The Big Bend Ultra 2011 has been resurrected after a hiatus of some years. In preparation for the January, 2011 event Whole Earth is hosting a workshop in our San Antonio Quarry Market store on August 5th at 6:00 pm. The workshop will include all the information you’ll need to prepare yourself for this rare opportunity to run in Big Bend National Park next January 16th. Register here for the races: 50K and 25K trail runs plus the Hot Springs 10K race.

On Thursday evening, the 5th of August, you can meet Courtney Lyons-Garcia, the Executive Director of the Friends of Big Bend National Park, and also Carroll Voss, Big Bend Ultra Race Director and owner of Fleet Feet Sports in San Antonio. Mr. Voss can answer all your questions about the race course, tips on preparing for an ultra run, and running in Big Bend in particular. Ms. Lyons-Garcia will cover the many wonders of Big Bend itself: places to stay, hiking trails and driving tours, all sorts of fun activities in one of Texas’ great wilderness areas. She will also tell us about the Friends of Big Bend, a fine organization that works to improve the Park - and the host/beneficiary of the Big Bend Ultra 2011.

Come on over to the Quarry Market for the short presentation, have a snack, and a chance to take home cool door prizes provided by Marmot Mountain Works and Whole Earth Provision Company. If you can’t make it to this workshop, it will be repeated on September 9th in Austin in the Whole Earth store at the Westgate Shopping Center.

The 2010 edition of the Banff Mountain Film Festival that stopped in Austin this Spring on its world tour was a huge success and great fun for the hundreds of Festival attendees at the Paramount Theatre. In the five years that Whole Earth Provision Co. has hosted the event, thousands of dollars have been raised for the many environmental non-profits of the event-including this year’s recipient of some $4000, Austin Parks Foundation. This could not have been possible without the folks we want to mention now.

Whole Earth is very grateful to the many organizations that contributed to the event in their own ways. We of course cannot stage the Festival without The Banff Centre. They have done so much to nurture art in all its many forms, including putting together one of the greatest outdoor-themed film festivals in the world. A portion of these films make up the World Tour and Radical Reels that circle the globe in the year following their Fall event. They even provide a moderator to introduce each film and give us some insight into its origin - thanks to Nancy Hansen for traveling here from Banff , Alberta for our showing.

A number of the fine manufacturers of Whole Earth products participated: with free stuff for Festival attendees, donating funds, having a display in the Paramount lobby, or all of these. In particular we want to thank SmartWool (maker of fine Merino wool clothing), W.L. Gore & Associates (developer of GoreTex for a multitude of applications), Feetures (environmentally conscious maker of great socks), and The North Face (the creator of great outdoor equipment and clothing). Others making a mark on the Austin Festival are Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, Deuter USA, and Petzl . Our thanks to all of these fine companies - please patronize them and their products.

Whole Earth is also happy to have a number of non-profit organizations represented at the Festival. Thank you to the Austin Sierra Club, TreeFolks, American Youth Works, and the University of Texas Recreational Sports Department for having displays at the Paramount.

Last, but certainly not least, we thank our media partner: KUT-FM for their coverage; and to Firelight Pictures for their informative presence at the Festival. We hope to have everyone back for the 2011 Banff Mountain Film Festival.

The proceeds from the 2010 Banff Mountain Film Festival amounted to $4000 from the two-day run this Spring. Shown above is Whole Earth Provision Company founder Jack Jones presenting a check for that amount to Rosie Weaver representing this year’s beneficiary, Austin Parks Foundation. APF does such special work in projects all around Austin - we know that these funds will be well spent improving the open space within the city.

Whole Earth is teaming up all summer with Teva and the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science to show a thrilling, big-water river trip at the Imax theatre in the Museum’s domed theatre. The film is titled Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk. Besides wonderful action footage of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. , his family, and other notables, the music is done by the Dave Mathews Band and the narration by Robert Redford. The environmental message is a timely one about water, it’s growing scarcity, and human responsibility for protecting and conserving it.

As an extra incentive to see the film, Teva and Whole Earth are offering a 20% off coupon good at our Dallas location (5400 E. Mockingbird Lane) for a discount on a great pair of sandals suitable for running around town or running the big rapids. An Imax ticket stub is also required for the footwear deal.

Everything you’ll need to take advantage of this deal:

• Ticket information
• Printable Coupon

Above, Whole Earth staffer Ariana Barr works our booth at the Car2go launch party in downtown Austin. Car2go is Austin’s new mode of public transportation—the shared, on-demand private Smart car. For registration details, visit the Austin Car2go site.

Earth Day is 40 years old this year and so is Whole Earth Provision Company! We celebrated the Earth Day anniversary all around Texas by participating in or hosting events during the week prior to Earth Day proper. Below are snapshots of those celebrations that took place in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.

Dallas – Shown above is Whole Earth staffer, James Olivarez, at our booth in downtown Dallas displaying just a few of the recycled, organic, or sustainable products available throughout our stores.

Dallas – Our Dallas store was presented with the above certificate for participating in the event.

Austin – Whole Earth staffers on the green at The Triangle, pausing to smile for the camera as attendees examine our environmentally conscious merchandise.

San Antonio – On the weekend prior to Earth Day, our store in the Alamo Quarry Market invited a group of representatives from some of our ‘greenest ‘ manufacturers to spend the afternoon demonstrating their products to our customers. Shown above is the rep from Keen Footwear and Smith Optics. Not shown are the reps from Osprey Packs and Klean Kanteen.

San Antonio – Patagonia’s footwear rep is explaining their shoes to a customer. Patagonia was well represented with their softwear rep (not shown) as well.

Houston – Near our booth at the Energy and Transportation Environmental Fair, Whole Earther Ray Loyal (right) poses for a photo with the event coordinator.

Whole Earth and many other businesses in Austin will be donating 5% of our Earth Day receipts to a group of non-profits that are committed to the environment. Come shop with any of us on April 22nd and know that 5% of your purchase will be donated to these worthy organizations. The seven groups who will share these funds are Hill Country Conservancy, Sustainable Food Center, Save Barton Creek Association, Austin Film Festival, Austin Green Art, Sierra Club, and Friends of Barton Springs Pool.

For a complete list of participating businesses click here.

Join Whole Earth Provision Company for an Earth Day Celebration at our Alamo Quarry Market location here in San Antonio. Saturday, April 17th, Noon to 5 pm.

We’ve invited several of our environmentally conscious suppliers to be in the store to talk with you about what their companies are doing to be truly green. We’ll have representatives from Patagonia Clothing and Footwear, also good folks from Klean Kanteen, Osprey Packs, Keen Footwear, and Prana clothing. Come and join the discussion about the environmental initiatives of these progressive companies.

Don’t forget to sign up for the great door prizes.

Additionally, it’s Community Recycling Day at the Quarry Market, courtesy of Allied Waste, you can drop off your recyclables in bins provided in the parking lot.

Whole Earth staff are shown above explaining some of the environmentally conscious merchandise we carry to San Antonians enjoying lunch on the Main Plaza downtown. Fresh Air Friday (most recently held on April 9th) is an event sponsored by the Alamo Area Council of Governments to demonstrate what opportunities San Antonio holds for being better stewards of this beautiful city.