After watching the White House Conference on the Great Outdoors live-streamed at whitehouse.gov/live, I came away asking myself what I could do to bring the outdoors into people’s everyday lives. I came up with the “Get me the heck outta Dodge…” iPhone app. It would be a GPS-enabled app that uses google maps to find the closest parks and recreation areas close by. If you wanted to take it to the next level you could have a ratings system, user comments, trail maps, and pictures.
I can’t tell you how many times I have sat in traffic in the hot sun, closed my eyes, and imagined that when I opened them I was on a beach or laying on the grass. You know, traffic sounds a lot like the ocean, the continuous waves of moters passing by, the horns are sea gulls, and the guy yelling into your window is trying to sell you Piña coladas.
Obviously there is so much more that needs to be done to get people connected with nature (… but any iPhone developers out there listening in can feel free to take this idea to the next level. Just give me some credit). For more information on the growing disconnection with nature, read Last Child in the Woods.
I couldn’t write this blog post without thinking of this YouTube video, a road rage moment brought to you by drnuhtz.
