Event: Stories of Antarctica, Leadership and Climate Change

Today is EarthDay! First celebrated 39 years ago, it marks the birth of the modern environmentalist movement... learn more at www.earthday.net/earthday2009

As part of the celebrations, my "action" today is to start sharing my experience in Antarctica. I'll also write some reflections down on my blog (meanwhile you can check the Official Expedition Website) and look for photos, videos and blog posts, where I was one of the official bloggers).

If you are in São Paulo, try to join us at The Hub, located at Rua Bela Cintra 409 (see map) at 19h.


Thomas Ufer e Henrique Vedana foram escolhidos entre jovens do mundo inteiro para participar de uma expedição para a Antarctica (http://expedition-antarctic-2009.com), em Março/Abril de 2009, com a intenção de ver os efeitos das mudanças climáticas acontecendo no continente mais remoto e mais intacto do planeta, e conectar-se com lideranças jovens e cientistas de ponta, buscando entender a crise onde estamos e quais as perspectivas, o que a gente pode e deve fazer.

Mostraremos algumas fotos, o filme da expedição e contaremos algumas histórias... venha pra bater-papo, fazer perguntas e refletir com conosco!

Ushuaia - the end of the world...

A few days in Amsterdam would help to prepare and pack. A long meeting in Aarhus and I almost missed my train. Actually the time in Netherlands was fantastic but not for the preparation. Lots of things missing in the last minute. This blog post half-written. An excited and underprepared 'change agent' going to Antarctica. That's not good!

Luckily the flight was excellent and I arrived in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, for 2 days of preparation before embarking to Antarctica. The whole group of 60 students plus BP Leaders, professors, experts and facilitators is here, united. Tomorrow at 9am we gather. At 7am we practice Aikido (thanks Thomas!).

It feels surreal still. I just had dinner with Peter Senge this evening. Nice easygoing guy. He knows very well AIESEC, he was totally up for Pioneers of Change members to join the expedition, and surprisingly (for me), he knew lots about the Kaospilots!

I promised myself to disconnect from the Internet after this blog post. We won't have any communication or mobile signal while onboard, except for a basic satellite connection, where we can send a few packets of information: blog posts and photos for the official website. I'm one of the expedition bloggers so you can follow the website for more details: www.expedition-antarctic-2009.com. The position of the ship can be tracked and you can leave (me) a message, and it will be delivered!

Below is the (planned) itinerary, if the weather conditions allow...


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Antarctica Expedition

I wrote here about a month ago saying that I'm going to Antarctica. A lot has happened during the past weeks and I'm flying next Tuesday (24th of March) to Ushuaia. The journey is about to start!!

BP Alternative Energy and 2041.com, as hosts of the expedition, have arranged several weeks of preparation before the group of 63 students and 20+ BP staff (and experts, facilitators, photographer, etc) meet in Tierra Del Fuego. Each week had a different theme and a virtual platform was launched for the sessions and meetings. I must confess that I got surprised and amazed by the possibilities of such platforms, where audio and avatars play in a scenario where hand and head gestures enable communication in a much more involving way than Skype calls.

In this snapshot you can see myself (my back actually) during the first session, when Vivienne Cox (CEO BP Alternative Energy) introduced the Antarctic Village and the project Antarctica Expedition.

The themes were broad and very interesting: Climate Change & Energy; Theories of Change; Climate & Policy; Public Behaviour; The Skeptical Economist. For each session key scientists, economists or experts came for a short presentation and Q&A. Before each session, we receive a package of reading materials, and other related materials.

In parallel to it, my preparations included finding clothing and getting to know the other participants. Two weeks ago I received a brand-new Patagonia jacket and I will get proper boots to wear during the expedition. I'm still trying to get sponsorship from shops in Aarhus for the rest of the clothes - 1st and 2nd layers (yes, we need 3 layers of clothes for such a cold weather!).

Among the participants, very nice surprises... Almost the whole hosting team of the Pioneers of Change' Global Journey in 2007 is joining: Lesley (South Africa), Dania (Ecuador) and myself. From the hosting team of the AIESEC's 60 years Anniversary Celebrations last August, I'll meet again Thomas (Brazil), Sabine (Germany), Max (Mexico) and Lucy (Australia). Besides these participants, I have also met Aron (Sweden) over Chinese New-Years in Shanghai last year and I know Majken's twin sister Louise from Copenhagen... apart of these known faces, a lot of new, very interesting and intelligent group of people, from whom I expect to learn a HELL LOT OF STUFF :)

The official expedition website will be launched during the next days, and I already volunteered to be one of the bloggers during the trip :) Before I leave I'll write more about Antarctica and my own expectations...

The Dash (a poem)

The Dash (Copyright Linda Ellis 1996)

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning... to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth.....

So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?

I'm going to Antarctica!!

Today I got some news that made me jump from the chair, and I still can't stop laughing and dreaming, even 10 hours later... so I decided to write about it!

I applied last November to the BP-sponsored Expedition Antarctica, where 50 students from all around the world will gather in Ushuaia and travel to Antarctica, over one week, from 25th of March until 5th of April. The goal is to explore and "see" the changes and challenges to our planet happening, and together "act" upon it. Well, not that I need to see Antarctica to believe we are in deep s**t, and yes, probably BP is also contributing to it (not alone, of course), but the opportunity to visit the most remote continent in the world (which only reminds my inspiration Amyr Klink), and connect with (potentially) 50 other people like me is what makes me jump from the chair.

I didn't get in when the final results were announced, in December. The e-mail from today was an invitation for a few extra participants... "In discussion with advisers such as Peter Senge, we have decided to extend a number of invitations to candidates who have demonstrated particular credentials in the area of youth or student networks, or organisations dedicated to exploring innovation and change especially related to climate, energy and inter-related issues."

I also found out that Max Oliva is one of the participants, which means a great start!! :D

Peter Senge is advising on the project, which is led by polar explorer Robert Swan.

I can't say how happy I am!!!!