In our April Newsletter, we whetted your appetites with a mention of our grassroots Trash Running initiative launching this summer.  If you are new to Atayne 360, you may be asking, "What is Trash Running?"  It's only the hottest new sports activity. Trash running combines fresh air, physical activity, and litter collection all done in a group to up the fun factor. It goes something like this:

We are happy to report the initiative is under way.   Meet our first group, the Chicago Trash Runners!  If you reside in the Chicagoland area, we hope you join in the fun.

Not in Chicago?  Not a problem.  We are working to launch Trash Running groups in at least 10 cities or towns before the summer is over.  If you are interested in organizing a group in your neck of the woods, send an email to trashrunner@atayne.com.

"In the summertime when the weather is high, you can stretch right up and touch the sky."  Mungo Jerry may have been wrong about their style, but they sure were right about summer.  The first day of summer is almost upon us, and we all know what that means.  Long days, warms nights, plenty of time outside and...SUNBURNS.  Not only can a sunburn be VERY painful, it can lead to some serious health issues down the road.  Before you head out, lather up with sunblock.  But be sure to choose wisely.  Many sunblocks contain ingredients that are linked to cancer and can contaminate the water supply.  Seems a little counterproductive, doesn't it?  You can check the safety of your sunblock in the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Database.  Another option, wear your Atayne top.  All of our tops have an SPF rating of 50, and the protection will not run off with your sweat.

Because we love summer so much and want to encourage everyone to get outside and be active, we are going to do our part.  Through the first day of summer, June 21, we are offering $10 off all of our tops (LS and SS).  We personally recommend the Stone color.  The light color will not absorb heat helping to keep you cooler, but it protects you from harmful rays just as well as our darker colors.  To take advantage of this offer, use the code summerlovin2009 at check out.

After hundreds of littered cigarette butts turned our Earth Day Trash Run into a "butt stroll", we vowed to do something to address the problem.  After a bit of research, we learned that the material in cigarette butts (cellulose acetate) could be purified and recycled into a variety of different materials.  That got us thinking.  Why not try to work with clean-up groups to collect the butts, purify and recycle them into fabrics, and use the fabric to develop a line of t-shirts that promote anti-smoking and environmental awareness.  Definitely a huge undertaking, so we decided to try to win some money to get it done.  Like our Trash Running initiative, we have submitted our Butts 4 Benefit idea to the Green Effect contest.

If you are a little skittish about t-shirts made from cigarette butts, how about paper made from elephant poop?

I am sure most people would quickly answer "no" to that question.  But don't be so fast to judge.  Endurance, like most things, is relative.  There is no doubt in our minds that golfer D.J. Gregory is one of the greatest endurance athletes out there.  

D.J. was born with Cerebral Palsy.  From birth, doctors said he would never walk; however, his parents would not take that for an answer.  After several surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, D.J. progressed to be able to walk with a cane.

As D.J. grew, he developed a love of sports.  Because of his condition he could not play most of them, except golf.  He taught himself a modified one-armed swing and fell in love with the game.  Golf became a constant in his life, and he developed what most people would consider a crazy idea given his circumstances.  D.J. set the goal to walk every hole of every round of every PGA tournament in 2008.  The numbers:

With his parents by his side, D.J. finished his long journey on Sunday, November 9, 2008.  We encourage you to watch his ESPN profile.  We promise the 12 minutes spent watching will provide a healthy dose of inspiration.

We think the sign says it all.  A couple of our good Atayne friends sported their tops on a recent hiking vacation. As Phil wrote, "I wore it almost the whole week with no complaints from my travel companion."  No complaints from us either!

Don't forget to submit your graphic, statement, or design ideas for version 2.0 of our POV top coming out in mid August.  Email your idea(s) to adventure@atayne.com by June 29th to be entered into the drawing for a $100 Atayne gift certificate.