Spring Is a Dream, Ulaanbaatar on the Mind

Ulaanbaatar on the mind.

Hey hey // Spring is on the way!

Spring starts tomorrow, nominally at least. You wouldn't know it to look at the forecast here, or to look out our door, where a foot and a half of snow lingers like that friend you have who comes to visit "for a few days" and stays well into the next week. But just as you still love that friend, we still love the snow, especially when the alternative is a long, drawn-out-and-lonely mud season.

Would that we could transition seamlessly from snow to summer sun. Indeed, I went skiing yesterday, leaving Annie alone for more than 10 minutes, and she got to pretending we were already there.

We've got Ulaanbaatar on the mind this week, the capital of Mongolia. Mongolia, of course, is the originator of the yurt. The O.G. of yurts, if you will. (Humor me.) Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world, and more recently became the capital city with the worst air pollution (step aside, Beijing; move over, New Delhi; dream on, L.A.). These distinctions are of course related—in a region where the temperature regularly reaches and remains down near 40 below, keeping a home warm is a matter of survival. And as many rural Mongolians move to the capital city seeking job opportunities, setting up their yurts inside city limits, they burn what they can to keep themselves and their families warm. In this particular case, that is raw coal, supplemented, as needed, with garbage. There's an excellent piece on this in the NYT, with worthwhile photos as well: "Burning Coal for Survival in the World's Coldest Capital."

What Else We're Reading:

"Taming the Mighty Mississippi" from WashPo. A good longread on the efforts to control the Mississippi River, and what it means for the rest of the country.
"What's the Best Way to Inspire Positive Environmental Behavior?" from Pacific Standard. A summary of a new study that suggests showing images of stranded and starving polar bears isn't the only or the best way to incite action.
"A Parable of Destruction" in NYT Sunday Review. Easter Island is all up in the news this week, as climate change threatens its history. This short op-ed argues we've got something to learn from the downfall of Easter Island's collapsed society.
"The Case for a Carbon Tax on Beef" also in NYT Sunday Review. Yeah, yeah, I like beef too. And driving. But just give it a read. The facts are undeniable, and action doesn't require waiting on Congress to pass a tax bill that would never pass Congress. Just stop eating so much beef, ya heard? And maybe one day I'll consider taking fewer road trips.

Shouts to @analogcycles this week. Go follow them on Instagram. They're a bike shop in Maryland, but moving shop to an old sugar shack in Vermont, and building a yurt to live in. They reached out with some questions and we're so excited the yurt population in Vermont is increasing in number.

Ulaanbaatar is the most fun word,
Kevin + Annie + Henry + Holly