Sir Robert Swan has earned his place in history alongside the great explorers and adventurers who have tested their physical and mental strength to the limit in the planet’s most hostile environments.
By the age of 33 he became the first man to walk to both the North and South Poles. His 900-mile journey “In The Footsteps of Scott” across the treacherous Antarctic ice cap to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted walk ever made.
For his scientific explorations Swan was awarded the Polar Medal in 1987 by Queen Elizabeth II and has been knighted by Her Majesty as an Officer in the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.)
Swan's credentials not only include those of explorer, mariner and scientist, but he is one of the relatively few people on the planet who actually does something about leaving the environment better than he found it. Swan's Mission Antarctica in 2002 removed 1,000 tons of trash left behind by less environmentally-minded Russian scientists at their Bellingshausen Station, on King George Island of the South Shetland Islands, located at .
So, it was with delight this morning as I sipped my coffee and began my first check of the day's news. As is often my practice, my first stop was CNET where I came across this fascinating article about Sir Robert's latest quest. Next week he will launch a major polar expedition and create the world's first online education center in Antarctica that will offer students a real-time glimpse of life on the Antarctic ice in the midst of major global climate change.
Students will experience the urgency of preserving Antarctica. The knowledge they take back to their universities, schools, governments and communities will be absolutely essential in expanding global awareness of the world's new climate and changing environment and how humankind can survive as a species.
This blog will be following Sir Robert's expedition and making regular progress reports. Check back.
Story Tools:
Sir Robert Swan's Expedition web site
Wikipedia Article on Robert Swan
CNET News article
Cool Antarctica - an interesting site
The British Antarctic Survey
U.S. Antarctic Program
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Polar Link Pages - VERY extensive
1 comments:
Noni Stacey of Guiness World Records contacted me and informed me that according to the rules of British protocol, the Order of the British Empire honor (O.B.E.) that was bestowed upon Robert Swan by Queen Elizabeth II is not an order of knighthood. Therefore, Robert Swan may not be properly referred to as "Sir", which is reserved exclusively for those who are knighted by the Queen.
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I apologize to those readers who may have been offended by my cavalier American mis-use of British peerage terminology.
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