February 2025

Covered in mud, we return to the sterile walls of the school. Nearby, students and teachers stop and stare at us. We say nothing. We keep moving, exhausted from our time spent in the wilderness, observing, interacting, developing skills to survive, absorbing information and processing the incredible time we had spent as a group.

What we experienced together as a class is a far cry from what most students find in a traditional educational setting. In that scenario, a teacher lectures from a lesson plan they wrote a decade ago or downloaded online. Students stare out the window, whisper to each another about things unrelated to subject matter, or they concentrate on their rectangular cell phones. Somebody might look up and ask whether what the teacher is saying will be on the test. Curriculum standards have changed little, nor has the teacher’s approach. 

Taking a Critical Look at Traditional Education

Education in many schools can be so mundane to the point of stifling inspiration and creativity. It happened to me and it created obstacles to my learning and personal development. It even led to some unfortunate behavioral incidents I’d rather not discuss.

Didactic learning, more commonly known as (more…)

Over the past couple of decades, outdoor adventure enthusiasts have developed a growing obsession with speed — fastest climber (ascent/descent), fastest cyclist, fastest downhill skier or snowboarder, fastest BASE jumper. Fastest, fastest, fastest. 

Whether you actively compete in one or more of these categories or prefer a less competitive approach to human-powered outdoor activities, you’re at risk of getting swept up in the accelerating pace of everything in the world outdoor adventure, including fashion. Specifically, fast fashion.

Yes, fast fashion and stylish outdoor gear is a thing, and it’s creeping into the world of technical outdoor apparel, threatening the values of the outdoor education and adventure programming community’s Leave No Trace (LNT) culture. It’s a trend we must resist, and dare I suggest, reverse.

What Is Fast Fashion?

Fast fashion is the mass production of inexpensive clothing, aggressively marketed and pushed out to consumers as quickly as possible to capitalize on ever-changing trends. Sometimes, a simple change in color, texture, or cut is enough to trigger a new trend. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Often, products that hit store shelves or online retailers appear well-made, with quality and longevity in mind. But when put to even the most basic tests, their flaws quickly become apparent. Since many consumers are willing to overlook poor quality in their pursuit of trendy, bargain-priced clothing, the cycle continues.

What most people don’t see are the hidden costs to the environment, to the workers making these products, and to the communities where they’re manufactured. According to the report Style That’s Sustainable: A New Fast-Fashion Formula (PDF): (more…)