Imprint Action

Thanks to Jena Saffery for highlighting the impact that Antarctica has had on me in Imprint Action's blog. This non-profit seems like a great one to support...

TEDxAntarcticPeninsula

I'm happy to finally be able to share the link to all of the TEDx videos that we shot while on the 2041 IAE2012 expediton. The location was Paradise Bay, Antartica, and was filmed using only renewable energy. Video footage by Kyle O'Donoghue.

Click  HERE to watch!
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Just One Thing

Happy Earth Day!

Remember this shampoo ad from the 80s? Heather Locklear is explaining that her shampoo is so great, that she told two friends about it, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on...

So, here's my Earth Day Challenge for you: pick one eco-friendly tip to tell two friends about. Ask them to tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on...

I often hear people complain about how it sometimes feels hopeless to care about the environment when big governments are acting too slowly on climate change policy, politicians are spreading negative noise about alternative energy, and polluters just keep going about their business. People seem to have a hard time figuring out how one thing, like changing to more energy efficient lightbulbs in their home, can make a big difference. Well, we are consumers. We buy those lightbulbs. If more and more of us drive the market to produce those bulbs at a better price and better quality, we won't need the regular lightbulbs anymore. Don't  believe me? Well, how do you explain the phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the US and other countries? In that case it was the combined effort of goverment AND a grass roots movement that made a difference. Sure, it requires behavior change and some people prefer incandescent lighting. But they will get used to it, just like we all got used to using cell phones vs rotary phones. Times change, things change, people need to evolve. In this case, for the good of the planet we live on.

So, listen to Heather Locklear. Pick a tip (simply enter "eco-friendly tips" into Google and you'll find a ton to choose from) and tell two friends today for Earth Day. Here's my tip to you:

Don't charge your cell phone overnight. It only takes a couple of hours to charge. Once the battery is charged, you'll just be wasting energy AND money.
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World Water Day: How You Can Make a Difference

As mentioned previously in this blog, I witnessed the finale of an amazing journey while in Antarctica. My new friends, Joost Notenboom and Michiel Roodenburg, rode their bamboo bicycles from Alaska to Argentina, then joined us on IAE 2012 in Antarctica. The grand finale was a final cycle through ice to the TEDx Antarctic Peninsula stage, where they talked of their amazing journey and shared with us what they've learned in their attempt to raise awareness of the global water crisis.

These aren't just two guys who went on a cool adventure. They found projects to fund along the way...real, tangible projects that can begin to help people - NOW. The project that I'd like to ask you to support will construct 125 home-based water filtration systems in a small community in Columbia. They are just a few Euro away from being fully funded. How great would it be to reach the goal today, on World Water Day?!

DONATE HERE

Thank you!

The New Curriculum: Frozen Planet

Discovery's "Frozen Planet" premiered tonight in the US and in my opinion, should be required viewing for everyone. I'm often asked by people, mostly adults, if I ever see polar bears on my trips to the Antarctic. While I know this is not possible because polar bears are in the North, while penguins are in the South, I've always been fascinated by how many people don't know this. Then I realized that anyone over about 20 years old really never got much of a polar education in school. That changed once climate change began entering conversation, and most kids today know exactly where the polar bears reside. Just an interesting observation, in my opinion...

Regardless, watch Frozen Planet...it's awesome.

Frozen Planet on Discovery

Dances with Whales

Wish the quality was better, but hopefully this conveys how lucky we were last week in Paradise. With any luck, filmmaker friends with more talent than me and a better camera than my point-and-shoot will provide me with some better video.

Whales in Paradise Bay

Still inspired, still amazed...

Hello friends...

Hopefully you all kept up with the 2041 Expedition Blog, and got a good taste of all we saw and accomplished these past few weeks. Once again, my mind struggles to grasp the reality of being back in the "real world", as I sit in my New York City apartment, catching up on hundreds of work e-mails and listening to the sound of car horns and sirens invading the isolation I've become accustomed to.

One of the things I love most about Antarctica is that it is never predictable, and like an iceberg, none of my trips have been remotely the same. This time, I watched a leopard seal tease and eventually tear apart a penguin a mere two meters from our zodiac, and I felt very much a part of the dance of a humpback whale cow and her calf, as written about in my previous entry. With a flick of a tail we could have all gone sailing through the air in every direction, yet I've never felt more safe.

I'll post some photos and video in the coming days...thank you for all your well wishes.

Lauren

March 2-6, 2012

March 2, 2012 12:30 am

This is the fastest ship I’ve been on yet. Only a few hours in and I can already feel the beginning of the Drake. It’s just a slight roll right now, and feels quite peaceful...like I’m in a giant baby rocker. That combined with this seasick medication, means this blog entry won’t last too long.

The crew is top notch…very experienced and complete with a biologist, ecologist, and expedition leader who has spent 18 seasons in the Antarctic. We’ll be in good hands. They tell us we’ll reach the Peninsula in about 50 hours.

The waves are getting bigger…off to bed I go.

March 3, 2012 12:58am

Today the Drake was the calmest I’ve ever seen it…a dream crossing. We have changed course to avoid a big storm, but apparently we may not be able to miss it entirely, and even as I write this I can feel the Beast stirring in the water beneath me.

It was a typical day on the Drake…we’ve got about 10 people who are down with seasickness, others are drowsy from meds. We saw a beautiful sunset with the moon rising right behind us, while albatross glided next to the boat. The endless horizon keeps pulling us south…           

March 4, 2012 1:18am

We reached the Antarctic islands today. “Land Ho” was called around 6pm, and because the ship made it through the unusually calm Drake so quickly, we were able to squeeze in a zodiac cruise before dinner. We boarded the rubber boats and headed back out to the Drake in time to catch sight of a whale breeching. I can now add “surfing waves at high speed in a small rubber boat in the treacherous Drake Passage” off my list of things I never thought I’d do in my lifetime.

Now that we’ve arrived, I have the sensation of being “home”…

March 4, 2012 – 2:10pm

This morning we woke at sunrise and headed on deck as we approached the Lemaire Channel, one of my favorite places. Imagine spectacular snow covered mountain faces rising straight up on each side of our boat, icebergs floating by, orca whales breeching, and the colors of the sky changing every minute. The wind is on us today, and we could see the snow flying off the tops of the peaks. Once out of the Lemaire, we boarded zodiacs for another cruise. Since the wind was gusting up to 60 knots we bundled up and held on as our driver navigated us around Pleneau Island. Within a couple of minutes we had seen leopard seals, crabeater seals, penguins, and more orcas from a distance. The leopard seals love to play with the zodiacs, and we had one showing off for us, swimming up close, and twisting around to show us its spots. They are magnificent, and the true predators of the Antarctic. The water was extremely choppy due to the wind, but that didn’t stop our driver from jetting through the waves and catching some air. It was awesome. I got soaking wet, but I’ve got good gear so I stayed warm.

We are currently holding next to Peterman Island, waiting to make a landing and go on a trek. Wind is still gusting, which is difficult for the zodiacs, so we have to wait and see…

Landed at Peterman, walked up to top of ridge. The new team members were excited to see penguins for the first time. I feel at home.

March 5^th

Two landings today at Cuverville Island. Nice hike up to the top where the members had a ropes course.

March 6^th

Paradise revisited

Last night I camped out in Antarctica. No tent. In the rain. It’s quite rare for it to rain in Antarctica…it’s actually a desert and the driest place on earth. But, perhaps because of the changing climate, I saw rain here for the first time. Before the rain started, as we were building ice walls to protect us from the wind, we looked out to see a playground of humpback whales frolicking in the bay. There had to have been at least 20 of them. About 30 yards from my sleeping bag was a lounging Weddell seal, and about 20 yards in front of me, on the edge of the bay, was a group of penguins settling down for the night. A fur seal came close and growled at us in the middle of the night, but fortunately didn’t feel like picking a fight. The night was cold, uncomfortable, and wet, and more of a mental test than anything, but a luxury compared to what Shackelton had to endure here...

Today I returned to Paradise Bay, where I scattered my dad’s ashes four years ago. We held the first ever TEDx event in Antarctica here today, which was very cool. The whole thing was pulled off using renewable energy…another first.

After the event, one of the expedition members played her bagpipes to honor my dad (a small version of the big bagpipes you are probably picturing). Then I hopped on a zodiac to cruise around the bay. I wanted to spend some time out on the bay, thinking about my dad, and feeling his presence in this beautiful place. Then, I spotted a humpback whale. And another. In moments we had made our way to where they were, and suddenly we were surrounded. A cow and her calf began playing with us, gliding under our small rubber boat, and surfacing just two meters from us. It was magnificent. They were huge, and beautiful, and the moment was simply magical.

Thanks, Dad. I love you.

And, I'm off!

It's the day of departure, and excitement is in the air all around me. I can't believe my luck, really.. To be able to do this again, for a third time, is beyond my wildest dreams. I am dedicating this trip to my father, who died 8 years ago tomorrow. Four years ago, I scattered some of his ashes in Antarctica, so to be journeying there on the anniversary of his death is very special to me. Since I'll be sailing through the most treacherous sea passage in the world tomorrow, I hope that he'll be out there somewhere doing everything he can to keep the seas as calm as possible!

Blogging will be difficult on the voyage, but I will try. At the very least, you'll get a bunch of posts upon my return. Last time I was able to upload once or twice so I'll hope for that again. The 2041 team will be using a special satellite system, however, so that blog WILL be updated. Check it out at http://expedition.2041.com/

With that, I'm off!

Getting started...

Spent the morning on a glacier here in Ushuaia, manning a station on the trail and greeting the team members as they made their way up the path. Today was "advanced ground school", and gave the team an opportunity to practice roping up to each other and traversing some dicey ground...all preparation for what we'll encounter when we get to Antarctica. Our three guides are fantastic...between them they have over 80 years of mountaineering experience and I'm loving hearing stories of Everest ascents and the culture in Nepal.

The guys from Cycle for Water arrived last night. It was a great moment. They had arrived in Ushuaia to find that their parents had flown in to surprise them all the way from the Netherlands. They finished up with a ride up the hill to our hotel, where we were all waiting with cheers and hugs. As an added bonus, we also got to meet the stray dog that had joined them on the road a couple of days before. Already loyal to Michiel and Joost, he was still sleeping on the front stoop of the hotel when I left this morning at 7am.

It's an incredibly unique group of individuals that have united in this tiny little town of Ushuaia...I expect it will be a very enlightening trip, with many lessons learned...

We set sail tomorrow afternoon...

Bunny Rabbits on a Runway

3 planes, 2 cars, 1 bus, and 26 hours after leaving my apartment in Lower Manhattan, I finally arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina. Here's what I remember from the trip:

• The sad look on my dog's face when I kissed her goodbye in the rain
• Realizing I forgot my watch
• Dreading my middle seat assignment, then being pleasantly surprised that my seatmates were actually very cool people that I really enjoyed meeting (shout out to Row 41 if you reading this!)
• The brief taste of Buenos Aires summer weather as I transferred airports
• The computer breakdown at the regional airport check-in that resulted in something akin to cattle herding
• Finding my 2041 teammates amongst the herd
• Watching an Argentinean guy throw a temper tantrum at the gate
• Bunny rabbits on the runway at the re-fueling stopover
• The now-familiar feeling of arriving in Ushuaia...and remembering the first time when it was all so new
• The exhaustion and anticipation all rolled into one once I checked into my room 

Safe and sound...

TEDx Antarctic Peninsula Details

Here is the description of my expedition as listed on TED's website...only 5 days left until my departure!


TED's Website

A truly global TEDxAntarcticPeninsula will take place in the last remaining wilderness on earth - Antarctica. This TedX event captures a moment with expedition members of the 2041 International Antarctic Expedition (IAE). Expedition team members will gain firsthand knowledge of the continent’s fragile ecosystem, experience its unique wildlife and observe the magnificent landscape of Antarctica.

70 global leaders from 19 countries will take part in TEDxAntarcticPeninsula. The purpose is to engage, inspire, and share ideas to address the most pressing challenges of the world.

The stunning Lemaire Channel

Alaska to Antarctica...on a bike!

Each day I'm learning more about the exciting new group of people I'll be meeting on my next Antarctic adventure. Today I heard from Joost Notenboom of the Netherlands, who is currently en route to Antarctica...via Alaska...on a bike! He and Michiel Roodenburg started Cycle for Water and are raising awareness of the global water crisis. They are currently in Patagonia, on their way south to Ushuaia on their bamboo bicycles (promoting sustainable materials and limiting their footprint to the bare minimum). AWESOME! Can't wait to hear the stories from these two...

Third time’s a charm!

I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining Robert Swan and the 2041 team in Antarctica once again. On February 24^th I’ll depart for Argentina, where I’ll meet up with the rest of the team leaders. This year, an exciting new group of people will join us, including corporate leaders, journalists, energy experts, students, and two members of the Wounded Warrior Project. The most exciting news is that this expedition will be featured as a TEDx event. Those of you familiar with TED will know how awesome that is!

Stay tuned for more details. In the mean time, please follow me on Twitter, "Like" this page, and all that other fun stuff that will help spread the word and bring awareness to the mission of 2041.

“The biggest threat to the planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Robert Swan O.B.E.