Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington DC

Hi friends,

We've been unable to spend much time on the internet over the last few days, but all has been well and I wanted to update you on our progress!

Tuesday, May 5 we spent the day in Neffs, Pennsylvania with our friends, and I spent a few hours on the phone trying to confirm interviews and making sure everything is all set for the next several weeks.

Wednesday, May 6 we drove to the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey in the afternoon for some video at the coast. One of our videos will be focused on power from waves, and there is a wave power buoy off the coast of New Jersey that has been successful in proving the technology works. It turns out that there is enough potential on the coasts with wave energy to power the entire world two times over. Not bad. We gave a presentation that night at the UU church in Princeton, NJ.


Thursday, May 7 was a busy day! We visited Terracycle in the morning, touring their factory where they make products out of recycled materials. They're in Trenton, NJ, and we saw where the make "compost tea" for plant fertilizer, bags made out of recycled juice containers, and "techno-vomit"...hmmm....how do I explain that one? Guess you'll have to wait for the video. In the afternoon we drove down to Washington DC to visit the headquarters of Green America (formerly CoOp America) and spoke with sustainability guru Todd Larsen about the work Green America does to advocate fair trade, green collar jobs, and a greener America!

Friday, May 8, today, we spent some time in Virginia visiting my 95-year-old uncle and more time in Washington DC, then up to Cedar Lane UU church in Bethesda, Maryland for a presentation. Cedar Lane UU is the 3rd largest UU church in the U.S., so I'm told. Tomorrow we have a long drive from Chevy Chase Maryland, where we are staying tonight, to Nashville, TN.

READER QUESTIONS! How are you guys holding up stuffed into the Beetle? Do you have a better understanding of family closeness yet? How is the roof rack holding up?
Well, it's not the most spaceous way to travel, but it's working out OK so far. Having the roof rack is a big help - that's where we're putting all of our luggage, and the trunk is full of vegetable oil containers and the camera equipment. We definitely feel some drag from the roof rack and it's affecting the mileage, but I expected that. The kids have plenty to do so they're not getting too bored with the driving yet.

Many many thanks to the inventor of the GPS! That thing is absolutely wonderful, just amazing. I can't imagine doing this trip without it. Ours is a Magellan and has a nice female voice; we have named her Maggie!

Be well,
Colin
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Our Renewable Nation, A Cross-Country Eco-Video Adventure
www.OurRenewableNation.org