Sadly, Drew's time in Antarctica has come to a close. They have crossed the Drake, which was kinder to them on the return journey. Soon I will hear the little "schloop" of a Skype message or the artificial ringtone of a Skype call! I'm sure we will both be speechless. It's not long now........I'm down to single digit sleeps for the first time! Hard to believe, but true.......he will be home soon!!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
http://www.studentsonice.com/antarctic2011/day13.html
Expedition Update - 10:30am EST
New update from the expedition team ~
Here we are on our last day at sea, making great time as we sail north towards the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia!
Yesterday we sailed across the Drake Passage, crossing over 60°S and leaving the Antarctic Treaty Area. After breakfast, Elin guided us through an SOI conversation café where we collectively explored the question: "How will we use our experiences in Antarctica and our connections back home to make a difference?" Discussing this overarching question invited us to consider and make plans. By mid-morning we engaged in seven action- and agency-oriented workshops:
1. Goal setting & achievement (Arnold W.)
2. Initiating an action project: From idea to implementation (Elin)
3. Earth in mind: Thinking & acting as if tomorrow matters – practical solutions to environmental challenges (Howie)
4. Community led projects in the North and beyond (Becky & Barrie)
5. Climate change advocacy & action (Lacia)
6. Art & activism (Tony, Mike, Pablo & Pascale)
7. Telling your Antarctic expedition story (Niki)
In the afternoon we continued with morning workshops, this time with a group working on a plan for a carbon-neutral Antarctica and another working on a letter to Canadian leaders about the Antarctic Treaty System. Grant presented on his Tara Arctic expedition (Big Science on Small Boats) and David spoke to us about his experiences dog sledging in the Arctic and the Antarctic (Dog Driving in Polar Regions). After the evening recap and briefing, we gathered for movie night!
Our Education Program for our final day onboard the M/V USHUAIA looks like this:
0800 - Yoga (Clare & Danièle) & Wake-Up!
0830 - Breakfast
0930 - Packing
1000 - SOI Youth Action Guide & youth action tools
1030 - Personal & expedition carbon footprint calculation
1115 - Post-expedition questionnaire
1200 - Letters to supporters & letters to self
1300 - Lunch
1430 - Final pod meetings
1500 - Special appearance by Dr. Numinous
1600 - Snack
1630 - Presentation: Inspiring Generation G (Geoff)
1715 - Youth impressions wall activity
1830 - Group art show
1930 - Dinner
2100 - Final evening recap, briefing & Polar Night expedition celebration!
Expedition Update - 6:00pm EST
New update from Expedition Leader, Geoff:
Hello from the Southern Ocean!
We are just southeast east of Cape Horn under sunny blue skies! The Drake has been good to us. The ship is abuzz with activity, such as packing, writing letters, filling out forms, calculating our carbon footprint, conversations and planning for the future. It is also just great to be out on deck in the presence of the Wandering Albatross, Cape Petrels, Blue Petrels and other seabirds. We anticipate reaching the entrance to the Beagle Channel early this evening where we will drop anchor for a few hours before taking on our Pilot and sailing the final 7 hours for tomorrow morning´s return to Ushuaia.
Tonight will be a fun evening of celebrations, skits, thank yous, slideshows, videos, music and more, as our team reflects and rejoices on our past two incredible weeks together. Our staff and students are very much a family now, and the end of this journey is really a beginning for much more to come in the weeks, months and years ahead. Projects, plans, petitions, presentations, ideas, mentoring and events are already being born and developed by the students, and I am so excited to watch these unfold and witness the impacts they will have. In many cases, it will take years for these youth to fully digest and absorb what they have experienced here in Antarctica. Without doubt it will all manifest itself in wonderful ways...
I want to take this chance to thank everyone who has helped to make this Students on Ice Antarctic Expedition 2011/2012 possible. Thanks also to the team back at SOI headquarters for holding down the fort and keeping the website updated (Mary Ellen, Reina, Mark, Leah). We are blessed with so many incredible partners and supporters. They are listed on our website of course, but I want to thank many of them again on behalf of all 89 members of our Antarctic expedition team.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• All the Moms, Dads, Family and Friends!
• Antarpply Expeditions
• ArcticNet
• Beatrice Snyder Foundation
• Brian Snyder
• Canada Goose
• Canadian Museum of Nature
• Carbonzero.ca
• Cricket Island Foundation
• Dick and Lois Haskayne
• EYES Project
• Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Government of Yukon
• Impossible 2 Possible
• International Polar Year Canada
• Leacross Foundation
• M&C Travel Business - Ushuaia
• Makivik Corporation
• Northern Climate Exchange - Yukon College
• People to People Student Ambassadors
• Price Albert II of Monaco Foundation
• S&A Inspiration Foundation
• Sintectur - Buenos Aires
• Students on Ice Alumni
• The Explorers Club
• The Global Learning Collaborative NYC
• The Honourable Charlie Watt, Canadian Senator
• The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health Canada
• The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of Environment Canada
• UNEP Grid Arendal
• US Congressman Jose Serrano
• US Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
• US Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez
• US Senator Charles Schumer
• US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
• We Canada
• WWF-Canada
I hope all of you have enjoyed sharing this journey with us.
In the expedition spirit,
Geoff
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