Morning Thoughts

Environmental Money Tree

I am a voracious reader. I have an insatiable appetite for learning and expanding my general knowledge of, well, anything. I am absurdly interested in everything. Reading is my lifelong pursuit to understanding the world and, whether healthy or not, I am never satisfied with my knowledge. Like everyone, I have my favorites, but one day I may be reading Phillip Sidney's 16th century Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, and the next day will be full of James Bond adventures, of course in comic book form. Reading allows me to keep an acute mind and helps me to become a better informed person.

One of my favorite books is F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This morning I wanted to know a bit more about Fitzgerald, and I found this article (a self analysis) he wrote in the February 1936 issue of Esquire. The second paragraph really hit me hard. I have a little notebook I carry around with me everywhere I go. It is full of ideas I have, quotes I like, random thoughts, doodles while waiting for my coffee, you name it. A piece of this article is my newest entry, and also what led to this posting:

Rails-to-Trails

I came across Rails-to-Trails today purely by accident. I was reading about innovation, which led to learning more about carbon fiber, taking me to a page devoted to carbon fiber and bicycles, ultimately landing me at Rails-to-Trails's website.

As interesting as the other topics are (I'll catch up on them later), as a cyclist, Rails-to-Trails is even more fascinating.

A True Humanitarian Entrepreneur

I would like everyone to meet Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, world traveler, hitchhiker, future Nobel Prize winner. At 19, this guy went to Africa and began importing trucks to Lagos. That was around 1991, and it only lasted about two years. Thank God.

His family owned a textile company, and Mikkel made enough money in Africa to buy out other family members in 1997, giving him the reins as president and CEO of Vestergaard Frandsen. He has turned those textiles into a company that designs products to change the world. In fact, I think they should change their mission statement to, "We change the world."