Remembering the power of nature. 

Nature is powerful, and sometimes you get caught in a serendipitous moment that makes you appreciate it in a whole new way.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

We love the art of storytelling, so every weekend we bring you videos that have been making the rounds at EcoSalon. Enjoy!

Beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms that make the world go round.

Our planet is home to about 5 trillion trillion bacteria, a number that seems too huge to contemplate. That may sound scary to people who think of bacteria as nasty little bugs that just want to make us sick, but the fact is, tiny organisms like bacteria, fungi and protists are absolutely essential both to the health of our bodies and to that of the entire planet. Unseen and under-appreciated, these organisms play a huge role in marine food chains, the growth of forests, climate change and our own digestive systems.

Lactobacilli in our digestive systems

We’ve got ten times more bacterial cells in our bodies than cells of our own. In fact, fully 10% of our dried body weight is made up of bacteria, and most of that isn’t the harmful sort that causes infection, illness and tooth decay. Scientists are only just beginning to explore what they’re now calling the “human biome,” and they haven’t yet identified most of the bacteria that our bodies host. But we do know that over 500 species of bacteria take up residence in our intestines alone, and these microorganisms may just be the most important ones in our bodies.

It’s hard to narrow down just which species of gut bacteria is the most important, but there’s one that stands out for its sheer bad-bacteria-fighting power: Lactobacillus acidophilus. This acid-resistant bacterium colonizes the lining of the small intestine, and also covers the lining of the vagina, cervix and urethra. Producing lactic acid, L. acidophilus helps our bodies fight virulent strains of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureas, Salmonella, Candida albicans, Listeria and other types of bacteria that we really don’t want getting comfortable in our bodies. This is exactly why you should be eating foods that contain live probiotics, like yogurt.

Marine bacteria that produce oxygen

Likely the most abundant photosynthetic organism on earth, Prochlorococcus is a genus of tiny marine cyanobacteria with an especially high concentration of chlorophyll. In fact, though you’ve probably never heard of it before, this microorganism may be the most plentiful species on earth, with 100,000 cells found within a single milliliter of sea water. Amazingly, these microscopic bacteria account for an estimated 20% of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, so they provide a lot of the air we breathe. Prochlorococcus are also among the beneficial marine microbes involved in oceanic nitrogen cycles, fixing nitrogen in the water so that the entire food chain can flourish.

Mycorrhizal fungi help feed plants

Nearly every plant growing on this earth is host to parasites called Mycorrhizal fungi. Forming an extensive network of pseudo-roots attached to the plant’s actual roots, these fungi can increase the plant’s water and nutrient uptake between 10 and 1,000 times. Plant roots can’t always take up certain minerals own their own, especially in alkaline soil, but the fungi can access the minerals and make them available to the plants.These fungi can also help protect plants that are rooted in soils with high concentrations of toxic metals, probably because the metals bind with the fungi instead of being taken up by the roots of the plants.

Bacteria that create rain and snow

Microbiologists recently made a very surprising find: living microorganisms that get blown into the sky, including bacteria, fungi, diatoms and algae, can be used by clouds as precipitation starters. One researcher at Montana State University discovered that bacteria was highly concentrated in the innermost core of hail stones, learning that the bacteria allowed the ice to form at warmer temperatures than normal. This discovery will likely spur more research into just how big of a role microbes play in weather cycles.

Protists at the bottom of the food chain

Mostly unicellular, protists have evolutionary histories that stretch back at least two billion years. While some protists aren’t seen as beneficial – like the genus Plasmodium, which causes malaria – these microscopic organisms are a critical part of marine food chains. For example, diatoms, a type of protist, serve as the main base of the food chain in both fresh water and ocean habitats, supplying calories to larger protists which are then eaten by small animals, and so on.

Moss bacteria that help forests grow

Ancient trees aren’t just beautiful examples of the natural world. They’re also hosts to species of moss that contain crucial bacterial which are twice as effective at “fixing” nitrogen as the species that live in the soil. Highlighting the importance of maintaining old-growth trees, especially those in coastal temperate rainforests, a study on these cyanobacteria found that they take nitrogen from the atmosphere and make it available to plants in a highly efficient way that few other organisms can match. That means that old growth trees covered in moss can actually help the forests around them grow.

Bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter

Decomposition is a complex process involving hundreds if not thousands of different organisms, like earthworms, millipedes and maggots. But behind the scenes, it’s really the bacteria and fungi that do most of the work turning dead organic matter, from wood to human bodies, into nourishing soil. Consuming the dead organic matter for energy, bacteria help to recycle nutrients like nitrogen and carbon back into the life cycle.

Microbes that help regulate climate

Aside from seeding clouds with precipitation, microbes play another role in weather and climate: storing and producing even more carbon dioxide than all of the earth’s trees and plants. Microbes help the world’s soils store more than 2.5 trillion tons of carbon, while photosynthetic bacteria in the oceans pump 55 billions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year – eight times the amount we humans produce through fossil fuel burning and deforestation.

But as the Arctic tundra starts to melt as a result of climate change, microbes have been able to flourish in a previously inhospitable region, breaking down organic matter and releasing even more carbon dioxide. Scientists are still studying just how this will affect the pace of climate change.

Photo: Colin-47

North America’s beauty spreads from sea to shining sea.

When wanderlust strikes, there’s the tendency to picture oneself overseas. My personal fantasies bring me to deserts in Morocco, beaches in Goa, hole-in-the-wall salsa clubs in Havana. I tend to forget the bounty of natural beauty that exists right here in North America. These pictures showcase the stunning vistas, cultural relics, and breathtaking natural phenomena that exist right at our front doors, or at least within a few hours drive.

(above) Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA

San Jose del Cabo, Baja California, Mexico

White Sands, New Mexico, USA

Washington, D.C., USA

Venice Beach, California, USA

Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, White Water, California, USA

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Banff National Park, Canada

Coyote Butte North, Arizona, USA

Henkel, Colorado, USA

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Kent, Washington, USA 

Pagosa Valley, Colorado, USA

Lackawanna State Forest, Pennsylvania, USA

San Francisco, California, USA

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Santa Cruz, California, USA

Galveston, Texas, USA

Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

Bitterroot Mountains, Montana, USA

Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas, USA

Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Yosemite National Park, California, USA

U.S. Route 66, Arizona, USA

Mule Canyon, Colorado, USA

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Everglades, Florida, USA

Sequoia National Park, California, USA

Anne’s Beach, Florida Keys, USA

South Dakota, USA

Quechee, Vermont, USA

Riverwood Park, Mississauga, Canada

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Bountiful, Utah, USA

Big Moose Lake, New York, USA

New York, New York, USA

Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, USA

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ExclusiveDocumenting beauty in nature: an EcoSalon exclusive with photographer Ben Canales and new “Finding Oregon” timelapse.

Sometimes we need reminders of who we are and what is important. Finding Oregon is one of those reminders. Shot in Oregon, and produced by Uncage the Soul Productions, the video is a composite of timelapses, giving us an intimate look at the day and night sky in some of the most remote places in this western state known for its natural resources and beauty.

This video is a fresh respite from our everyday, overloaded, technology dependent, lives. It reminds us of the natural rhythms that we have almost become unaccustomed to, reintroducing us to the power and routine of nature.

Photographer and Uncage the Soul team member Ben Canales knows a thing or two about timelapses, and in this EcoSalon exclusive behind-the-scenes he shares his inspiration and process, giving us a look into the reality of creating a magical 3 minutes.

Finding Oregon from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

How long did you film for?

About 70% of the timelapse sequences were shot in one intense, week-long road trip going to all four of the furthest corners of Oregon, but the remainder was filmed throughout 2010-2011.

This is a great question, because we ourselves, didn’t realize just how much work is involved until we got serious about this project. It is shocking how much energy, time, and equipment goes into getting one, six second video clip. For instance, a glowing tent clip from Crater Lake demanded a dedicated three day trip out of town, location scouting in the day to find the perfect spot for the night, a three mile trek through the snow with all the equipment to the spot, setup for an hour and then wait for nightfall.

The actual filming takes 2-4 hours to record a good night timelapse of the stars moving, and then pack up, hike out, and drive home the next day. That is only the work done in the field! Then there are hours and hours of processing, editing, and polishing the final video sequence to get only six seconds of final video.

It is not an exaggeration to say one short, final clip may represent 20-30 hours of planning, driving, hiking, shooting, and processing- all that for mere seconds of video playback. It is a ridiculous labor of love.

The biggest challenge is the timing lining up to be in the right place at the right time. These starry night timelapses have a surprising amount of requirements to get the bright, beaming epic payoff. First, the moon should be around the New Moon phase (no moon) so as not to outshine the stars, so that means we get a window of about five days a month. Next, weather must be cooperative with a dependable expectancy of cloudless skies. Here in Oregon, only the summer months have a good chance of clear skies. So that means, we have three months in the year, with a 5 day window each month to plan, with fingers crossed, for epic star shooting conditions. That’s only 15 days in a year.

Then, you hope that something doesn’t come up in regular life to pull you away to other obligations on those few days. It is a maddening challenge to get all the factors to line up to be in the right place at the right time. But, when it does happen- it is such a satisfying feeling.

*Groan* Yes… it’s painful to think about. We had set up a motion controlled timelapse that lifted the camera over a boulder to reveal a desert arch framing the passing Milky Way and stars. It is a beautiful sight and not one I’ve seen anyone else capture in this location. We were really excited because this shot would be one of the top five sequences in the final video. We spent the first half of the night finding the spot in the dark, lugging the equipment up the hill to the location and then meticulously setting it all up. We were short on sleep, but pushed through the fatigue because the shot was more than worth it.

Finally, everything was set, the Milky Way was fast approaching and showing up in the arch. We fired off a few test shots, turned it on to run the whole night and then trudged back to camp for some desperately needed sleep. Hours later, we came back, excited to see the final result, but it turned out the power cord to the battery was loose and slight movement had disconnected the power source only 20 minutes after we left it. It was a complete loss.

Next summer the stars and Milky Way will line up there again through that arch like it has for thousands of years, and maybe we’ll be lucky enough to be back to get it.

We’ve filmed the Columbia River Gorge, Mt Hood and the surrounding area, Mt Jefferson, the Southwestern Coast, the Alvord Desert, Leslie Gulch, Blue Mountains, Crater Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Deschutes River, and more. We’re proud to have touched all four corners of the state; however, Oregon is the kind of place that the more you see, the more you realize you’ve missed and haven’t seen yet!

Absolutely. We were inspired to make this film because of the personal experiences our team has individually had in Oregon. But, we would be honored to have the opportunity to capture and showcase the unique beauty of other regions through our cameras. Hopefully films like this will inspire and excite others to go beyond their normal routines and see some of the beautiful regions beyond their own backyards.

This is a question that each of our team members would probably uniquely answer in their own way, so I can only speak for myself in this moment. I am inspired to make this film to share the moments of beauty and awe in nature with those that don’t have the opportunity to see it themselves.

I go to great lengths to get far from the city, beyond its reach, to get to the wild and free places. For me, it is an honor and a joy to try to capture some of these moments and bring back something to share of my own experience. I am literally in awe of the wild beauty of snow capped mountains, immensely flat desert horizons, violently rugged coastal sea stacks, infinitely sparkling starry night skies, exploding colors of sunsets and sunrises, and so on. If there’s a chance I can capture some of that to share with others and/or bring awareness for the need to protect these special places, I find inspiration there.

Learn more about Uncage the Soul Productions work here.

EcoSalon’s top stories this week.

Is it better to support large companies half-heartedly dabbling in eco fashion or the well-versed indie designers who live it? In Balancing the Benefits of Fashion Greenwashing, we take a look.

No matter where we live, we need nature and in Nature is Balance, Anna Brones takes us to a special place where we can stop and muse on whether we are getting enough fresh air.

If you like your wine, you might like what you can do with your bottle after (no, not just recycling it). In 12 Ways to Reuse a Bottle, we give you ways to channel your inner Martha Stewart.

How can something so stinky be so good for you? In 20 Unusual Uses for Garlic, we explore the many attributes of the wonder plant.

Meditation can do many things for your body that people can’t see – or can they? In this week’s heARTbeat, The Meditative Effect of Peter Seidler’s Before and After Project we get a real visual on how inner peace can actually exude.

Travel journal: No matter where we live, we need nature.

Where are we without nature? This question has struck me over the last week, spending time in the Canadian Rockies, far from city life and away from the usual distractions that keep life busy. It’s cold. There are mountains all around. It’s easy to walk ten minutes and feel in the middle of nowhere.

In a recent conversation about the importance of taking advantage of the present, a friend said “you could get killed by a bear on your run today,” I stopped at the reality of that sentence. Yes, I could get killed by a bear. I wouldn’t put it past the Canadian wilderness. There’s a sense of grounding in that reality.

I love being an urban dweller. But with a childhood of living in a hand-built house in the forest, there’s a part of me that needs the solace that can only be found in quiet spaces. Trade out the usual high density lifestyle for a few moments in mountain air and you’re immediately transported to a different mind space.

Nature fuels creativity, as is clear spending time at the Banff Centre for Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. Our brains need time to disconnect, to readjust to a more natural rhythm, one that begins with a sunrise over the peaks and an afternoon of alpenglow. One where the sound of a raging river is ever present. One where clean air is a given. One where you take in the natural world, not because you choose to go out on an afternoon hike, or take a weekend drive to the country.

As Andrew Weil wrote in an article in Newsweek, “Human beings evolved to thrive in natural environments and in bonded social groups. Few of us today can enjoy such a life and the emotional equilibrium it engenders, but our genetic predisposition for it has not changed.”

I think often of author Richard Louv and his aptly coined term Nature Deficit Disorder. He is right in saying that “The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.” We need to find our balance, the balance that our bodies need and crave, and without, puts us on a path of modern physical and emotional pains. Stress and depression are all maladies of modern society.

Not that picking up your life, buying a cabin in the middle of the woods and settling down to write your memoir in a weathered leather journal by candlelight will solve all problems. Since we live in modern society, we must learn to function within its confines. To find a new balance, one that allows us to enjoy the amenities of urban life but that doesn’t keep us from forgetting how big of a force nature is in keeping us alive.

And not only alive, but fueled and inspired.

Images: Anna Brones

Instants d’Absolu in Auvergne, France was designed as an escape for those who want to get away from it all.

Perched high on a 3,760 foot plateau is Instants d’Absolu, an eco-lodge in a preserved sanctuary in Auvergne, France. Nestled in the heart of the Natural Reserve of the Auvergne Volcanoes, it’s wedged between Lac du Pêcher (a lake), the Puy Muy volcano, and the edge of the Pinatelle Forest. In other words, Instants d’Absolu is an “escape” in the truest sense of the word.

Instants d’Absolu (meaning timeless and rare moments), is located on a renovated, eco-friendly lava stone farm. What we like about it is that it can be visited year-round with no shortage of activities. In warmer months, there is fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, and even a hot air balloon ride to explore the beautiful landscape from above. In the winter, guests can experience dog-sled rides, snowshoe excursions, cross country skiing, and even skiing on the slopes of volcanoes. But the activity most enjoy is the art of doing nothing. The Nordic inspired spa helps with that, an outdoor hot tub that looks out onto the raw French nature.

Restored with love and care, the land that Instants d’Absolu sits on is considered “sensitive natural space,” which means the owners have gone to great lengths to keep the property as natural as possible. Instants d’Absolu is a world in itself, to relax and get away from it all.

If you go: Expect to fall asleep listening to an evening concert of frogs and stag belling. Rates start at $180USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

Set in the South Tyrolean Dolomite mountains of Italy, the Vigilus Mountain Resort is perfect place to rest year-round.

The Vigilus Mountain Resort is said to be like an island in the mountains, located in the South Tyrolean Dolomites of Italy. Each room has an organic feeling with elements such as clay, glass, stone and linen mixing with the pleasant aroma of wood and fresh air. The panoramic windows offer dramatic views for miles, giving guests the sensation of bunking out in a modern tree house. The resort is accessible only by foot or cable car, which means no traffic or noise, connecting guests that much more directly with the sounds of nature.

The main building was designed to resemble a fallen tree lying in the woods; the wooden lattice façade looks like bark. From a sustainability standpoint, local materials were used during its construction. Guests are invited to take advantage of the spring water pool, to indulge in fresh, local food, and to explore the property. At the Vigilus, “nature is the gym” and the resort offers mountain biking, Nordic walking, hiking, snowshoeing, and toboggan rides. If you are looking to relax, take a deep breath, and connect with nature, the Vigilus is the place for you.

If you go: take advantage of one of the many packages offered. Rates start at approximately $270.00USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

It’s time to reconceive environmentalism and sustainability and help them evolve into a larger movement.

*Author Richard Louv is the author of The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder and Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.

Martin Luther King Jr. taught us, by word and example, that any movement — any culture —will fail if it cannot paint a picture of a world that people will want to go to. As others have said, his speech was not called “I Have a Nightmare.”

For decades, our culture has struggled with two addictions, to oil and to despair. It’s pretty clear by now that we can’t kick one of those habits without kicking the other. Yet, for many Americans, perhaps most of us, thinking about the future conjures up images of “Blade Runner,” “Mad Max” or Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”: a post-apocalyptic dystopia stripped of nature. We seem drawn to that flame.

It’s a dangerous fixation. Think how children and young people must feel today, growing up in a time when so many adults seem to accept, with a shrug, only darkness ahead. The key question here is: How do we change our vision of the future? Where do we start? Here’s one suggestion: reconceive environmentalism and sustainability – help them evolve into a larger movement that can touch every part of society.

Here are seven reasons for a new nature movement:

The Gaia Hotel & Preserve is a Costa Rican getaway guaranteed to bring you back to nature.

This is the first installment in a new round of Places & Spaces here on EcoSalon. Look for writer Kara DiCamillo’s travel series here every Saturday.

Situated next to the Pacific Ocean in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica is the Gaia Hotel & Reserve, an adult only luxury boutique hotel and resort. Perhaps what we love most about this tropical getaway – aside from its modern amenities, lush views, and more conveniences than one could possibly need on vacation – is that it’s smack in the middle of a lowland coastal forest. The Gaia Hotel & Reserve is committed to preserving this natural land, and with their eco-friendly and socially responsible values it shows.

The preserve was originally a center for native orchid and endangered wildlife conservation, called Jardín Gaia and today the land is still home to many native species.

Guests at Gaia Hotel & Reserve are able to experience Costa Rica’s tican hospitality and natural beauty, be it taking in vistas of the volcanic mountain range and Pacific coastline while sitting by the pool, or interacting with nature first hand snorkeling, sea kayaking, surfing and river rafting or surrendering completely to your inner romantic with a horseback ride along the shore.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.