Why We Walk #2: The American Lung Association's Mission

The American Lung Association has set the goal of raising $125,000 through this one event, the 2011 Fight for Air Climb in Carew Tower.  Team "Clean Air Climbers" just happens to be in first place in the fund raising column.  Here's proof:

But why raise money for the American Lung Association?  The ALA's mission is very direct and simple: To save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.  With 33 million Americans afflicted by lung diseases, it's the number 3 killer of adults in the United States.  1 out of every 6 deaths can be attributed to lung disease.  This killer affects us all, either directly by means of degrading our personal health or by affecting the lives of our friends and family.

Over the next few months, we'll look at some of the specific goals of the American Lung Association and some of the great things they will be doing with your donation.  If you would like to donate to our climb now, click one of the donation links on the side bar of this page and help us support the American Lung Association in their mission.

Walk #2: The Garden of Eden

With our second walk we determined that we will indeed go through the walks described in Walking the Steps of Cincinnati in numerical order.  Hence, we did the second walk in the book second - "Walk #2: The Garden of Eden."

The book starts off this walk by calling it a "gorgeous, arduous" walk - the gorgeous we found to be true, the arduous not so much.  There are not a lot of stairs on this walk, and it affords both beautiful views and beautiful travels through Eden Park.  We definitely recommend this walk for anyone looking for a nice stroll in Cincinnati!

As will be usual, we recommend you follow this link to check out the trek as it was captured in Chris' Sports Tracker program using his Nokia phone and Cincinnati Bell.  You can not only see the path exactly as we walked it (as tracked by GPS), but you should check out the pictures Chris took along the way.

We started the walk about halfway through the book's directions - we started at the corner of Parkside and Louden.  For the walk down Parkside, the book recommends "peeking in at the courtyards along the way."

Despite our aspirations to be good directions-followers, we just didn't get the hang of the peeping Tom routine.

Follow the rest of our journey after the break!

Preview of Walk #2: Garden of Eden

Our second walk took us through Nicholas Longworth, Sr.'s self-made Garden of Eden, creatively called Eden Park.  No, really, we learned that Eden Park was basically named Eden as in the Garden of Eden, which Mr. Longworth felt he'd created.


Anyways, walk No. 2 out of  "Walking the Steps of Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City's Scenic and Historic Secrets" led us all around Eden park - we started at the corner of Parkside & Louden in Mt Adams, walked through the park to as far north as the lakes overlook, wandered back past the Cincinnati Art Museum, then around the Playhouse in the Park to where we'd begun.  The full walk will be posted soon.


Here are some fun facts we learned along the way:

• Before the Markland Dam was built in the 1950s, Bellevue and Dayton, KY, both had popular white sand beaches that Cincinnatians and Kentuckians flocked to during the summer for swimming, sunning, and boating.
• On Eden Park Dr. you'll find the Melan Arch Bridge - which was the first steel-reinforced, poured concrete bridge built in the Midwest.  That's a first all Cincinnatians should know and be pround of, right?  It just makes me think of "the Pride of UC," Crosley Tower - not only is it the tallest building at UC but the only thing I remember from my campus visit tour was that it's the largest singly-poured concrete structure in the Midwest.  Know and be proud.
• The gazebo that serves as the symbol for Eden Park on city maps and street signs used to be a spring house that was known for its medicinal waters.  Sorry, it's all dried up now.  No healing for you!
• The bandstand situated between Mirror Lake and the Art Museum has been around since 1872.  The video below is gonna drop some knowledge from the book:

• There's a spicy crime story connected to the park!  I'm going to quote it from the book: "It was here... where infamous bootlegger George Remus murdered his wife in 1927, after she aided the State's case and moved in with a government agent.  Pleading insanity, Remus was hospitalized for five months and then set free.  Years late, it is said, the gun was found in the bushes by a child on an Easter egg hunt."  Happy Easter!
• President Hoover dedicated the Ohio River Monument found at the lakes overlook.  I stood at this monument and was blown away thinking about how I was exactly half way between the start of the Ohio River (in Pittsburgh, PA) and the end (in Cairo, IL).
• I have a new favorite statue, given to the city of Cincinnati by the Italian government in 1931.  I have yet to figure out why Italy doesn't like us.

Walk #1: The Good Friday Pilgrimage

Our first walk through the steps of Cincinnati was the first walk in the book Walking the Steps of Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City's Scenic and Historic Secrets: Walk #1 The Good Friday Pilgrimage.

We plan to track all our walks using the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music phone from Cincinnati Bell. Using the Nokia Sports Traker app, we will create a map of our path based on our GPS positioning throughout and use it's automatic picture upload feature to attach photos Chris takes on his phone to the spot on the map at which we took it. Pretty cool, no? It should make it super easy for you to take the walk if you get inspired to do so!

Click the map below to see the route and photos on sports-tracker.com:

We'll also probably be making videos for many of the walks, but are having "technical difficulties" with the footage from the first two (bad sound, trouble converting, problems in editing - bleah!). For now, here is a rough video, photos, and text version for you:

We began the walk at Eggleston & Third. It officially starts at Sawyer Point.

Check out the rest of the journey after the jump!

Clean Air Champions #1: Hamilton County ES

As part of our blog chronicling our adventures and training for the Carew Tower Climb, we wanted to also take time to look at the many local organization that are focused on improving the quailty of the air we breath, both indoor and outdoors.

There are several government agencies that are responsible for keeping an eye on areas that affect our health. In the area of clean outdoor air, the Hamilton County Environmental Services are keeping a lookout for dangerous conditions in our local skies. Twice a day, the HCES measures air quality in Hamilton County and updates their website with local conditions.

The above is an embedded portion of the daily report. See the full page here.

Another fun way to to keep track of air quality - with real time reports on the Cincinnati area - is the Hazecam. The Hazecam, which is linked from the Hamilton County Environmental Services website, provides a webcam view of Cincinnati with real-time indicators showing measurements of particles and ozone in the air.

Introducing the Clean Air Climbers!

This is just the start! If YOU want to be a Clean Air Climber, we'd love to have you on the team! To join:

1) Click on this link to our team climb page, hidden in the box with our team name is a "Join the Team" link.

2) Fill out the form. You may set your own fundraising goal but the Lung Association recomends a minimum of $100.

3) If asked, enter Clean Air Climbers as your team name! Welcome to the team!

Rebecca Lehman moved to Cincinnati in 1998 to become a Bearcat. Except for a few years in a city she dubbed "the Cincinnati of China," she's been a happy and engaged resident since.

She is still a Bearcat - after earning a BA in English Literature and an MS in Community Health Promotion & Education, she stuck around to work in Student Activities & Leadership Development. Most specifically, she works with the Racial Awareness Program and in campus and community outreach involving crosscultural communication skills and critical multicultural education.

Rebecca is also involved locally as a co-host of Northern Kentucky Living Liberally, home discussion groups with the Northwest Earth Institute, and the diversity committee of the Cincinnati chapter of the Human Rights Campaign.

She climbs because clean air is an important public health issue. After several years in what was then the 19th most polluted city in the world, she has learned to not take clean air for granted.

Chris Flowers moved to Cincinnati in 1994 and with the exception of a 5 year period of traveling around the country and eventually ending up in the Denver suburbs (1998-2003) has lived in the tri-state ever since. He is currently unemployed but has been filling time between job searches by volunteering for various organizations such as Ohioans for Humane Farms, Venice on Vine / Power Inspires Progress, and occasionally for organizations such as the Cincinnati Chapter of the Human Rights Campaign, Special Olympics, and the Racial Awareness Program at UC. He is also the founder of the current Northern Kentucky Chapter of Living Liberally and is also involved with the Cincinnati chapter.

He has also served as a volunteer member of the steering committee for Northern Kentucky Action for nearly 2 years. Being a member of a group that is fighting for clean indoor air while having a relative that suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, he climbs because he feels that having clean air should be the default and no one should have their health put at risk, either indoors or outdoors, because it might be inconvenient for others to provide clean air.

How Everyone Can Fight for Clean Air (whether a climber or not)

Taken directly from the American Lung Association, here are some handy tips on how you can fight for clean air:

Top 10 Ways to Fight For Air

1. Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, call the American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) for the help you need to quit, or log on to Freedom From Smoking® Online at www.LungUSA.org.
2. Avoid lung health hazards. Protect yourself from harmful air pollution, both indoors and outdoors. Don’t allow anyone to smoke in your home, especially if you have children.
3. Recognize the warning signs of lung disease. Frequent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, excessive phlegm or blood when coughing and chronic fatigue are not normal. Symptoms like these mean you should see your health care provider for prompt medical attention.
4. Know the symptoms of asthma: shortness of breath, wheezing, tightness in the chest and frequent coughing when exercising may be signs of asthma. Call your healthcare provider if you suspect your or a loved one has asthma. The Lung Association can help with information on exercise, medications and coping skills to manage the disease and prevent attacks. Call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) to learn more.
5. Ask your health care provider about the flu shot – a safe and effective way to prevent influenza, commonly known as the flu. It is now recommended for everyone over six months of age, including those with chronic diseases, like COPD or asthma. Caregivers, relatives and health care providers of high-risk groups should also be vaccinated. Since the vaccine for the upcoming flu season will protect against both seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1, most people will need only one shot. If you’re over 65, you should also have a pneumonia vaccine. You can get vaccinated any time during the fall or winter and into the spring at a neighborhood clinic listed at http://flucliniclocator.org.
6. Prevent air pollution. Drive less, conserve electricity and avoid burning wood or trash.
7. Get involved! Air pollution worsens lung disease and can even be deadly for many people, including infants, older Americans and those with chronic diseases. Join in the fight for healthy air by reducing pollution and supporting clean air laws.
8. Test your home for radon – it’s simple and inexpensive. This colorless, odorless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer, yet it can be easily controlled.
9. Teach your children to grow up smokefree. Their best bet for avoiding lung disease later in life is never to start smoking. Call your Lung Association for information on proven programs that teach kids not to smoke.
10. Protect your family by encouraging exercise, eating right and keeping your home free of respiratory irritants. Help spread the word to those around you, to increase awareness about lung health. Every day, you can make a difference.

Preview of Walk #1: The Good Friday Pilgrimage

Pictures, videos, and an interactive map of the path we walked will be posted soon about our first walk, Walk No. 1 in "Walking the Steps of Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City's Scenic and Historic Secrets."

The walk took us from Sawyer Point up into Mount Adams and back. Here are some of the "historic secrets" we learned along the way:

• Mount Adams was originally called Mount Ida and was known for its grape vineyards (owned by Nicholas Longworth), which disappeared in the mid-1880s due to disease.
• President John Quincy Adams was an amateur astronomer.
• As such, he dedicated the Observatory in Mt. Ida - it was the country's first observatory! Go Cincinnati with a historic first! After he dedicated it, we renamed the area Mt. Adams after him.
• Mt. Adams became home to German Catholic immigrants who originated the tradition of the Good Friday pilgrimage on the steps that connect St. Gregory Street with the Immaculate Conception Church.
• The tradition of the Good Friday pilgrimage - still well known today - was apparently way more popular (as the book says, "dramatic") back in the day, mostly from 1860 to 1960.
• The Celestial Street Bridge - which runs over Columbia Parkway and Fort Washington Way - is "a card-carrying member of the National Historic Register." I learned that bridges can carry cards.
• There's a street in a historically German-heritage neighborhood called "Guido Street." True story.

Proof we at least made it to the 151-year-old Holy Cross Immaculata - a pic of the Clean Air Climbers in the mirrored door facing the river.

The Clean Air Climbers' Plan

Chris and I really enjoyed our climb of the Carew Tower in the 2010 climb. We decided to sign up for the 2011 climb within a few minutes of completing the 2010 one.

Last year we had a (fake) competition about who was going to trounce the other to generate interest and excitement about what we were doing. For the record, I won. We realized we didn't want to do the same this year because

a) We haven't finished giving people their incentives prizes from last year yet; and

b) We didn't really want to sustain a fake argument for months on end.

So, this year we're combining forces for a non-competitive Clean Air Climbers that are focused on a few new goals:

1. To have fun.
2. To promote our great city, including great organizations such as the American Lung Association and the many hidden treasures of the Queen City.
3. To encourage people to get out, walk around (whether up stairs or not), and enjoy Cincinnati!

Our guide for most of our adventures will be the 1998 book "Walking the Steps of Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City's Scenic and Historic Secrets" by Mary Anna DuSablon. We plan to work our way through the 35 walks she outlined before climbing the Carew on February 20th, 2011.

Why We Walk #1

Here is some information from the American Lung Association that reflects a bit of why we're involved in this climb: