"People protect what they love" -Jacques Yves Cousteau
Location: Longyearbyen, Norway (the world's most northern settlement
Highlight: Going to the Global Seed Vault in the Svalbard
Highlight: Going to the Global Seed Vault in the Svalbard
"Technology caused the problem, so technology needs to fix the problem." -Andy Clarke, Guest Speaker
Immediately upon my return, I had to give a toast to my students at their Grade 8 Graduation, and it reveals my immediate take-aways from my expedition:
This experience has changed me in so many ways, but honestly, I believe it hasn't just changed me, but it will continue to change me, probably more than it already has. Every time I travel or experience a new landscape, it is like a puzzle piece, and I fit one more piece of the puzzle, gradually giving me a holistic view of the world. Each experience affects my paradigm and shapes my thinking, and that changes me for the rest of my life.
Climate change is real- and I have seen it with my own eyes, and once you have seen it, you can't ignore it. To see and hear the glaciers calving, and hear the naturalists talk about how much the landscape has changed was so impactful, it changes you in ways unknown. The natural world has no borders (there was timber in the Svalbard from Siberia and birds migrate from Antartica). Borders are man-made we all breathe the same air.
I believe great teachers are great storytellers, and the Grosvenor Teacher Program gives teachers the opportunity to learn the story for ourselves. There is a quote by Ibn Battuta that resonates: "Traveling: it leaves you speechless, and then turns you into a storyteller." It has changed me in ways unknown and will continue to change me perpetually, and I will tell this story for the rest of my life. So, here is my story:
The Arctic is a fragile environment- although barely touched by man, it is changing rapidly and drastically by us. We are affecting the climate and environment of an area we are not even living in. We are affecting the habitats of the polar bears, the seals, the reindeer and the birds. This is on us. We are changing the landscape of the Arctic- we are causing glaciers to change and sea ice to melt at an expedited rate. This is not something we can leave to the next generation because we don't think it is our problem- it is happening now. Even within the next 5 years, the Arctic will look different. You may not feel concern for the Arctic, because it is our egocentric human nature to focus on ourselves and what directly affects us, but the Arctic does affect us. If what is happening here is changing the Arctic, don't think that what is happening in the Arctic, won't affect us. We are connected, and we live in ONE world. Borders are man-made and in the natural world, borders do not exist. We are shifting and affecting the natural patterns of the world. People protect what they love- if you love our world, we need to protect it, so it is here in all its beauty and awe for generations to come.
This is my call to action- do something, but don't do nothing. We cannot ignore a problem that is already here. Not only will the polar bears thank you, but so will your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Check out this video of Adam Cropp, National Geographic Naturalist, talking about what we MUST do:
- 100% of the glaciers are receding, and we need to do something. We cannot live passively because it is our world.
- Before a glacier, you can feel so small. It is easy to feel so small and so human, but we live in a BIG, small world- as vast as it can be, it is also more connected than ever.
- Don't be afraid to jump. Dovekies leap off the cliff when they cannot fly- take that leap of faith.
- Be resilient. Polar fish create a protein that works like an antifreeze- we must continually adapt because as much as our world is changing, we are also changing.
- Show grit. Polar bears survive the toughest of winters, and don't give up in their hunt for food. If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.
- Arctic terns migrate between the Arctic and Antartica, and returns to the same rock it was born on. Travel far because you can always return home.
This experience has changed me in so many ways, but honestly, I believe it hasn't just changed me, but it will continue to change me, probably more than it already has. Every time I travel or experience a new landscape, it is like a puzzle piece, and I fit one more piece of the puzzle, gradually giving me a holistic view of the world. Each experience affects my paradigm and shapes my thinking, and that changes me for the rest of my life.
Climate change is real- and I have seen it with my own eyes, and once you have seen it, you can't ignore it. To see and hear the glaciers calving, and hear the naturalists talk about how much the landscape has changed was so impactful, it changes you in ways unknown. The natural world has no borders (there was timber in the Svalbard from Siberia and birds migrate from Antartica). Borders are man-made we all breathe the same air.
I believe great teachers are great storytellers, and the Grosvenor Teacher Program gives teachers the opportunity to learn the story for ourselves. There is a quote by Ibn Battuta that resonates: "Traveling: it leaves you speechless, and then turns you into a storyteller." It has changed me in ways unknown and will continue to change me perpetually, and I will tell this story for the rest of my life. So, here is my story:
The Arctic is a fragile environment- although barely touched by man, it is changing rapidly and drastically by us. We are affecting the climate and environment of an area we are not even living in. We are affecting the habitats of the polar bears, the seals, the reindeer and the birds. This is on us. We are changing the landscape of the Arctic- we are causing glaciers to change and sea ice to melt at an expedited rate. This is not something we can leave to the next generation because we don't think it is our problem- it is happening now. Even within the next 5 years, the Arctic will look different. You may not feel concern for the Arctic, because it is our egocentric human nature to focus on ourselves and what directly affects us, but the Arctic does affect us. If what is happening here is changing the Arctic, don't think that what is happening in the Arctic, won't affect us. We are connected, and we live in ONE world. Borders are man-made and in the natural world, borders do not exist. We are shifting and affecting the natural patterns of the world. People protect what they love- if you love our world, we need to protect it, so it is here in all its beauty and awe for generations to come.
This is my call to action- do something, but don't do nothing. We cannot ignore a problem that is already here. Not only will the polar bears thank you, but so will your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Check out this video of Adam Cropp, National Geographic Naturalist, talking about what we MUST do: