Studies have shown that we are psychologically healthier when we spend time around trees and in woods. But time constraints and the stress of daily life often limit our interactions to a quick appreciation of the bottom few feet of a few trees from ground level. There is another way, a way that utilizes rope and modern techniques to rekindle this ancient relationship: Recreational Tree Climbing (RTC).

It’s a very inconvenient truth: The organized environmental movement has been almost totally ineffective at protecting the environment since the mid 1980s.

A new banner with the words "A Greener Apple" cropped up on Apple Inc.’s website recently, linking to a personal letter from company founder and CEO Steve Jobs proclaiming that the company is finally going green. In the letter, Jobs writes that consumers, employees, shareholders and the industry "want us to be a leader in [green practices], just as we are in the other areas of our business. So today we’re changing our policy."

Last week, two leading environmental groups, the Pew Charitable Trusts environmental program and the National Environmental Trust, agreed to join forces. The merged entity, with 80 staffers and an annual budget topping $70 million, qualifies as one of the largest environmental advocacy organizations in the world.