We chose a used 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid as our vehicle. It was just the right car for the job. Diesel wasn't clean enough. Biodiesel already had a zillion road trips in its honor. The Totyota Prius was too small, and had insufficient clearance. The Ford was an American car for an American road trip. It looked like a regular little SUV and might actually trick some unsuspecting Americans into believing that they, too, could drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. Our car's nickname? Rachel "The Car" Carson, and we introduce her in YERTpod1: LaunchPod. We also explore the car-buying decision process in our video titled Pick a Car!, featuring experts discussing alternate fuel vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and even a fully electric vehicle.

Mark Dixon

After surviving childhood at a young age, Mark attended Stanford University and somehow graduated in 1997. He followed his dreams into the Internet bubble and worked for two start-up companies in Silicon Valley, including Akimbo Systems, where he managed the deployment of nearly 10,000 programs for its Internet video service. A citizen of the world, he has visited 26 countries and lived on three giant continents, including a year in Tokyo, Japan. Mark has also dedicated his life to the performing arts, entertaining audiences onstage through choral and solo vocal and acting performances in a variety of genres, including jazz, comedy, gospel, opera, improv and musical theater, and classical religious music. As evidence for global warming and resource depletion moved into prominent view on an international scale, Mark decided to refocus his life on helping America work with the world community to address these issues, by launching YERT in Summer 2007. Mark is also one of 1000 climate messengers chosen and trained by Al Gore to give presentations about the climate crisis that we face today.

Ben Evans

Raised in Kansas and New Jersey (by wolverines), Ben graduated from Stanford University in 1994 . . . at least that's what he tells his family . . . of wolverines. After working for a Bay Area graphics software company for two years, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the performing arts. In the fall of 2001, Ben's acting career brought him to New York City where he now lives and works. Over the last decade, he has performed in film, television, and theater in LA, New York, Europe, and across the U.S. In addition, he has worked for over a decade as an academic tutor and teacher both privately and for various educational companies, including The Princeton Review and Ivy West. Having always harbored an abiding passion for the environment, Ben jumped at the opportunity to team up with Mark in launching the cross-country, environmental whirlwind that is YERT. He believes that the U.S., if it tries really hard . . . can melt everything. This would be bad. In his free time Ben enjoys mincing salt, juicing bananas, and petting feral cats.

Julie Dingman Evans

Julie is unparalleled in her ability to grind jokes down to a halt with the most absolutely literal interpretation. Despite this, and with a blind eye to his bio, Julie is (quite happily) married to Ben! Born in Florida, and raised in Kentucky, Julie believes her need to hug trees can be traced to countless camping and fishing trips, long bike rides, several failed attempts to save baby birds, and tending Mom’s flowers and the family vegetable garden. Having two dancer parents probably tilted the scales a bit - Julie inevitably wound up pursuing a life onstage. Since earning a BFA in Dance from Western KY and an MFA in Acting from the U. of Louisville, Julie has toured shows professionally across the United States and Europe and most recently starred Off-Broadway in Shout! The Mod Musical. Always attempting to rescue creatures in need, she now realizes it is time to officially add planet Earth to the list, and is more than excited to join Mark and Ben on this incredibly worthwhile endeavor . . . even if she did take a little convincing.

Erika Bowman

Erika knows a good idea when she sees one. When she intially learned about YERT on the first day of filming in 2007, she immediately declared herself as YERT's honorary fourth member, helping out with logistics and internet marketing for many months from home. She loves a good story and meeting new people, having embarked on adventures of her own including teaching in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India, and exploring tiny villages in Laos by motorcycle. When Julie became pregnant part way into the trip, Erika's passion for social causes and love of nature made her a great stand-in for the last few months of filming. Her background in photography and business have helped her straddle the line between creativity and practicality, helping with writing, photography, and logistics along the way. A self-proclaimed passion-aholic, Erika divides her time between YERT and an international social entrepreneurship nonprofit, Ashoka.