I admit it. I am a closeted adrenaline junkie. So when I heard that I would be able to go see the X Games this past weekend if I attended a press event for ASEC (Action Sports Environmental Coalition), I just about wet my pants. Actually, I wet them a little bit.

ASEC is an initiative to establish an environmental standard for the action sports industry as a whole, not just for the X Games. I didn't get to see much of the competition that took place but I did get to talk with the founder of ASEC, Frank Scura and find out about the great things this organization has up lined up.

Frank Scura, Bob Burnquist, Damon Way and Jen O'Brien founded ASEC in 2002. The group began by gathering, amongst the action sports industry, athletes to help support the environmental movement. ASEC also began education youngsters through educational initiatives such as Bob Burnquist's Global Cooling Challenge.

I became extremely excited when I heard about The Global Cooling Challenge, because it basically establishes greenhouse nurseries and organic research gardens at schools throughout the country. They are already in place at schools in California and Florida and being developed in Maryland.

I asked if the Challenge was being pushed in New Orleans and Frank stated that he would love to get the program running in schools there, rebuilding in places like New Orleans should start with sustainability and green programs. All that is needed is for a teacher or principal or even student (I believe) to contact ASEC and they'll get things started.

"Good Wood for the Hood" was probably the coolest green initiative I had ever heard of. Seth Pietras, ASEC's communications contact, explained that ASEC was taking a different approach to outreach. Most of the environmental outreach programs try to reach the more affluent of the population, but lower income and urban communties need this information as well. Through "GWftH", ASEC has donated skate parks, three, to be exact, in South Central LA and in Compton. The ramps are built from recycled and sustainable equipment donated from the X Games competition ramps.

What got me even more excited, besides my brief glimpse of little carrot top himself, Shaun White, was when I discovered that September 7 - 9, theGlueNetwork.com will be hosting the first Green $4$ Green Poker Tournament in San Diego to raise funds for ASEC and it's initiatives. There will also be the ASEC Honors awards, along with a concert and festival on 9/7 at 4th and B. Only running into Travis Pastrama would have crazed me more. I definitely plan on being there.

Check out the ASEC website, suggest to a teacher or principal of a local school to check out the website and get involved in the Global Cooling Challenge, or go lose some money ASR (the poker tournament) in San Diego next month. They may do back to back 900s on skateboards, double backflips on motocross bikes, break bones, fall 45 feet and bruise internal organs as a way to make a living, but they care about the environment just as much as the rest of us.