It’s a vast wilderness of water, snow, ice, and rock. But for the 12 Indians who have been selected for the International Antarctic Expedition 2017 (IAE), organised by the 2041 Foundation, the continent is a magnet.
The five women and seven men — all in their 20s — are preparing to explore the breathtaking landscape and cope with icebergs, chilled winds, penguins, seals, and other marine creatures.
The 12 have different backgrounds — university students, techies, researchers, executives — but all of them believe in a common cause: to save earth from ill-effects of greenhouse emissions, rapid urbanisation, excessive consumption of natural resources and changing lifestyles.
They will also participate in the “Leadership on the Edge” programme where they will learn about climate change, sustainability, and energy use. MetroPlus managed to get in touch with five of the 12.
Excerpts from a conversation.
Mallika Arya
MALLIKA ARYA
Mallika Arya, a 23-year-old from New Delhi, focuses on being a Zero Waste Traveller. After a stint as a Teach For India Fellow, she began travelling through the country. During these journeys, she met a person who had been on the one of the earlier expeditions and “I decided to apply to initiate a conversation about environment and waste-related problems. I wanted to focus on solving the problem of waste from an individual’s point of view,” says Mallika. Though she has already a seat in the University of Sydney, she plans to join the Tata Institute of Social Sciences after her return. “The Antarctica journey will bolster my knowledge and help me create firmer grounds for further work in the area of zero waste travelling.”
Tanya Rasquinha
TANYA RASQUINHA
Tanya Rasquinha is a Pune-based designer who is keenly interested in design’s social and civic impact. “I currently work in the UX/UI field where my design thinking and problem-solving abilities are being further honed.” She has assisted visually impaired weavers in creating products from waste materials, documented the embroidery work by artisans in Kutch and collaborated with tribals on Warli artwork. Tanya believes that IAE 2017 will help her shape and define her role as a global climate change influencer. “It will enable me to interact with people from across the globe and widen my horizons about sustainable living and technologies. I plan to combine my design thinking and leadership skills to craft innovative and effective solutions to tackle the challenges of sustainable development differently.” She plans to focus on reducing carbon footprint by use of clean energy and further promoting the concept of “reduce, reuse, recycle”.
Rohan Sharma
ROHAN SHARMA
Mumbai-based Rohan Sharma (28) works as a manager at Reliance Infrastructure and says has been associated with several NGOs dealing with climate change. “We must address the issue of climate change as one of the biggest issues that the world is facing at present. Cyclone Vardah and drought followed by excess rains in parts of India are just a few problems to being with. I want to inform people about these issues along with sustainable development.” He also wants to contribute towards spreading knowledge about waste management. After his return, Rohan wants to apply his learning in looking for ways to minimise waste.
Tanisha Arora
TANISHA ARORA
Tanisha Arora, a 28-year-old Bengaluru-based visual merchandise head, aims to meet people from different cultures and discuss the issue of using sustainable and upcycled materials. “I am focussing on meeting people who are not from my industry so that I will get to know what others think and how I can use my knowledge to create awareness among people of other professions.” Her goal is to build on her body of work. “Once I am back, I will invest all my knowledge into talks and workshops, profiling people from different areas to give outsiders a perspective on the current work being done in the field,” says the NIFT graduate.
Sir Robert Swan, polar explorer, environmental leader and the first person ever to have walked to both the North and South Poles,
The 2041 Foundation
The U.S.-based 2041 Foundation established by Sir Robert Swan OBE, a polar explorer and environmental leader, in 1991 and aims to preserve Antarctica — which is almost completely covered by ice and contains 70 per cent of the earth’s fresh water —from exploitation of natural resources in the future. The IAE 2017 (March 5-15, 2017) aims to study the impact of climate change due to global warming, promote use of renewable energy sources, and preserve the earth’s fragile ecosystem. Swan is the first person to have reached both the North Pole and South Pole. The Antarctic Treaty, which has put a 50-year moratorium on mining in Antarctica, will be reviewed after 2041.
