From Inspiration to Aspiration: Guiding and Advocating a Passion for our World

Originally published September 25, 2017

Over the past years as a guide and outdoor educator, I have had the opportunity to go to many interesting and inspiring places. It is quite common for people to ask "what are you going to be doing?" when they hear about these exploits and it is quite easy to simply tell them that I will be guiding, teaching, or just doing the activities that will be happening on the trip. The common response to hearing about the trip is how people think a guide’s job is awesome, which of course it is, but sometimes this exchange misses the point.

Early in the Spring of 2016, I had the opportunity to join the 2041 Foundation team to help lead the International Antarctic Expedition (IAE2016) led by the renowned Sir Robert Swan (the first man to walk to both the North and South Poles). As I shared this opportunity with others, the question remained the same "what are you going to be doing?" and I thought … is “what” I am going to be doing really the actual thing people want to hear from someone going on a trip?

In the case of the IAE / ClimateForce expeditions, international groups of outdoors and environmental advocates from countries around the globe come together to experience the majesty, magnificence, and fragility of the only place on Earth that is outside the bounds of governmental control or interests...for now. Currently Antarctica is protected from such entities by the Antarctic Treaty that states no country can claim or have ownership of any aspect of the continent, protecting it from mining, drilling, or exploitation.

Despite this protection, we all are doing things that are greatly affecting our southernmost continent and our expedition provided an opportunity for all to experience the place, create discussion, and for everyone to come back with plans to make a difference through positivity and sharing what we can do to protect our interests by using Antarctica as an example of a resource we all cannot allow to disappear.

During our trip south, we had the chance to hike on dormant volcanoes, cross glaciers, visit colonies of penguins, share the water with whales (humpback, Minkie, and Orca), float alongside icebergs, and see firsthand the remains of the collapsed Larson B iceshelf. Throughout the experiences, discussions focused not on the negativity of climate change, but on how everyone has the ability to make a difference and start a beneficial change. Individually we cannot stop climate change, but by sharing our experiences we can be a catalyst for knowledge and action. As one of the trip presenters (Nigel Paine) shared, one drop in a pond seems small, but the ripple of that single drop spreads across the pond. If each of us can be a single drop, or make a 1% change, we have the opportunity to work collaboratively to make the ripple turn into a wave

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As I prepared for, led, and have shared the experiences of the expedition and shared more about the organization and 'what we were going to be doing' over the 2 week trip I came to an interesting realization that I always knew, but never really put forward to others. The response to the question of “WHAT?” should first include your personal story detailing the “WHY!”

My response to WHY I was on this trip, WHY I chose to work in the Outdoor Education and Recreation profession, and WHY I serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) are all slightly different but they all come back to my personal thoughts and value of our wild places and the desire to protect and ensure that those places are here not just for today, but for generations to come.

It is only after sharing the WHY that the question of WHAT can be addressed and this response should not simply include the activities of the trip/class/etc. but should then offer up an opportunity to add an aspirational component of what will be done after the trip has been completed.

So why did I go to Antarctica? It was to experience one of the most majestic places on Earth and engage in discussions to explore how I can share and protect this treasure and to come back with a plan to share this passion, desire, advocacy, and work to inspire action.

The trip was my drop in the ocean, and it is time to help the ripple spread by expanding the WHAT we were doing by sharing some small drops that you can add to help take the Inspiration to Aspiration:

1. +2 Degrees: Turn UP your air conditioner 2 degrees. This simple action by you creates a drop that when shared with friends, family, your workplace, etc can have a huge impact! #up2degrees (thanks Sandra Marichal for the idea and inspiration)

2. Learn more about the Antarctic Treaty that protects Antarctica, the work of the ClimateForce team, and the 2041 Foundation. (www.2041foundation.org)

3. Make a personal commitment to make a 1% change to live a more sustainable life.

4. Share your passion for our wild places, outdoor recreation, and your WHY with others.