When the country’s largest consumer co-op retailer announces it will close its doors and website on one of the biggest shopping days of the year, it attracts attention. REI did just that when it announced last week that it’s closing all 143 stores on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and won’t process any online purchases until the following day. Employees will get a paid day off and be encouraged to get outside—and no doubt many of them will. Read more →

Summer is a time for getting outdoors, listening to the birds, taking long walks in the woods or long naps on the beach. With that in mind, we bring you five books to accompany your summer adventures, or inspire your next trip outdoors. Read more →

As Father’s Day approaches, we’ve been thinking of books we’d recommend to our own fathers. Here are five titles that share a deep interest in the world, or that tell the story of fatherhood itself, with all its memories and complexities and sometime revelations. If your father is anything like ours, we're sure he would take any of these books, find a quiet place to sit, and then read every word. Read more →

Veteran outdoors writer Michael Lanza, whose family trip to Zion National Park was canceled because of the government shutdown, examines the broader economic and human impacts of the National Parks closure. Read more →

For Earth Day, we asked Michael Lanza, "What is today's most pressing environmental issue?" Read more →

For vacation inspiration, Alexis Rizzuto turned to the books she's been editing at Beacon Press. Read more →

Michael Lanza writes about his family's explorations of mountains the Blackfeet Indians called, "the backbone of the world." Read more →

Author Michael Lanza goes on a chilly adventure with his family, to a place where the effects of global warming are strikingly apparent. Read more →

Michael Lanza and his family look forward to a yearly, snowy trip to Idaho. Read more →

Author Michael Lanza talks to National Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis about what climate change means for our national treasures. Read more →

Michael Lanza shares thoughts and photos from his recent trip to Mt. Rainier, including his observations of the effects of climate change on the ecology of the area. Read more →

A family excursion to Yosemite helps a dad see nature from another perspective. Read more →

Author Michael Lanza discusses his family's "treacherous" hike to the heart of the Grand Canyon. Read more →