1 - Looking at the Feet of Green website what would you say our values are?

2 - What sort of products do you think would be really useful if you were on an Arctic expedition?

Please post any of your thoughts here and we will send you a response….   it may give you an advantage

Best wishes - Richard Hale

Dr Richard Hale of Feet of Green said: ‘We were surprised and very proud to receive this award.  We believe with the Great British Mobility Feet of Green crossing of Greenland provided a great launch pad for subsequent initiatives and most importantly has inspired thousands of young people internationally with a sense of adventure and care for the environment.  We continue to be invited into schools and recently Alan Chambers and his son Ollie have made history as the youngest Father and Son to stand on the geographic North Pole.  Ollie is now in demand and is himself inspiring young people with the Feet of Green message and this has achieved huge international press coverage. We continue to support Eco-Schools wherever we can and associated initiatives such as Young Reporters.  We have exciting plans for the future so keep an eye on www.feetofgreen.com ”

The story has now spread around the planet - Read the Press Coverage from the UK to Norway to China:

Mail Online: http://bit.ly/brS1Uk

e-Metro: http://bit.ly/b3cJva

This is Bristol (Evening Post) http://bit.ly/c6yA3k

Norweigan Press - http://bit.ly/acsAOg

Chinese Press - http://bit.ly/9c8vUu

Black Sea, Turkey - http://bit.ly/b8GjAK

Richard Hale from the Feet of Green team based in Bristol took the opportunity to interview Ollie Chambers, age 9 on the experience of being on the Geographic North Pole.  Read more in the Bristol Evening Post at http://bit.ly/9Jobag

Q: How did you get to the Pole?

A:   We left England and flew to Oslo then Tromso in Norway. After that we flew to a place called Longyearbyen in Svalbard which is half way from the Arctic circle to the North Pole. We stayed here for a while because the weather was a blizzard and very cold. We then flew on a Russian cargo plane to Ice Camp on the Arctic Ocean I stayed here while my dad led the team to the North Pole when he radioed in from the North Pole I flew in a Russian helicopter to meet my dad at the North Pole.

Q: What was it like landing on the Pole?

A:  it was very exciting I saw my Dad waving from the ice waiting for me to land. As the helicopter was landing it made a big snow storm once the rotators had stopped I got out onto the ice and went to meet my daddy.

Q: Were you scared/ excited etc. how did you feel?

A: I was scared a little bit there was nothing there apart from my dad and his team the ice looked so big it was everywhere. Once I was with my Dad I was very excited he gave me a cuddle and made sure I had my warm gloves on.

Q: Why do you think it is important for other kids to know about what you are doing?

A:  Maybe hopefully they can go and do an expedition one day. I met all kinds of people from Russia Norway Sweden Belgium Canada America New Zealand China Scotland South Africa Italy Holland Germany while I was on my trip it was good speaking to them all. I learned about the ice and about different people.

Q: What is life like in the tents/camp?

A: In the tent you have to be quiet as some people are sleeping there isn’t much room my daddy kept  telling me to keep tidy. The Ice Camp was amazing and I even played football on the ice with the Russians every body was friendly and made sure I was ok.I will miss school because of the ash cloud we are stuck in Norway but hope to be home soon I can’t believe I have stood with my Dad at the top of the world I would like to go to the South Pole next!

10 years after Alan Chambers and Charlie Paton became the first Britons to reach the Geographic North Pole walking unassisted from Canada, Alan has returned with his son Ollie Chambers aged 9.  This again is a remarkable first and is historic in that Ollie is likely to be one of the first and possibly last of his generation to stand on the Geographic North Pole, given the rapidity of the ice-melt in the Arctic.

Alan has reported:

“It took some juggling and some logistical challenges but ten years after I first arrived at the North Pole I managed to go back with Oliver!  Ice conditions are a lot worse than previous years however we are now safe back in Longyearbyen after a night at Camp Barneo but struggling to get back home due to the volcanic ash across Europe.”

We will be reporting more on Ollie Chambers’ adventure and interviewing him on his return.  We are sure his story will inspire many of the loyal supporters of Feet of Green as we plan ahead for further educational and adventure focused initiatives beyond 2010.

Shown below are Alan and Ollie at the Pole.

Dr Richard Hale said of the event: “Sitting on the jury was a tough challenge given the quality of submissions which demonstrated the real concern of the young to publicise issues of environmental concern in the categories of Water, Waste, Energy,Climate Change, Cities, Biodiversity and Agriculture and nature. I am so excited that our relationship with the Federation for Environmental Education continues to grow and we are inviting Young Reporters to visit the Feet of Green team in order to research and report the many valuable experiences from the Crossing of Greenland.”

Shown below are members of the jury with Peter Herbert and Richard Hale - the jury comprised:

The International Jury is composed of:

* Mr. Bernard Combes - UNESCO
* Ms. Fabienne Pierre - UNEP
* Ms. Morgan Strecker - UNEP
* Mr. David Ainsworth - Convention on Biological Diversity
* Mr. Alan Chambers - Feet of Green
* Mr. Peter Herbert - Feet of Green
* Dr. Richard Hale - Feet of Green
* Mr. David Solon - Chief Redactor of the “TerraEco” magazine
* Mr. Thierry Lerévérend - FEE France Director
* Mrs. Sarah Winterton - FEE political responsible for YRE

Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) is an international network of secondary school teachers and pupils, represented in 21 countries. Each group involved defines its own investigation project about an environmental issue, with the goal being to communicate relevant information to the public.

The programme has two levels of activity. At the local level the students carry out journalistic enquiries of a problem, linking environmental and scientific issues, and report it to the local community via their chosen media (local press, radio, television, conference, exhibitions). At the International level the students cooperate with young reporters from other countries making use of the Internet to share information and produce joint articles.

Every YRE project must follow 3 main objectives:
1) Investigate local environmental issues, with a problem and solution oriented approach
2) Deliver a journalistic production (articles, photos, exhibitions, radio, etc)
3) Communicate towards a local audience

An International Network of Young Reporters
The international network created between the different groups of students and teachers serves as an international press agency, specializing in producing and delivering information about the environment. The ambition is to enrich local productions with data, advice, information, and photos from other countries.

The YRE teams are supported in their work by the national coordinators and by the YRE website, which aids by proposing a large number of activities, tools and services that can be used in the member communities, according to their own needs and ambitions.

Publications and Awards
Each year the best YRE productions from each country are collected and put into a book, resulting in an international collection of articles in English as well as in national languages, photos and national news. This book serves to illustrate the diversity of the YRE projects and as inspiration for future projects.

A number of articles and photos are chosen by the International YRE Jury each year to receive an award. The awards are given within the categories of agriculture, cities, energy, coastline, waste and water. Among the 6 awarded articles, one is nominated for the Super Award.

YRE Today
In 2008, more than 500 investigation groups have been carrying out YRE activities. Together, these groups have made a network that functions as an international press agency specialised in producing and delivering information about the environment.

MEANWHILE… Alan Chambers has recently led a group to the South Pole - and I had a call from him today just as he had arrived there - he said it is amazing and he is getting plenty of photos and videos which we will post up here. Guess who he met there - Prince Albert of Monaco ! Anyway he has been raising money for a good cause relating to two Royal Marines who were injured in Afghanistan - they are seeking to raise enough money to pursue their new ambitions Zapcat racing and to inspire other injured military to overcome their adversity. See the attached information an if you are able to donate to this cause the details are provided here…

fletch-and-clarky-fundraiser

All for now - Richard

On the 19th June they also presented the highlights of the Crossing of Greenland to the FEE delegates and to the students of Cockermouth School which then received its green flag in recognition of its achievement in becoming an eco-school.

Richard Hale said of the event: “This was a remarkable occasion and location. We were delighted to be asked to visit Cockermouth School in Cumbria. The event took place in an amazing eco-centre and it was evident that the students work in genuine partnership with the teachers at the school and have created an exemplary environment. We are also most excited to be working with Encams which manages the Eco-schools initiative which is now reaching over 10,000 schools in the UK and growing. It was also a tremendous cross cultural event with FEE representatives from all over the world descending on Cumbria to share their interests and learning.”

Everyone is welcome to come along to the airport to cheer Alan and Peter as they come through the Arrivals terminal at Bristol Airport - I’m sure you would all like to join the rest of the Feet of Green team in celebrating Alan’s and Peter’s amazing achievement of the unassisted crossing of Greenland 2008.

See you there!

Sandra - Bristol Base Camp

Alan and Peter had a last minute cancellation opportunity and ended up getting the 1400 hrs flight today from Kulusuk to Reykjavik. We have now booked them on the Reykjavic flight to Amsterdam tomorrow morning and then from Amsterdam to Bristol arriving 16.55 at Bristol airport. There is much media interest in their return and we hope you will be able to welcome them back. I spoke with Alan at 21:30 hrs and he and Peter are settled in a hotel ready for an early start tomorrow and just off for a well earned beer and steak!

UPDATE: Sunday 1st June 22:00 UK time.

Alan and Peter have now taken a helicopter out of Isortorq to Taliisaq and are hopeful tomorrow they will complete the next stage - a helicopter on to Kulusaq. If they make this before 1400 they will hopefully be able to take the flight to Reykjavik, Iceland, overnight there and then back to the UK. There has been good coverage on BBC Points West today of their experiences in Isortorq and the links now emerging with the school there and schools in the UK.

UPDATE: Friday 30th May 21:00 UK time.

No flight has come in to take Alan and Peter out of Isortoq today and they are waiting still in the village community hall. They are being given a good welcome and support from the small local community and are safe and well but obviously keen to be taken out as soon as possible. we are in regular contact and looking to get them flown out as soon as possible. Frustrating for all and media interest continues to grow in their return.

I will update here tomorrow as soon as I have anything more to report.

Richard

The last two days have seen mixed emotions for both Alan and Peter and for me and the team and family and friends back home. Elation at their achievement in making the crossing of Greenland, relief that they are safe and frustration as they remain stuck in the remote Inuit outpost, Isortorq.

I have been doing all I can to try and get the guys back home as soon as possible over the past few days and as of Friday 30th May at 07:00 UK time this is the latest news:

The fog which was causing problems in terms of helicopters being able to get into Isotorq has lifted. We thought this was good news as the scheduled helicopter flights would then recommence but not so. The schedule flights via Air Greenland it would seem, from discussion with Alan, have been taking weather information which is lagging behind the reality. So whilst the weather is clear they believe is still difficult to land.

Yesterday we had booked a chartered helicopter via Air Greenland but this had earlier experienced technical difficulties which are are now resolved, but it means our guys were way back in the queue for airlifts out of the east coast areas of Greenland.

behind in the queue and they are not guaranteeing anything date for collection but say Saturday would be the earliest.

Yesterday I had contacted the Inuit leader of the dogs and boats, who organised the dog teams to bring Alan and Peter off the ice. One option, is that on Saturday he will set sail to reach Isotorq from Tasiilaq to collect them. This will take two days each way. He has said that part of the problem in terms of the changing climate and unpredictability and extremes of the weather. There have been North Easterly storms which have compacted the ice into the shore making it very difficult to get the boats to reach the shore. In contrast Alan and Peter have reported that it is impossible to ski this journey because the unusually warm weather has created problems with skiing because there are several feet of melted ice on the surface. So we are now seeing at close quarters the impact of climate change which is challenging even the local Inuits who are experts in reading the ice and weather conditions.

As of 18:21 Thursday evening I received a call from Alan saying he had just met Hans, one of the dog handlers who with his girlfriend was planning to take a scheduled flight in the morning. So it may be that local knowledge is the best knowledge and I am going to try to verify this with the airline. Furthermore this has been verified with the Air Greenland base and If this collects them today before around midday local time they will hit the connections from Kusulak to Reykyavik, Iceland and then be overnight there ready for a return to the UK on Saturday.

Meanwhile Peter and Alan are keeping their spirits up and making positive use of the time. You will see in the section http://www.feetofgreen.com/gallery/on-the-ice-greenland-2008/ some of the latest photos form the Inuit community and the school there where Peter and Alan have given some lessons to the children.

The children have also sent a message back to schools in the UK and you will see this in the video section:http://www.feetofgreen.com/video-logs/

You will also see some of the images from the seal hunting which is taking place around them. We have had to think carefully about publishing these and on balance feel it is important for the schools in the UK to see life as it is amongst this Inuit culture, where survival is key, where the Inuit people respect the importance of the food chain and nature and where absolutely no resource goes to waste.

I will be posting an update as soon as I know more.

Richard Hale, 30/5/08