November 21, 2006
North to Northland
I love traveling and I love talking about my experiences in the Arctic. I love giving presentations to K-12 schools. Colleges and corporate groups are great, too. Over the past few months, I have met so many interesting and amazing people through my lecture tour.
Unfortunately, this time has also been spent away from my home in Grand Marais, Minn. Which, in and of itself isn't really that bad, either. The trouble unfortunately lies in the simple fact that I have been spending a lot of time in cities. I know that cities are full of excitement, culture and more. And I enjoy that aspect of city life, I really do. But to put it bluntly, I'm a country boy.
And so, with little ceremony, I left Minneapolis early last week and drove north. I could almost feel myself relaxing as I saw more and more trees. What a relief! Next stop Lake Superior. While I wasn't back in GM just yet, it was the next best thing: the South Shore Bayfield, Washburn and Ashland for a lecture at Northland College.
I really like Northland College and I am disappointed in myself for not going there as a student. In terms of modeling sustainability, they are implementing solar, alternative building design in more. So concerned are students and faculty in 'walking the talk' that in 1987 the college created an Environmental Review Council to make sure Northland was adhering to its sustainable mission.
On Thursday night, two Northland Professors Tom Fitz and Greg Weiss, hosted a showing of Al Gore's movie, 'An Inconvenient Truth'. They also facilitated an interesting and timely discussion afterward.
After I got back from the North Pole trip this past summer, I was fine. No real big emotional anything. About a month later, I was on a plane to Salt Lake City and read Ann Bancroft's book about crossing Antarctica. For the first time, I felt like I could relate to someone who had the same feelings that I've had. Al Gore's movie put me in the same mood - not because I feel a unique solidarity with Al, rather it was something more vague. Hearing somebody speak about Global Warming with the same passion and fervor as I do was comforting. Unfortunately, to still witness so much inaction is frustrating.
It is easy to be live life in the city. It is easy to get in your car and drive to work. There are garbage cans everywhere, so just throw it away. Conversely, it is difficult to recycle or ride a bike. There are times when turning off a light can be a major effort. Lowering down the thermostat during a winter storm may feel like imminent icy death. But its not. We can do difficult things. Big problems, while imposing and overwhelming at times, are not impossible to surmount.
Global Warming is one of those big problems. Luckily, it does not require rocket science to solve. Using less, conserving. These are not unattainable goals.
Unfortunately, this time has also been spent away from my home in Grand Marais, Minn. Which, in and of itself isn't really that bad, either. The trouble unfortunately lies in the simple fact that I have been spending a lot of time in cities. I know that cities are full of excitement, culture and more. And I enjoy that aspect of city life, I really do. But to put it bluntly, I'm a country boy.
And so, with little ceremony, I left Minneapolis early last week and drove north. I could almost feel myself relaxing as I saw more and more trees. What a relief! Next stop Lake Superior. While I wasn't back in GM just yet, it was the next best thing: the South Shore Bayfield, Washburn and Ashland for a lecture at Northland College.
I really like Northland College and I am disappointed in myself for not going there as a student. In terms of modeling sustainability, they are implementing solar, alternative building design in more. So concerned are students and faculty in 'walking the talk' that in 1987 the college created an Environmental Review Council to make sure Northland was adhering to its sustainable mission.
On Thursday night, two Northland Professors Tom Fitz and Greg Weiss, hosted a showing of Al Gore's movie, 'An Inconvenient Truth'. They also facilitated an interesting and timely discussion afterward.
After I got back from the North Pole trip this past summer, I was fine. No real big emotional anything. About a month later, I was on a plane to Salt Lake City and read Ann Bancroft's book about crossing Antarctica. For the first time, I felt like I could relate to someone who had the same feelings that I've had. Al Gore's movie put me in the same mood - not because I feel a unique solidarity with Al, rather it was something more vague. Hearing somebody speak about Global Warming with the same passion and fervor as I do was comforting. Unfortunately, to still witness so much inaction is frustrating.
It is easy to be live life in the city. It is easy to get in your car and drive to work. There are garbage cans everywhere, so just throw it away. Conversely, it is difficult to recycle or ride a bike. There are times when turning off a light can be a major effort. Lowering down the thermostat during a winter storm may feel like imminent icy death. But its not. We can do difficult things. Big problems, while imposing and overwhelming at times, are not impossible to surmount.
Global Warming is one of those big problems. Luckily, it does not require rocket science to solve. Using less, conserving. These are not unattainable goals.