A part of me wants to apologize to all of you. I haven´t been on the conference calls. I haven´t been logging hours in the office. I didn´t make it to the wonderful and amazing Power Shift conference. And I haven´t even been writing on here regularly.
But the other part of me wants to share a story, a few stories, with all of you. I´m heading south (really far south) with my good friend and colleague Lilith Wyatt. We are on our way to Antarctica for an environmental educational program called Students on Ice. They have accepted us as participants in leadership roles as volunteer student-to-student Chaperones.
The personal touch: to get down there mostly over land, and to learn as much about the people and culture as it relates to their natural environment and climate change as possible on our way down.
Aparently getting to Antarctica is no small feat (financially or geographically). Our mode of transportation is aboard a modern ice-breaker ship, fit for no more than 80 people.The non-profit program, Students on Ice, is committed to bringing students from around the world to be immersed in the incredible and natural environments via hands-on research activities and lectures, taught by polar experts, educators, and researchers.
In a nutshell, I have been intrigued and hoping to be a part of this experience for three years since I first heard of it.
The program is exciting. It brings youth from all over the world, from Japan to Palestine and everywhere in between. The most intriguing part of me is the climate change aspect. Afterall, massive parts of Antarctica (though not all of it) are melting.
But beyond the immediate climate change draw to the expeiditon, this is an opportunity to deepen understandings of the cultural, historical, and environmental importance of the Antarctic beyond the common frame of climate change. The Antarctic is, afterall, much more than melting ice!
Our world is at a critical point where we are beginning to embrace pragmatic environmental solutions on a global scale, and understand how that relates to culture, society, and our daily routines. For that reason, Lilith and I have decided to take this expedition one step further: to South America.
We have expanded our route to include Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. This also allows us to travel by bus and train more than plane, in light of lowering our carbon footprints. The journey began October 1st, and we begin the Antarctica portion on December 26th. Upon our return on January 7th, we will continue our learning journey from the bottom up.
Along the way we are asking questions, learning new concept, and being introduced to climate change from a completely different perspective. The first step to this, of course, has been to learn Spanish. (Probo a escribir mi segundo poste en Espagñol!) And not only Spanish, but the slangs, the accents, the scientific terms, and even the historic language of Quechua, of the native people.
The goal is simple: to learn.
We hope you join us along the way.
Next post: Getting to Antarctica on less than 2 tonnes of CO2!
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ECO-ACTIVIST OFF TO ANTARCTICA
Recent Dalhousie grad taking surface route across the Americas as she looks into global warming
LINDSAY JONES
The Daily News (Halifax, NS)
She may be logging thousands of kilometres to get to the world’s most inaccessible continent, but Zoe Caron is no jet-setter.
Halifax’s rising environmentalist, who has graced the pages of Vanity Fair’s last green issue, is one of the chosen few on her way to the Antarctic as part of an international youth leadership program.
Instead of flying to the launch point, as the other students, polar experts, educators and researchers are doing, Caron is going the greenest way possible - by train and bus.
“I didn’t want to fly down because I figured that would contradict why I was going,” said the 22-year-old recent Dalhousie University graduate. “Because flying is one of the most polluting ways to travel so I have tried to fly as little as possible.”
Caron is in Peru right now, where she is meeting with native people in rural areas and hearing their stories about climate change. She will soon make her way by bus to Argentina, the launch point for the 10-day expedition, which kicks off on Boxing Day.
Caron will be a leader and chaperone for the 100 teenage students from around the globe. The program, called Students on Ice, gives teens the chance to learn more about climate change from a crew of leading environmental researchers and experts.
In addition to being home to millions of penguins, the Antarctic is a pristine environment virtually untouched by human development. Caron said she’s most looking forward to seeing the effects of human behaviour on climate change for herself.
“To me, it’s almost like going to the moon,” she said.
“I expect it to be more education in 10 days than I’ll have received in the last four years.”
Caron graduated with a bachelor of science in environmental sciences and international development. She is co-authoring Global Warming for Dummies with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, to be published in April 2008. She has also led various student sustainability initiatives, and was recently named one of Canada’s top emerging leaders in Alternatives Journal.
As part of her mission, Caron has to raise $9,900 for the trip. So far, she has raised nearly $2,000, and paid $2,000 out of her own pocket for alternative travel, after turning down the included flight.
Anyone wanting to make a taxdeductible donation, can do so at http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityPro filePage.aspx?CharityIS=d28056 . Specify in the fund category “SYC Sustainability Education” and type “In honour of Zoe Caron” in the gift section.
I am in La Paz Bolivia right now, with 21 days to go until the Antarctica Expedition. I have been getting a lot of questions about the trip down to Antarctica over land through South America and the US, and so I have posted a compiled batch of answers here. It is a little about why I´m going to Antarctica, why I chose to not fly, and why I do the things I do. It has a piece of all of us in it, I know. So I hope you enjoy it.
- Zoe
INTERVIEW WITH ZOE CARON
Dalhousie University: You’re a teacher/chaperone on this trip, but I’m wondering what you’re hoping to learn/do while you’re in Antarctica (and South America) – do you expect to see real obvious evidence of climate change there?
Zoe Caron: It is honestly difficult to say what I expect to learn. I do know that from past experiences, such as biology excursions on both the east and west coastlines, that seeing is not only believing - it is inspiring, empowering, and utterly mind-blowing. I have found that I have never been able to adequately prepare myself for hands-on and heads-up learning experiences. I believe it is the most effective way of learning, and I feel beyond grateful to even have the opportunity. After learning so much more about Antarctica through my climate change related work, the massive region of the world has become even more so intriguing to me. It is one of the last untouched (relatively) areas of the world, and it is changing quickly.
I don´t know if I will be able to see direct impacts from climate change or not. Different areas of Antarctica have been affected in different ways. I am beyond curious to see any changes in the areas we are going.
When/how/why did you decide to devote your energy to environmental issues – climate change, in particular? Was there any one defining moment that led you on this path?
Apparently when I was 6 years old I would pick paper plates out of the garbage at school, wash them, dry them, stack them, and expect them to be reused. My grade 1 teacher Mrs.McDermot gave me a sticker, and I felt like I had just saved the world. Haha.
Asides from being aware of the common “reduce, reuse, recycle”, and generally enjoying the outdoors, I never really was an active environmentalist. The most defining moment was a Youth Climate Change Conference held at Royal Roads University in the summer of 2005 when I was 19, that a friend dragged me to. It was 4 days of inspiring lectures and workshops with like-minded people. It really opened up my eyes to the environmental world. It was the first time I ever cried about climate change. It was also the first time I felt like I knew what I had to, and wanted to, do for the rest of my life.
Elizabeth May was at that conference and convinced the lot of us youth that we “had to” go to the United Nations Climate Change Conference that was being hosted in Montreal that year. That conference and being hired to work with the youth arm of the Sierra Club of Canada spun me into a whirlwind of issues I had never before known.
DU: Did Dalhouse University’s Environmental Programs prepare you well for a life/career/research in this field, and if so, how? Is it a good combo with International Development Studies, and if so how/why?
ZC: I loved my degree. It offered me a lot of flexibility with my courses, which allowed me to focus in on things like climate change, management and policy. I took advantage of the directed readings and internship courses to directly build on my academic interests that were not offered elsewhere. The degree combo also allowed me to understand the deep connections between development and ecology. The links are endless and I have graduated with more questions than I started with - That´s a good sign.
DU: Why should other prospective students consider enrolling in Environmental Programs at Dalhousei University? Does the world need more people with this kind of educational background?
ZC: Whether it is Environmental Programmes, Environmental Engineering, or Environmental Management, you are making a great choice. An education without any integration of environmental application is not a full or holistic education. Environmental programmes allows you to become completely engaged in the issues and recognize the numerous directions you can go in.Many people think that environmental science only means field work. Let me tell you, I will never be a field scientist! You can apply this education to any, and I mean any, career or field you wish to go into.
DU: After this trip, what’s next for you? Future aspirations?
ZC: Good question! I am applying for a wide range of jobs right now. I want to be engaged in pragmatic projects that create direct and immediate change with observable outcomes. There is so much change just waiting to happen - all that is needed is a catalyst: one person to help create that change. That is what I am interested in doing. A Masters program may be in the near future as well. We will have to see.
DU: Did the Vanity Fair/Alternatives Journal kudos open any doors for you, in terms of new opportunities or ways of getting these messages out?
ZC: It grabbed a lot of people`s attention that would not have otherwise thought of the work I do as a big deal. It made a lot of people do a double take and take a moment to learn about the work everyday people are doing to create change. Media helps reach different audiences and spread the word about the work that is going on. Sure, it has helped personally - but more importantly it has helped the causes of the Campus Climate Challenge (Vanity Fair focus) and the Sierra Youth Coalition Sustainable Campuses project (Alternative´s focus).
DU: You´re co-authoring Global Warming for Dummies – is this an issue everyone needs to wake up to, and why?
ZC: Without a doubt. And that is exactly why I was motivated to write the book - there is no easy access, fun to read, all-encompassing, and optimistic resource for people to go to to learn about climate change. It is a large problem that requires immediate changes in our society, but what is even more important to recognize is that the problem has come hand-in-hand with a wealth of solutions - so we are lucky in a way. The tools are largely there - leadership and will are there as well, but need to be tapped into and engaged to make the shifts needed. And it is already happening!
DU: Are you optimistic about humanity’s chances of turning things around on this planet? What needs to happen? What are a few small things everyone should do now to make a difference?
ZC: Definitely. I would not be doing this work if I didn´t think that we as a society could succeed in creating these changes. There are two big pieces to the solution, in my mind: Energy and green space. Both conserving energy and changing our sources of energy is key in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (driver of climate change). That, and conserving/creating more green space, which physically cools things down and has a wealth of other benefits.
Everyone plays a part - it means thinking about the impact of what you do every day, whether at home or at work. We have over 100 pages of solutions in our book - it is the act of integrating awareness and changes into everything we do.
If there is one thing you can do right now, it is to write a letter to your politicians - both your Member of Parliament and the Minister of the Environment. The government takes one letter as the voice of a thousand (because they figure only one in a thousand people will write). It does not need to be profound. Just voice your concern.
And talk about it - at the dinner table, on the bus - normal conversation helps us all feel more comfortable with the idea. It is still new to a lot of people.
DU: Your decision to use ground travel is a great example of environmental leadership. How long will the journey take? Obviously it’s not the most convenient way to travel … can you tell us why you fly as little as possible? Can you share any other important examples from your daily life that reflect your commitment to protecting the environment?
ZC: Convenience is relative. Travelling in a sustainable manner is a priority for me. For example, it is more convenient for me to take the train from Halifax to Toronto because it allows me to do a full day of uninterrupted work on my laptop that I would not get if I stayed an extra day and flew. But often, if I am short on time, I will fly one way and take the train the other. Short distances I try to never fly, and long distances I usually fly if there is no time. It depends.
Travelling through South America is convenient for me right now because it is allowing me to build on my education in international development and environmental science. It is giving me a chance to talk to Peruvians, Bolivians, Ecuadorians, etc. about climate change and how it is affecting them. It is an issues of adapting to the changes down here - a very different aspect then the policy side we are used to hearing about in Canada. I am also able to see and climb melting glaciers that I´ve researched about. It is a different kind of learning than anything you could ask for out of a textbook or a classroom. I´m also learning Spanish so I can communicate better in the US and internationally in climate change work.
I fly as little as possible because flying is the most energy-intensive form of transportation and airplanes are a large source of greenhouse gas emissions around the world. I know that the plane will take off with or without me, but I would rather not be a part of that impact. My choices make a small impact now, but, for example, if I was the Director of a large organization with thousands of employees, my ethics would transcend in the same way, and I would require all employees to fly only a certain amount per year.
Other things I do are NOT things I would have even thought about doing 2 years ago. I have eased into this role, for sure. I do things like: carbon offsetting my travels (like a self-imposed tax to “clean up” environmental damage), meeting with my Member of Parliament at least once a year, write letters to the Minster of the Environment, talking to my friends and family about issues, writing Letters to the Editor, volunteering with environmental organizations, getting involved in things like student council, write on a youth climate change blog online (itsgettinghotinhere.org), I vote with the environment in mind, I recycle, eat locally produced food and as little meat as possible (meat is extremely energy and resource intensive), like walking, biking and taking the bus around town instead of driving - things like that!