Watch Robert Swan at the Club of Rome in India where he was able to meet with Corporate and Government leaders to discuss solutions instead of focusing only on the problems. “No one is inspired by negative.”- Robert Swan
Upon returning to Delhi, Robert first went into schools to see the children’s reaction on they journey he has made so far. Following that, he spoke at conferences to see the reaction at a more corporate level, asking, ‘what are the solutions?’ On his path, he was able to attend the Club of Rome, Eco-Forum, Punj Lloyd, and the Coca Cola India Sustainability Conference . As he bikes through India he is coming up with a lot of ideas, focusing more on the solution instead of just being one more voice of stating the problems.
Watch as Rob makes it to the source of the mother river at the Gomukh Glacier in the Himalayas. Robert Swan challenges to “not ask other people to do what you’re not willing to do yourself.”
Robert Swan and all of 2041 would like to wish everyone a very blessed Veteran’s Day and Remembrance Day. We take a moment to remember those who lost their lives to protect us in times when war is unfortunately necessary. With the help of the Wounded Warrior Project, two selected men will be joining Robert in Antarctica on our IAE 2012 Expedition. We can never thank them or all of our veterans enough for what they have gone through, lost and saw, but we commend them and feel that they deserve this opportunity to know that they are not forgotten.
Once the team departed Dehradoon on their bikes they left for Gangotri to ask for special permission to enter the Gomukh National Park. Thanks to the team in India, they Indian Government honored a permit and saved one guesthouse for them. Leaving early on the morning of the 5th of November, Robert Swan and 2041 Team Member, Kyle O’ Donoghue trekked the 7,000 feet of altitude to Bhojbasa where they set up camp for the evening. The harsh conditions swept in fast reaching -15 Celsius forming ice on the inside of their tent causing them to wake before light and continue forth to the Gomukh Glacier. Upon arrival Rob felt a strong connection with what the river symbolizes knowing that it is the source of water to 300 to 350 million people. He said, “the rate at what the glacier is depleting is just staggering. You can see the poles on which they measure the movement and it is moving back faster than what was predicted before.” Feeling a sense of despair, Kyle and Rob shook hands and agreed that it is now time to focus on answers instead of depicting the gloom that they felt at that moment. “No one is inspired by negative, be inspirational and now is the time to find solutions and show others how to put them in action.”
On the 3rd of November 2011, Robert Swan launched the Ganges Expedition, in India, from Gangotri to the Goumukh Glacier. To raise awareness for the project, Coca Cola India asked Robert Swan to spotlight their ‘Support My School’ campaign which provides clean, safe and abundant water for children in schools, removing the problem of unhygienic toilets and unsafe drinking water. Coca Cola believe that “Every child has a right to learn in a happy, healthy environment which is critical for the overall development of the child. It’s a pity that today many children in India do not have access to basic amenities in their school. Lack of proper sanitation facilities in schools in rural India continues to remain a huge challenge. Studies have shown that inadequate sanitation has a huge impact on the girl child who is forced to drop out of school as she enters adolescence.” –Support Our Schools
Robert met Global Executive Leaders of Coca-cola at a small village school outside Delhi and spoke to more than 300 children inviting them to think creatively about generating new ideas that would provide electricity in their homes and schools using renewable energy. Despite Roberts lingering ankle injury from the Marine Corp Marathon and unusually high levels of snow, Rob and his small team rode off on their bicycles as the children and Coca Cola employees sent them off on their journey with well wishes.
On October 30th 2011, Robert Swan completed the 26.2 miles Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC, in a time of 4:43 to raise funds in support of bringing two deserving individuals from Wounded Warrior Project to the Antarctic in February 2012. In a period of time when the United States military embarks on renewable energy as a tool, this is a great time for these two heroes to join Robert Swan and his 2041 team in Antarctica and see the importance of this energy implementation.
The night before the race, Rob was the Key note speaker at the ‘Carbo Loading Dinner’ where he introduced our two Warriors. We are thankful to the Wounded Warrior Project for selecting the two members and look forward to having them on board in February for our IAE 2012 expedition.
2041 would like to send a colossal congratulations to Darren McGann, 2041 Alumni member who attended IAE 2011. The Net Impact Force of Change Award recognizes members “who has gone above and beyond their regular role as a student or employee to create a more sustainable and just society through the power of business. See how Darren created a change in the video below. Great job Darren!
While in New Zealand where Robert was selecting the Pure Advantage winner he had a chance to stop by 3 News to explain why we need to leave Antarctica alone from modern destruction. “Young people today should be inspired to just leave one place alone. I think that’s probably what inspired me to say ‘Hey, let’s leave one place alone on Earth’ – and to do that, I need to inspire the next generation.”
Pure Advantage Press Release- 22 September 2011
“Congratulations to Sarah Hall, the winner of our Expedition to Antarctica video competition. Sarah was selected from a pool of 10 finalists by polar explorer Robert Swan to accompany him and his 2041 crew on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Antarctica in February next year.”
Sarah’s passion, vision, and motivation to act to achieve green growth in New Zealand was clear in her video and even more so in her final interview with Robert where she emerged as the winner. If you haven’t a chance yet, check out her submission below; and watch this space for footage of the interviews and updates on Sarah’s journey to Antarctica next year.
Well done to all our other finalists and entrants, everyone of whom put in a huge effort to convey their unique visions for NZ’s future as a green economy. There was a great range of different approaches and ideas from this group of inspirational young New Zealanders. All their videos are still viewable now in the Expedition to Antarctica gallery.”
“New Zealand has strong ties to Antarctica and history of helping preserve and protect its environment. What I learn from the Antarctica experience I will apply in this country to help create a clean green economy and support Pure Advantage in its quest to turn our natural advantages into greater wealth for all New Zealanders” – Sarah
Robert Swan would like to welcome Sarah and we look forward to this opportunity of sharing an experience of a lifetime with you as a member of IAE 2012 as well as the lifelong journey you are about to embark on for green growth in New Zealand. 2041 would also like to say Thank You to Pure Advantage for this opportunity for a future champion as well as joining our mission to inspire the next generation of leaders to take responsibility, be sustainable, and know that now is the time for action in policy development and sustainable business generation.
