Danbee Kim’s got an infectious smile, and a lot of moxie to go with it. She’s an MIT-educated neuroscientist, but that’s just the day job: in her free time she hosts couchsurfers, juggles fire, and makes videos. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I found this modern Renaissance woman through couchsurfing.org, and was intrigued by her story. In the summer of 2008 Danbee, along with fellow students Alex and David, took off on a 72-day road trip through America. The trio did it all on their own gumption: they made the plans, found some grant money, took Mom’s minivan and set out to seek their cultural heritage.

Danbee and David, in traffic at Glacier National Park

This American Summer is the product of their journey: a ten-webisode series that features interviews with people from all over the country. It’s well-made and honest in its fresh-faced enthusiasm for the Great American Road Trip.

The episodes are entertaining, though sparse: after traveling for several weeks and getting no feedback on their work, the travelers assumed nobody was watching, and stopped filming. That’s a shame, because as Danbee tells it, they had a hell of a trip.

Highlights? The Grand Canyon, bien sûr. Las Vegas, where they were treated to a fancy dinner and a local’s tour of the town. Tidepooling in Oregon. The Marfa Lights. Being strip-searched at the Canadian border (by Canadian police).

Danbee at Acadia National Park, Maine

One of the greatest things about this trip, for me, is the enthusiasm and courage of the travelers. Watching the footage, there’s a palpable excitement. In a lot of ways, these three represent the much-maligned “liberal elite”, but it only takes a few seconds for their openhearted naïveté to shine through. For all their education, they understand that there are things that can’t be learned in a university. What they really want is to discover their Americanness—what it means to be a part of this country, and how they fit in. That’s an ideal that stirs this blogger’s soul, too.

Another of their project’s bright points is that the trio couchsurfed the entire way. There’s no better way to get to know a community than by staying with a local—and there’s no better way to travel cheap than to couchsurf.

Danbee says that, in their 72 days and 7,200 miles of traveling, they only had one negative experience: a CSer in Rochester who shorted the dinner check. The very next morning, however, they had one of their best experiences. Overall, she says the best thing about couchsurfing is the experience of personal exchange: sharing beers and conversation, going out with locals. Couchsurfers are laid-back, she says, and easily impressed: make your own bed, and your host will love you.

Alex, Couchsurfing host Tanner and Danbee in Franklin, TN

All in all, This American Summer appears to have been an excellent education for Alex, David and Danbee—and an accomplished piece of work that has the potential to inspire other young travelers. In one of the most touching moments, the three talk to a Kentucky dairy farmer about her quilt collection; in another episode, they learn about Lacie Madison’s adventures as an independent country musician in Nashville. There’s plenty more to watch, so take a moment to watch the series and find out what happens when three kids from MIT get their first glimpse of rural America.

Note: ThisAmericanSummer.org is no longer a record of these three’s travels. Find them on Blip.tv instead.

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, community, education, featured posts, travel, video

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Architecture is a topic that can be fascinating and compelling but often turns out dangerously dull—and green architecture is often downright boring. Part of the problem is that sustainable architecture is only available to the super-rich, who invest in eco-mansions while the masses are stuck in the same old houses with (yawn) upgraded lightbulbs.

Or so I thought. But then I decided to tour Boston’s green-building scene, and guess what I found?

Green Housing Projects

That’s right, Boston is home to one of America’s first LEED-certified affordable housing developments, Maverick Landing. Completed in 2005, this 426-unit mixed development replaces an ugly, run-down 1940s “superblock” that was giving all its residents asthma and chronic depression.

Now the block gleams with happy little buildings, backyard lawns, bike paths, a meeting center, park, playground, and the hands-down best views in Boston. It’s subway-accessible and designed for 77% low-income residency, including Section 8. Solar panels run the elevators and lights; interiors use low-VOC paints and natural flooring; air is ventilated and filtered; and recycled/eco-friendly materials are used throughout.

(...)
Read the rest of Green Living Gets Real (435 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: architecture, design, energy-efficient, featured posts, green building, green living, recycling, sustainable

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

There are more stories to be told next week, but for now I’ll leave you with some snapshots from my adventures in the Cradle of Liberty. Click any photo for more info.

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Boston, photography, tourism, travel

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Boston’s one of those truly people-oriented cities, so few and far between in America: a magical place dominated by young people and universities, where everybody walks, few people drive, and you can get wherever you want to go on the train.

I’d been told about the massive student population here, but it has to be seen to be believed: there are over 100 colleges and universities in the greater Boston area, 27 of which are in Boston proper. Across the river in Cambridge there are 7 more, including Harvard and MIT. That adds up to over 250,000 students in Boston/Cambridge, about 40% of the population.

Those who do try to drive around Boston spend most of their time stuck in traffic.

Students, as a general rule, live near their schools and spend more time walking than driving. They tend to travel in smaller circles, be more active, and have less gas money—so undoubtedly Boston’s student population helps make it a pedestrian city.

But it’s not just the kids. Boston is over 350 years old, and was therefore designed with no concern for the automobile. Instead, since 1631, this town has relied on mass transportation. The “T” system speeds throughout the greater Boston area, connects to commuter trains, boats, Amtrak and a zillion bus lines. It’s so efficient, even locals rarely need to drive. In fact, the Boston-Cambridge area has one of the highest percentages of foot commuters in America.

(...)
Read the rest of Headed to Beantown? Take the T. (331 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Boston, ecotourism, ecotravel, energy-efficient, green living, metro, tourism, train, transportation, travel

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The first time I visited Boston, I stayed in the HI Hostel on Hemenway Street. I moved on after just a few days, but loved Boston and wanted more—so I circled back through later in the summer, staying with a couchsurfer the second time around.

What was the difference between the two experiences, and which would you choose? Here’s how they stacked up.

(Not familiar with couchsurfing? Find out more here.)

(...)
Read the rest of How to Travel Cheap & Green: couchsurfing vs. hostel (985 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, alternative, Boston, buy nothing, community, couchsurfing, ecotourism, ecotravel, environment, featured posts, freegan, hostel, how-to, lodging, travel

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

By the time I reached Boston, I’d been on the road for ten months. I’d already worn through a pair of boots, and repacked my entire bag with summer clothes. But one thing that happens when you’re traveling is that clothes just don’t last as long.

Part of it was due to the fact that I was washing things however I could: hot water, cold water, river water, bathtub water, laundry soap, shampoo, Dr. Bronner’s, scrubbing-with-gravel… and yes, that was wearing my poor threads to shreds.

But mostly, the demise of my duds was due to the fact that I wore the same thing every gosh-dang day. New outfit? Ha! Not on the road, not when you’re broke. Now, I’ve never been much of a clothing horse, but still… a girl’s gotta dress up sometimes.

And so there I was in Boston in my worn-out hand-me-downs, pirate pants, threadbare socks and stained shirts—and I said to myself, “Hun, it’s time for a new look.”

(...)
Read the rest of Boston's Best Thrift? $1-A-Pound at the Garment District. (315 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alternative, cheap, counterculture, diy, dumpster diving, ecotravel, fashion, green living, recycling, reuse, starving artists, sustainable, thrift, tourism

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

How did I do it? Baby, I took the Megabus.

Megabus bills itself as “America’s first low-cost inter-city bus service,” but it’s oh so much more. Its buses are brand-new, double-decker behemoths—practically limousines compared to Greyhound’s rusty clunkers—and what’s more, they offer wi-fi en route.

Megabus isn’t the only bus company offering dirt-cheap fares: $1 bus fares are popping up everywhere following Megabus’ success. Greyhound itself has launched a competing service, BoltBus, covering essentially the same service area at the same cost.

(...)
Read the rest of How to Travel Cheap & Green: Take the $1 Bus! (467 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bus, eco travel, economy, ecotourism, ecotravel, energy-efficient, environment, green living, how-to, megabus, New York, starving artists, transportation, travel

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh