Shinaz from the Maldives reserved no efforts to make it to
Antarctica. Driven by the importance of involving decision makers on preserving
his country from global warming affects, his struggles to fundraise his journey
to Antarctica seems very much worth it.
Shinaz also is a professional photographer and has the artist
eye of capturing the best moments in photographs. His ideas of making a positive
change touch every field in his country. Now, he is working on developing a sustainable
school considering environment preservation via deploying technology.
Paras is another
young achiever whom I met during the Antarctic Expedition. His aggressive hard
work helped him to raise funds successfully within limited time to make it to
the South Pole. Carrying his own developed system that runs with renewable
energy to record climate figures and to tell the world that renewable energy
can work anywhere in the world, Paras succeeded and made it work in the most
unpredictable weather.
Jihong Yeom or
Patrick is a PASSION designer. He is a creative and innovative person who
reuses the unwanted stuff and recycles them to useful things. His inventions
are practical and stimulated from the surrounding materials and incidents.
Speaking with
Patrick makes you feel everything is useful and there is nothing to be thrown
away without any use. The deep imagination ability he has drives his passion to
touch the things with his magical designs and make wonderful results of
them. Not only that, but most of those
designs and inventions are simple and easy for everyone to make at home. I
think, this makes Patrick’s Passion designs notable and appreciated by people.
Michiel and Joost are two young Dutch men who cycled from
the Arctic to the Antarctic raising awareness of water importance. Learning and
educating, their journey has become remarkable and incredible. They traveled in 20 months crossing around
30,000 km in their bamboo bicycles proving that “ a lot of challenges can be
overcome using sustainable solutions”.
I was lucky to meet with them in the Antarctic and had
listened to their amazing and inspiring story. They are a great example of how
people could accomplish great things just by thinking simple, looking around,
engaging others and most importantly; walking their talks.
I learnt from Michiel and Joost to follow my passion even if
it sound odd, illogical, even if I lack the expertise and the funds, it is all
about “ People inspiring each other”.
Environmental scientist David Keith talks about a cheap, effective, shocking solution to climate change: What if we injected a huge cloud of particles into the atmosphere, to deflect sunlight and heat? As an emergency measure to slow a melting ice cap, it could work. Keith discusses why geo-engineering like this is a good idea, why it’s a terrible one — and who, despite the cost, might be tempted to use it. (Recorded September 2007 in New York City. Duration: 16:04.)
The first challenge I had was to convince my family. For
them it didn’t make any scene to go to a no man land with a group of strangers
with a vague mission to preserve the environment. In fact, they were more
concerned about my safety and trusting the team.
They had to understand that my concern about the
environment was not born in that moment only and it was there inside me since
years. I only needed the right direction. Sometimes people don’t know what they
are capable of doing and what they want to do until a very late age. It took me almost a week to get a very big green light and huge yes from my family. That week was one of the most difficult weeks in my life.
Though I was excited and flying with happiness that I was accepted to go to the Antarctic, I was so scared and worried. I needed
money to go. The required amount is not something that I can pay by my own
especially that I have just become jobless and have no other sort of income. In
addition, I have absolutely no idea about how to fundraise an expedition.
Thanks to 2041 team who was helpful and Robert Swan
personally was following up my progress. They provided me with sample
fundraising tips and pieces of advice. They even gave me suggestions to enhance
my proposal. I also got a great support from the 2041 alumnus in Oman
especially Bader Al Rahbi who was always giving me valuable advice.
Writing fundraising proposals was challenging and tricky.
Though it was all about the expedition what I want out of it and why I think
this particular organization should support me, I had to make it strong and up
to the point. I had to be carful when choosing the right words that makes the
point clear and grabs the reader’s attention.
For those who asked for my suggestions on how to fundraise
their expedition, here are some:
-Study the market and learn about big organizations and those who
support social projects and initiatives.
-Choose the organizations that have plans and commitments towards their
social responsibility.
-Make a list of organizations with the names of social
responsibility department heads and contact details.
-Read about the organization you are targeting and match their
common things with your mission.
-Write from your heart and make it simple about why do you want
to go to the Antarctic.
-Your mission should be clear and your sentences shouldn’t be
that long. Avoid losing the reader’s attention.
-Talk about them (the organization you are targeting) and why they
shouldsupport you.
-Write about the things you could do in return for them if they
support you. If you can propose a timeline that would be excellent though more
challenging and requires more careful planning.
-Make a list of sponsorship schemes to give them more freedom to choose what kind of support they could go for.
-Always leave a room for them to suggest something, but try to
close it as soon as you can. You don’t have time to argue as if you were in a
big business deal though this might sound a little business.
-Call first, speak to the CSR manager and ask for a meeting to
give more details and have a discussion. There is no harm of sending the
proposal after the call if the person showed interest. If the person was
reluctant and ignorant, speak to someone else in the organization.
-If there is no CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)department,
then target the marketing or the corporate dept. Be aware that sometimes another
department might be able to help.
-Don’t send your proposal to the ignorant people.
-Don’t send your proposal to those who say it from the beginning
that they don’t have budget unless you demand some other kind of support from
them.
-Be nice to those who reject your request and respond gently to
regrets. At least they were kind enough to read your proposal and write back to
you. Remember that not everyone can support even if they want to. On the other
hand there are those who could support but they don’t want to.
-Don’t over promise and don’t underestimate. Value your word.
-If you were invited to a meeting and the person was late and
then he didn’t apologize for that, take it as a sign for a No or a bad
treatment. Yet, that may not be the case so keep a little hope.
-Never ever listen to someone asking you to stop communicating
with their competitors if they only gave you a verbal promise to support. Once
you get it in written and if you were convinced, do what they say.
-Be on time if not before time for your meetings and
appointments. Take it seriously and dress well, prepare well and speak well.
-Some people will try to let you down. Don’t give them the
opportunity to enjoy it and prove them wrong. You have such a great mission
that deserves all your self-confidence and humbleness to be put all together.
-Check your emails more than once a day. But reply only when
ready.
-Bare all the stress. You know it from the beginning that it may
not be easy at all.
-Always go back to those who can support you with positive
energy. Never ever talk to those who would let you down. Believe me, in this
stage you will know your true friends and you will know the rest when you come
back from the Antarctic.
-Let go all the negative thoughts. The 2041 team is there to
support, so always consult them.
-There are those organizations that would ask you to do things
that are not part of your mission or don’t relate to your personality and don’t match with you. Don’t close the door
from the beginning and give them your suggestions. If you failed to reach a
compromised solution, say thank you and then go away. Never ever give up on
your values and standards.
-Be committed and deliver your promises.
-Show appreciation and respect because those who believe in you and support you do really deserve it.
-Open a separate bank account for the funds you receive and be
aware of your expenditures. It is good to keep track of them.
-No matter how many organizations you approached. It does matter
who supports you.
-If you are doing this for the first time, congratulations. This
is one of your achievements already regardless to its results.
For me, fundraising was more challenging than the
expedition itself. It was also one of the few things that made me feel special
after seeing those many people who made it to the Antarctic without going through this stage.
Look at Shinaz who has been to the Antarctic without
having all his expenses covered by sponsors. So, he had loans to pay back after
the expedition. It was his great desire to make it happen and he did it. There
is also Caroline who spent five years till she made it finally this year to the
Antarctic.
It was truly said that the disaster that doesn’t kill me,
makes me stronger. I believe this happened with me. For more than nine months I
was struggling in my job though I loved it and I loved the clients I dealt with
and the daily challenges. But I couldn’t bare the huge conflict in values and
qualities I had with the management. I wanted to sustain the good ethics I was
raised up with and fight for them. Hence, I decided to leave my job taking all
the load of my financial commitments with no guarantee of getting a good job
soon.
It was one of the best things I ever done I was rewarded
for my good will with the opportunity to show more commitment towards spreading
the good word and the good action. This is what happened when I received Robert
Swan invitation to be the first Omani woman to go the Antarctic.
Years ago, I wanted to have the right to vote for Al Gore
to be the US president. His “Inconvenient Truth” talk
about global warming and global
crisis was the first eye opener to me about things changing in a scary and unwanted
way. To tell the truth, I love those stories about how earth existed, the big bang
the black holes, etc. Global warming was a sort of an action story that would
be good to experience. Of course, I thought of it more seriously after a little
while and then it became a concern that I wanted to learn more about.
So, to connect the dots, I wanted to go to the Antarctic
because I got this big idea in mind of making a good difference. I wanted to
become an ambassador of positive change and contribute as an individual in preserving our earth. Antarctica is a place that I believe as
Robert Swan said, has to be left alone. Another thing drove me to go for this
challenge was to tell everyone that nothing is impossible and we could
eventually do something useful and valuable if we thought of how to turn our
negative impact into positive.
I
always maintain a list of dreams and wishes. Some of them noted down in papers
and some in my dreams book. The others have just always been there in my mind.
However, the Antarctic wasn’t among them months ago. The Antarctic story began
in November 2011 when I was one of the Mosaic International delegates in Qatar
who got the opportunity to meet in person with Robert Swan.
Being
touched by natural beauty and the importance of every person’s responsibility
as the first person in history to walk to North and South Poles, Sir Robert
Swan OBE has always had the commitment to do something great as a pay back to
our beloved earth. In the Mosaic Summit he gave us one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard in my
life. A true and real inspiring story that is not a part of a Hollywood movie.
Like
all other delegates, I was inspired and taken by his adventures. Not only that,
I was more taken by his message to the world and actions towards making it more
sustainable, green, clean and for all of us.
After
the speech, we were all crazy to take photos with him. How come we don’t feel
so with the man contributed in making the history
since his first footstep in the Antarctic! I stood anxiously in a far distance
and asked him if I can join his expedition to the Antarctic. His answer was
immediate: “And why are you standing far away from me? I won’t eat you. Of
course you can.”
I
was happy to get his business card. Yet, I wasn’t sure about what he said. I
thought he felt sorry for me and didn’t want to embarrass me in front of
everyone and thus he said yes. Nevertheless, I had no control over the
magnificent flow of images and scenes of me walking in the Antarctic. The idea kept
on driving me somewhere else since that moment. I decided to embrace this
challenge and turn it into reality. I will go to the Antarctic.
Being
with 80 delegates from 20 countries discussing global concerns and trying to
resolve some issues with our leadership roles made me feel that I can do
something good. Many people came from less fortunate places than I, with
absolutely no resources and no support, yet they lead people from their nations
to a great positive change. The summit was a great relief for me to get closer
to myself. I have always wanted to do
something good for the society and contribute positively. Things were blurry,
there was no guidance and probably my eyes were not opened to such kind of
opportunities. I knew then that I also could do many good things.
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Earth Day: The History of A Movement
Each year, Earth Day -- April 22 -- marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.
At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Ms. Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.
Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center.
As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.
Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. "It was a gamble," Gaylord recalled, "but it worked."
As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995) -- the highest honor given to civilians in the United States -- for his role as Earth Day founder.
As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. With 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184 countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people, Earth Day 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. It used the Internet to organize activists, but also featured a talking drum chain that traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, and hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Earth Day 2000 sent world leaders the loud and clear message that citizens around the world wanted quick and decisive action on clean energy.
Much like 1970, Earth Day 2010 came at a time of great challenge for the environmental community. Climate change deniers, well-funded oil lobbyists, reticent politicians, a disinterested public, and a divided environmental community all contributed to a strong narrative that overshadowed the cause of progress and change. In spite of the challenge, for its 40th anniversary, Earth Day Network reestablished Earth Day as a powerful focal point around which people could demonstrate their commitment. Earth Day Network brought 225,000 people to the National Mall for a Climate Rally, amassed 40 million environmental service actions toward its 2012 goal of A Billion Acts of Green®, launched an international, 1-million tree planting initiative with Avatar director James Cameron and tripled its online base to over 900,000 community members.
The fight for a clean environment continues in a climate of increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day. We invite you to be a part of Earth Day and help write many more victories and successes into our history. Discover energy you didn't even know you had. Feel it rumble through the grassroots under your feet and the technology at your fingertips. Channel it into building a clean, healthy, diverse world for generations to come.
Caledonian College of Engineering, Omran, Oman Trading International and Dettol,
I made it to the Antarctic and I came back home safely by the grace of Allah.
It would have been a great loss if I couldn’t have made it and took this great step in my life. It would have been a huge speed bump that slows me down in achieving success. It would have been a dramatic failure to see a dream vanish before my eyes and doing nothing about it.
I made it and I’m proud to say it. It has become the biggest achievement in my life ever. Yet, it won’t be the last. All the things I did and the challenges I faced were worth it. I made it to the Antarctic, the last wilderness on earth and the place that must be left alone.
You made it with me. We made it together. Thank you for your support and for making it happen. I wouldn't have done it without your great encouragement and support. This sponsorship was not only for my journey to the Antarctic. In fact it has opened new opportunities and wider doors of contributions.
You sponsored my lifetime journey and made sure it was a successful one. You gave me the honor to represent my country in a No Man’s Land along with more than 22 other nations.
I'm privileged to be the first Omani women to go to the Antarctic and to come back with a great mission to preserve it, and eventually preserve planet earth.
The journey was fruitful and I learnt a lot from the 71team members, the 2041 team, the ship crew and all the people I met during my itinerary to the Antarctic and the way back home. I learnt about sustainability, climate change, green energy, the wildlife, the icebergs and leadership.
I participated in all the activities and was fortunate to not have fallen sick during any. Hiking glaciers in Ushuaia and the Antarctic, hiking long distances in the snowy, icy and slippery land, climbing in teams attached with ropes and reaching summits, taking care of each other, cruising on zodiacs and chasing whales, penguins as well as seals.
I was selected to be a team leader twice. The first time I was an assistant team leader for four days from Ushuaia till day two in Antarctica.
Then I was chosen to be a team leader and find my own team members. It was tough. The other team leaders were well experienced in sustainability and climate change. I had nothing much to say about myself except the following: “I’m an IT background person. I’m currently unemployed. I had to raise my own funds to make it here. I've no experience in sustainability nor in climate change, yet I'm very much passionate about my mission. I believe that I'm creative and can contribute with something good. My brain is full of ideas that need people like you to support and give feedback to help implement them." All the people I approached to join my team didn’t seem interested. It disappointed me. However, some people came afterwards. Those who came were very experienced and brought brilliant suggestions to support my ideas.
I learnt that it is always good to be I and never pretend to be somebody else. Patience is valuable and must be nurtured very well. A dream never dies if it is genuine and honest, it would definitely die if it wasn’t supported by faith and hard work.
Cameron was my team leader in our survival (camping) night in the Antarctic. I was amazed by his personality, humbleness, hard work and fantastic ideas. His loss of one leg did not step him back, it rather gave him more strength to overcome other life challenges. I believe that he is a role model and a good example to follow, thus I asked him to say something in this video to inspire Omani youth as he did inspire me.
Note: The last three images in the video belong to 2041 IAE 2012.
From the Antarctic to Ushuaia, this time the Drake passage wasn’t that kind to us. Perhaps to tell us it is not easy to go to the Antarctic and not easy to leave it as well. I left half of my mind and emotions frozen there and couldn’t take them back with me. The other half already arrived home safely with my family and left me alone in Argentina.
The 12th of March was the good bye day to most of the team. Some people couldn’t hide their tears and some said nothing when they were trying to avoid the word Good Bye. The few days we had together, hiking the martial glacier, in the ship, in the zodiacs and when exploring the Peninsula and the Antarctic land are embedded in our souls and will remain forever.
As usual, I get lost in my mixed feelings. I look around and try to remember the last moments. It sounds like we lived an entire life together. The stories I heard, the incidents that made us closer and the teams I worked in were amazing and inspiring. I will never forget Cameron or Anna who were such a great example of patience and braveness. Each one of them lost a leg, yet got a bigger heart instead. Both of them believe that had happen for their best. Seeing them boosted me up and high to climb the mountains and forget about having a tiny and tired body.
Shinaz, the Moldavian man is creative, full of energy and dreams. Raised his own funds and decided to come to the Antarctic to preserve his home from the effect of global warming.Eighty present of the Maldives might sink under sea if the sea level raised up only for one meter!
Caroline is a fantastic, quiet and smart girl. She reminds me with those who have sharp insight though they have short sight and wear optical glasses. Her butterfly nods were amazing and made our team proud. It took her five years to make her dream to visit the Antarctic real. What a great endurance and hard work.
Jihong Yeom or Patrick is a Passion Designer. His passions drive him towards creativity, innovation and inventions. Months ago he was admitted to the hospital after a bad car accident. Yet, that made him stronger and inspired him to invent a small handy yellow piece to reflect the lights and attract divers’ attention. He distributed some of those yellow pieces to us to attach them to our back bags. I still have mine attached and will not take it off. Steve gave a real example of the importance of Patricks card. Two days back, Shinaz and I met with him in Buenos Aires and he mentioned his regret about not carrying Patrick’s yellow card as he was about to be hit by a car when crossing the road.
I can’t mention everyone, but everyone has contributed in making this expedition with great value to me. Everyone’s story is unique and has its own flavor. Even those whom I couldn’t interact much with them due to language barriers such as the Chines team, they were amazing.
Not to forget the ship team, Shane, Krystle, Jamie, Jake, Berna and all the others, the ship crew along with the 2041 team worked hard to make us enjoy and get the maximum out of this expedition. They cared about our safety, encouraged us to look around and have our own quiet and self-reflection moments. I could see how much was every one of them obsessive and occupied by the gorgeousness and beauty of the Antarctic. They cared very much about keeping it neat, safe, quiet and untouched.
I assure them to walk on their path, follow the steps of Robert Swan and all those who care about preserving the last wildness of earth. It is a commitment I make to myself and the world.
My life time experience is accomplished successfully by the grace of Allah. I'm back from the Antarctic with a heart full of wonder, hope, happiness, strength, peace, courage, challenge, unforgettable scenes and mixed feelings. Being one of few people who walked to No Man Land is unbelievable. I still have that weird feeling of it not being real. Yet, the scariest part is the coming. I can feel the big load on my shoulders to deliver the message of Antarctic and environment preservation, sustainability and inspiring people all around the world.
I would like to greatly thank my sweetheart and lovely niece Aziza for her great efforts on keeping you posted with my updates when I was in the Antarctic. She was the one updating my facebook page and my blog as well. I wish she was with me in the Antarctic. She really deserves such kind of opportunities.
I won’t forget to thank you all for your support and follow-up. I got the chance to check my facebook page few times but couldn’t write back.
The efforts I had given to make this expedition are worth it. It is a story worth sharing, the message is worth spreading and token of the Antarctic importance is worth being passed to future leaders of positive change. I’m speechless. I wish I was a good writer, a poet, composer or an artist.
It is a sad feeling to leave the 2041 team, the 71 participants, the ship and its team. We became a big family that lived with harmony and peace for 14 life time days. But we promised to stay together and work together on our mission towards keeping the Antarctic for everyone yet owned by no one.
I wake up early morning as usual, took a look outside in the deck and then went inside immediately as it was so cold. Half an hour later we heard Jumper calling us to watch a very incredible scene outside. It was a massive and huge iceberg floating in the middle of the ocean. Robert said that this iceberg was broken from a glacier and taken away by the waves from its original place. He said it is a real example of global warming and what is happening in the Antarctic.
It is our last day in the Antarctic. Feeling gloomy and sad for having our last landing, I wore my layers, gloves and of course took my camera and stood in the zodiac queue. The trip was educative and a real life journey. It is a unique experience with a unique group of people.
Coming from the middle east, with no experience with such kind of weather conditions, had never seen snow before, had never ride a cruise ship for more than a day before, had never swam before and had never ride a zodiac boat before, had never hiked or climbed a mountain before.
We headed to the Antarctic Sound. One of the climate change examples in the Antarctic and one of the places that no one visit because of its challenges. Our ship is one of few ships that allows its customers to explore this place.
It was windy and chill, yet everyone was excited to participate even those who got sick of the rocking ship. Many Gentoo Penguins were there and some few South Polar Skua were next to them. There were also some Leopard Seals and Elephant Seals.
We hiked as a team, attached with a rope and butterfly nods. The hike was challenging in the ice, slippery slops and deep cracks. Yet, we were a fantastic team and made it up to the top with no slips and then back to the start point safely.
Good bye Antarctica. I looked all around and took deep breath to keep the last images in my mind forever. Out last zodiac ride and our last moments to see the icebergs, the glaciers and the Antarctic ocean. The weather is pushing us away and the sea started getting its pan cakes bigger before they cover the whole place with ice.
Then came the time to do our bell ceremony celebration in the Deck. We all gathered to take a group picture in a windy, chilly and snowy weather. We could stay there only for few minutes and immediately ran away inside the ship.
The Drake Passage seems not that friendly this time unlike the way to the Antarctic. It is wavy and rocky. The waves are about 7.5 meters. We walk in the ship like drunks and we have to follow the drake proof in order to stay safe.
I feel like having a long sleep now, dreaming about all the wonder land of Antarctic and thinking of what is right to be done to preserve it.
