Wave Energy: Ireland competes in a new gold rush

Wave Energy: Ireland competes in a new gold rush

Into the Wild...in Pics...

Record Breaker...

Check this guy out! I actually met him in Dublin a few years ago. His name is Heinze Stücke and he has cycled a massive 600,000km by bicycle over the last half century – enough to go around the world 15 times. 


Along the way he’s been attacked by bees, shot at by rebels and hit by cars. He ran out of water in the Sahara Desert and had his bike stolen 6 times. Every time he got it back...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_St%C3%BCcke

http://travellingtwo.com/4576

http://www.bikechina.com/heinzstucke1z.html

Into the wild...Part I

Hey all,

Greetings from Paris!  It's 12 days into the cycle so time for a little update...

The wheels finally began spinning on Tuesday, 2nd November - a day late due to the intensity of the goodbye session in Geneva :)

The first 3 days were tough going as Switwerland and France threw a string of mountains at me. What I hadn't given much thought to before I set off (as I said "2041kms. 1 idiot") was that with fully loaded panniers on the bike, it would feel like I was climbing all these moutains while also giving someone a lift at the same time. Seemingly Sean's premonition of me "grimacing through pain whilst paddling my little heart out over a hillock in Belgium" was coming true. When I finally did reach the summits of these mighty hillocks though, the views were fantastic. Hopefully some of the photos below (more on Facebook) give you an idea of what I mean.

After 3 days of stunning views that left me feeling like I'd been beaten over the head with a rainbow, I was looking forward to the flat plains of middle France. Before heading North however, I decided to dump a lot of the extra crap that I was carrying with me on the trek. The new 600+ page Keith Richards autobiography/brick was the first thing to go (why Ashe, why?). Towels, shoes, pants, t-shirts, my emergency can of baked beans...were all chucked. Finally, like a white Nelson Mandella, I was 'free at last' to put some distance behind me.

With the weight off my bike and the land a LOT easier going I was able to clock up century-plus days and make great time. Tarare, Vichy, Moulins, Nevers, Briare, Orleans, Etampes...all flew by as I pushed on hard to Paris. The scenery in middle France is very like Ireland (but just imagine boulangeries instead of pubs) so it made for a really enjoyable trek. At the risk of jinxing it, the weather has also been unexpectedly kind to me (apart from yesterday when I learnt that my 'waterproof' jacket is actually just a sponge with a zip).

Anyway, Part II of the trek is Paris to Cardiff so I'll be starting my cycle to Le Havre in the next day or two and will update the blog again before I hit Ireland.

A

p.s.  The battery in my camera died yesterday, but hopefully I'll be able to charge it and put up some new photos in the next few days...

Thanks!

Big thanks to everyone who donated and helped me reach that 2041 target!

Just arrived in Lyon last night after a bit of moutain climbing. I've put some photos up on Facebook so have a look. I'll also be putting some up on the Blog in the next few days...

Best,

A

Antarctica 2041 by Robert Swan

2,041 km. 34 Days. 27 Cities. 5 Countries. 1 Idiot.

With several minutes of reassuring and informative tire kicking behind me, I decided to seal the deal and purchase my ‘hog’ for the trip off a charming lady that I met on Craigslist (not in that way). With my wheels sorted, I finally had time to focus on planning the painful part i.e. The Route...

So assuming I manage to maintain a sweaty peddling average of 62kms a day (and after allowing for the odd day of R&R) I should be licking my first pot of Guinness (and second, and third...) in the South Pole Inn in Annascaul on Saturday December 4th. Bring it on!

Ashe

2041 Website

    For more on Robert Swan, Antarctica and the Voyage for Cleaner Energy visit www.2041.com

Tom Crean Solo March

As you know, the end point of my upcoming cycle is Tom Crean’s old pub The South Pole Inn in Annascaul, Co Kerry. Some of you may remember the advert that Guinness ran a few years back (below) to celebrate this great Irish Antarctic Explorer. Here is a little background to bring the ad to life…

In January 1912, after 2 months of marching, Captain Scott selected 4 people to join him on the final 268km march to the Pole. This meant the 3 remaining men of Crean, Lashly and Evans now faced a gruelling 1,206km return journey back to base camp.

After enduring snow blindness and surviving a 60mph sledge ride down a 2,000ft ice fall, dodging crevasses of up to 200 feet wide, the 3 men had marched to within 160km of home. It was here that Evans was brought down by a severe case of scurvy.

Ignoring the risk to their own lives, Crean and Lashly immediately dropped all remaining items of surplus gear and began hauling Evans on his sledge until they reached Corner Camp. With 5 days of marching still to go and only 3 meals worth of rations left, the situation looked dire. However, despite having covered 2,500kms in the past 3½ months and knowing a blizzard was fast approaching, Crean volunteered to make the final 35km solo march back to Base Camp to seek help. With no tent, no shelter, no means of navigation and with only 3 biscuits & 2 chocolate bars for food, Crean set off.

The 18 hours it took to complete the march is where the Guinness ad picks up. In this version of the story, Crean comes close to giving up, only to be spurred on by the memory of drinking a pint of Guinness with his friends back home and the hope of doing so again.

If anybody wants to learn more about Tom Crean then Michael Smith’s “An Unsung Hero” is a great starting point. It’s an absorbing read about the life of an extraordinary Irishman. Get it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=an+unsung+hero&x=0&y=0

Guinness ad Tom Crean

350.org Bill McKibben - Solar Panels back on the White House

Great news! In Spring 2011 Solar Panels will be back on the White House:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMUnrmqM-z3tMC3a3JZRFIqrJKHQD9ILFH9G1?docId=D9ILFH9G1

Here's an interview the guy that made it happen...

Burning the planet at both Poles

Arctic ice has been melting slowly for 2 decades. Within a decade or two, a summertime spacecraft pointing its camera at the North Pole (like above) will see nothing but open ocean. There will be ice on Greenland-but much less ice. Between 2003 and 2008 more than a trillion ton's of the island's ice melted, an area ten times the size of Manhattan. In fact we now know that the climate doesn't even have to warm any more for Greenland to continue losing ice.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11322310

QuietRevolution

Here's a company with a great innovation in the small wind turbine market. Check it out!
http://www.quietrevolution.com/index.htm

Robert Swan Speech

Inspiring and humorous speech by Robert Swan as he accepts an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Durham University.

http://ihrr.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/robert-swans-presentation-at-ihrr-now-available/

Interview with Robert Swan

"When you’re making a journey like we made, you’re taking your wrapper off your 80 Yorkie bars before you set out, to save on weight.  So we certainly didn’t have the luxury of taking books..."

Check out more from Swan in his interview with Sabotage Times:  

http://www.sabotagetimes.com/people/the-first-man-in-history-to-walk-to-both-poles/

Belgium to India on your bicycle...

These days, even though they can throw big lumps of tin in the sky that may/may not get you to your destination in one piece, you might also consider getting on your bike...like this guy did...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/the-bicycle-diaries/7322783/The-Bicycle-Diaries-one-man-one-bike-6000-miles.html

Belgium to Shanghai anybody?

Great (scary) 7 minute summary of where the planet is today

Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index

Lee Hotz: Inside an Antarctic time machine

Jason Clay: How big brands can help save biodiversity