highlights were the times I spent on the farm. I stayed on a variety of types of farming and practices that truly allowed me to get a strong understanding for what was going on with agriculture, food and how politics, science and marketing were shaping the food chain. I can hardly describe to you how vastly different having lunch with an Amish family in comparison to doing shots of crown royal in a honky tonk with a cattle rancher.
EP: See some odd things along the way?
NW: There was certainly more than enough interesting encounters with people along the way. I think most of the “odd” things I had witnessed were the homemade signs that people made and planted in their front lawn. You would be surprised what people are willing to share and illustrate with a piece of plywood and a can of spray paint.
EP: You did this to raise money and awareness for the Nature Conservancy. Was this a success?
NW: It was a success. All of the donations were very much appreciated, collected through First Giving and went directly to the nature Conservancy. I didn’t have to handle any of the monetary responsibilities. In my eyes, giving a few thousand dollars to an organization that does wonderful work protecting the worlds ecosystems was a huge success.
EP: What were some of the key concerns that people discussed as it relates to the environment?
NW: I think that the major concern at this point is finding ways to go beyond the things we do in our daily life such as recycling and composting. While these small steps are helping us move forward in our daily lives the reality is that we need to change an entire paradigm in terms of the way we operate on a global scale. Many of the experts that I met with were not afraid to speak of a small window of just a few short decades before we start dealing with the consequences. That to me is alarming.
EP: Any conversations really stand out?
NW: So many of them touched, and influenced me. My greatest inspiration came from a man by the name of Greg David in Jefferson, Wisconsin who spoke about things I had never considered prior such as restorative agriculture and social capital. I left that visit knowing and believing that we need to put the ethics back into capitalism, create ecological capital, perform honest accounting in regards to the cost of production of goods and get involved as a community to build social capital. These are the things I now hold true to my values and hope to see become a reality as our nation and world moves forward.
EP: Thinking of the environment and how people care about it, did you see differences as you went across the country? Where were some of the most environmentally conscious people you encountered?
NW: Naturally, you are going to see a wide variation in the mindsets as you move across America. One thing that I found to be consistent was the influence of academia surrounding these communities. It was very interesting to see the influence in how these places developed socially, politically and economically. I witnessed a lot more compassion for mother earth and a desire for local and sustainable agriculture. These areas are places such as Burlington, VT, Ithaca, NY, Ann Arbor, MI and Missoula MT to name a few. These folks are what I would consider to be on the “tip of the antenna”. Please don’t get me wrong however. I found many hidden gems in all of the communities I visited from coast to coast.
EP: I loved following your progress as you did it and the TwitPics you posted. Is there a place where all of these can be viewed?
NW: The majority of the content is online at http://www.follownathan.org While I have a plethora of content that I need to add to my current platform there is more than enough on my website to keep one busy.
EP: Now that the ride is over, any next steps relating to this ride?
NW: I have decided to write all of this down and compile a book. I started my manuscript and I am well over halfway. This is an excellent way for me to not only share my experiences and what I learned but also a tremendous way for me to relive my journey every day. I am currently working diligently to seek out a potential publisher that would be willing to share this Endeavour with me. I am also looking into creating an innovative digital book format that would incorporate all of my video, photos and audio, giving readers the full experience from the convenience of their own home. Lately I have been participating in various press opportunities and engaging online through social media in an effort to bridge gaps between those with a difference in opinions or outlooks.
EP: I asked you this before your ride and definitely interested in the answer. How did you get home? Assuming it was a little quicker than the trip out west!
NW: I did in fact take an emotionally draining flight back from Seattle where I was greeted by amazing friends and followers alike. It was odd to think that I could bike for 5 months from one end of the country to the other only to fly home in 5 hours.
EP: Any future rides planned? Europe?
NW: I would always be on the lookout for another @follownathan journey.
EP: What is the one key message that you wanted to pass along to the people you encountered on this trip as well as moving forward?
NW: This is an amazing country with wonderful people who want to make this planet a better place. Please remember that it is not about you and it is not about me. It is about all of us and the tide is turning.
EP: Thank you very much. Please keep us posted on your future plans.
Nathan is on the road. On May 10, 2009, Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, Nathan Winters hopped on his bike to unite his love of nature with his love of exploration hoping to draw attention to support the conservation of land and nature. Belfast, Maine was his launching point and he’ll finish across the continent in Seattle.
