Last week’s topic of mushrooms and their far-reaching rootmass of mycelia generated the most responses I’ve received on a newsletter topic since I started publishing six months ago. A nearby friend texted me photos of mushrooms spotted on that day’s morning walk and invited me for a mushroom walk in her woods, where she walks … Read more
Have you heard of mycelium? Mycelium is the root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like filaments. I first learned about mycelium in the soil 30-odd years ago in landscape horticulture classes. My professors were geeked. Research has since learned that these fine fibers comprise dense and massive underground communication and … Read more
What if the solution to smartphone addiction is … two phones? George Mack, who calls himself “WiFi Pirate” on Twitter with 264K followers, fixed his smartphone addiction with what he calls the Cocaine-Kale Protocol. His Kale phone provides bare-bones essentials: notes, Kindle, Uber, Maps and an emergency number for two-three people. His Cocaine phone is … Read more
FOMO, or the “fear of missing out” is typically associated with Facebook, Twitter or other social media users who can’t stop checking and scrolling. But that definition is hardly big enough. Allow me to identify the FOMO elephant in the room: Email. Email is equally anxiety-producing for myself and many of the digital professionals I … Read more
There are three types of relationships with Nature: Transactional Therapeutic Transformational From the first Earth Day in 1970 I recognized the transactional focus of our society – we take and take from Nature and never look back. Fossil fuels, natural resources extraction, even outdoor recreation – take what you want and leave a mess behind. … Read more
Help me understand better: What does being plugged in feel like to you? The more I talk to people the more I realize that our digital lives are scattered across a broad spectrum of supportive and addictive tech. There are some common use patterns: Text Email Research Social media Entertainment Supportive tech Digital/online work Some … Read more
Last week I had an opportunity to talk with a man who signed himself up for a digital detox long weekend in the nearby North Carolina mountains in 2015. We’ll call him Tom. His reason for acting on a friend’s suggestion was not what you might think when you hear the word “detox.” Tom was … Read more
One of the widespread changes that has stuck since Covid is the surge of interest in outdoor recreation, especially visits to U.S. national parks and public lands. Whether it’s the adoption of a new vacation experience or fear of losing the chance to see iconic landscapes because of wildfires, flooding and climate change, people are … Read more
You’ve likely figured out by now that The Unplugged Club has an ulterior motive, beyond turning you into a clandestine tree hugger. It’s even beyond encouraging you to put down the flat world of screens to discover a new awareness, curiosity and sense of wonder about Nature outside your door. Here’s the secret motive: The … Read more
Nature is quickly becoming the medical answer to many of our modern ills. Doctors around the world are now actively writing “nature prescriptions” for ailments from chronic conditions to a cascade of lifestyle diseases, such as: Stress Cancer Obesity Diabetes Depression Hypertension Mental health Immune health Sleep disorders Physical inactivity Cardiovascular health To name a … Read more