Who Ya Gonna Follow? @FollowNathan!!
June 5, 2009 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under FollowNathan, Greenopolis, Nathan Winters, The Nature Conservancy, conservation, environment
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With all your favorite television programs gone for the summer…
Why not get interested in one man’s journey to bike for the planet!
On May 10, 2009, Nathan Winters started his journey in Maine to cycle across the nation this summer in an effort to raise awareness for land and nature conservation. Greenopolis has sponsored his “recycling” journey and they are also keeping track of his progress. Nathan has chosen to raise funds for The Nature Conservancy and so far has raised 3% of his expected goal. Nathan has made stops along the way spotlighting recycling, reuse, conservation and all the ways everyday folks across North America are transforming waste to resources in their own unique ways. You can view some of the videos he’s recorded with local folks at Greenopolis.
What inspired you to start follownathan.org/ this journey?
There was no moment of specific inspiration. It’s simply been a dream of mine to ride my bike across America and experience all the wonderful things this country has to offer. I wanted to take the opportunity to give back to my planet.
What is your personal goal and how much do you plan to raise?
My fundraising goal is to raise $50,000 for the Nature Conservancy by the end of 2009. Essentially, I would like to see 5,000 people donate $10 through my firstgiving.com/follownathan website. My personal goal is to meet and speak with people who make an impact in their local and global communities and who care about the preservation of our natural habitats.
Why is living sustainably important to you? AND Why should it be important to others?
It’s important that we act together to conserve and to protect the one planet that we all share. I feel it is essential that each individual plays his/her part in the sustainability movement. We each have a chance to impact the environment in both positive and negative ways, and living sustainably means choosing to have a positive impact. We all need to be accountable for how our decisions and our actions play a part in sustaining this one planet on which we all live.
Besides donating money, how can we help?
Spread the word! Tell others about my journey, send them to my website, offer me words of encouragement or advice for my travels via my social networking sites.
You’ve been riding a few weeks now; what have you learned so far?
As you can imagine, thus far on this journey, I have met some incredible people and have been a part of some amazing experiences. But, without a doubt, the most incredible learning experience up until this point has been the rapid personal growth that I have witnessed within myself as I pedal along. Each place I visit and each person I meet, I take something from those experiences and translate that into something I would like to see in myself. I have also learned that with the power of community, anything can be accomplished. When people work together, there are no limits to what they can do. In addition to that, I’ve been able to accomplish some wonderful things physically, things I never thought I’d be able to do. For example, pedaling my bike uphill in the rain, carrying 70 lbs of extra weight, reminded me of my ability to tackle any obstacles in my way and has given me a wonderful sense of accomplishment as well as drive to continue growing and pushing myself on this journey.
