A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of meeting Ben, Julie, and Mark, three intrepid souls who have spent the last 10 months traveling around the United States and covering positive environmental stories as documented on their website, Your Environmental Road Trip. By July 4, 2008, they will have visited all 50 states! The culmination of their work will be a feature-length documentary about their travels and the amazing people and projects they encountered along the way, along with a short video for each state.

I met them at a party in Brooklyn the weekend before Earth Day, which they elected to spend in New York City. Over hummus and peanut butter brownies, we got to know each other and spent several watery early spring hours talking about everything from my brother and sister-in-law’s restaurant (where Ben has eaten—small world!) to permaculture in Tennessee (where we also had mutual friends) to pioneers in Idaho who put the rest of us to shame by living in warm, well-appointed and comfortable caves.

Mark, Ben, and Julie impressed me not only with their stamina and determination, but also with their outlook, which is very Sunny Way-esque. With their combination of hilarity, positivity, and realism, they are spreading the good news that we can make a better future and in fact already are!

I can’t wait to see their documentary! In the meantime, have some fun watching their short videos and reading their blog entries.