Our friends from Episode 3 are going to take over The Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco this weekend. Shuteye Unison, Carcrashlander, and other Parks and Records-affiliated bands will be making music for the benefit of the environment and your ears. This all ages show starts at 9pm, Saturday August 30th. Be there or be a drunken oil tanker captain.

The NPS has shown that it’s never too late to get into podcasting. Realizing that technology and the environment need to coexist, several parks have put together audio tours and podcasts to entice and educate the public. The survival of the National Park Service depends on an active citizenry enjoying in and voting to protect them in the future. There is no budget for TV ads, and since our nations youth are spending less and less time in front of the TV, it only makes since that the parks go digital.

One of my former coworkers from the Presidio had an idea for rangers across the National Parks to do a Where the Hell is Matt type of video campaign with different rangers dancing in front of iconic NPS sites. Still sounds like a good idea… if you’re reading this NPS.

Here is a partial list of their Podcasts:
(via Podcasting News)

Antietam National Battlefield

Everglades NP

Gettysburg National Military Park

Glacier NP

Grand Canyon NP

Yellowstone NP

Yosemite NP

The Green Rapper hiking squad recently conquered the treacherous elevations of Half Dome and lived to tell of their adventure. See and hear how they survived the “Granite Steps of Insanity!” This video review gives great recommendations for any one considering this hike:

We talk about a lot of serious stuff here on Greenrapper.com, but we never pass on a chance at having a laugh. So, when my old MSU buddy Matt recently visited the bay area, we put together a pilot for Channel 101 New York. Channel 101 is a monthly film festival that started in LA and now has a New York version. We shot all of the footage in one day, mostly in the Golden Gate National Parks. Specifically, we did some guerrilla shots in the Presidio and Fort Mason. Though our pilot was not voted back by the audience, we did manage to pull off “Top Failed Pilot”, and our video is featured on the front page of their site. The soundtrack is peppered with songs by James Taylor, Lawrence Welk, Kafani, Little Wayne, and Iggy Pop. Here it is:

In this show, the Green Rapper heads to the Mission in San Francisco to catch up with Jon and Mimi of Mijuanito. As we vibe to the melodic sounds, we also find out how their green record label Parks and Records is making a difference. A concept that blends their two passions, music and mother nature, they share with us their 4-part mission to build a community of like-minded musicians and fans, release passionate indie-pop/ noise-rock albums, reduce waste through 100% recycled/reused packaging, and support organizations dedicated to making our planet greener.

Check out tracks from Parks and Records’ newest release, Carcrashlander on Myspace.
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I just finished watching the DVD of The Real Dirt On Farmer John. It’s a touching story of an eccentric Midwest farmer’s struggle to save his family farm from development and economic recession. He eventually converts to an organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model and his farm survives and thrives. Plus, the DVD features include a music video with a girl dressed in a bee suit ala Blind Melon. Check out the preview:

In this episode, the Green Rapper heads to Redwood Creek in Marin County to talk water quality with Doug Kern. Doug is a scientist and teacher who is involved with restoration of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Doug shows us how to collect critical data about this precious resource. Find out how clean your tap water is compared with filtered water and water from a creek. Also, the Green Rapper finally gets confronted on his bathroom manners and then freestyles about it.

Here are the results of our water quality monitoring: