Because It Is There: A Zero Emission Odyssey

Hello and welcome. This website is the home of Because It Is There: A Zero Emissions Odyssey. Follow the expedition as i pedal, paddle and sail my way around the globe across 5 continents and 2 oceans over the next 3 years.

I’ve just returned from a weekend in London where i was very kindly donated a stand at Adventure Travel Live. In between nipping off to catch talks from some of the UK’s leading adventurer’s i managed to chat to some very nice people (some of whom i hope are now reading this blog). The showed also afforded me the opportunity to have chat’s with various people including a hero of mine and patrons of the expedition, Benedict Allen, who managed to spare 5 minutes for a quick chat before having to rush to meetings. I also spoke with Ed Wardle, of  Alone in the Wild fame, and Stephen Lord who is the author of the Cycle touring ‘bible‘, a must for anyone considering a cycling expedition.

I had a few enquiries regarding the situation with funding during the show. The situation is not good and some people have very kindly offered donations for the expedition. As requested i have put up a Individual Sponsors page, should you wish to make a donation. Also, if you or your company would like to get involved with the expedition then please feel free to drop me an email requesting a sponsorship proposal and i’ll send one over.

In terms of exploration and adventure i personally feel that the greatest adventurers/explorers have got to be astronauts. So imagine how excited i was when i received a response to an email i sent to Scott Parazynski, the only man to have flown in space AND stand on the summit of Mt. Everest.

“I’m inspired by the audacity of the challenge you’ve set for yourself, and thrilled that you’ll benefit a worthy charity in the process. I will follow your journey closely, worry for your safety and strength, and pull for your ultimate success. Godspeed!”

To learn about Scott head over to his website http://parazynski.com/. Also follow his day to day adventures via his twitter feed

Here is a few of the books i’m reading while preparing for the expedition.

*Brownie points for the person who spots the odd one out

No need for an introduction here. Those who know him…well they know what he does. And for those who don’t, watch the video below.

I saw the film The Cove recently and the documentary film is a must see. The film follows a former dolphin trainer and his team as he attempts to bring to light the annual killing of around 23,000 Dolphins in a hidden cove in Taiji, Japan.  Enlisting the help of world class free divers, a tech team from Industrial Light and Magic (the guys behind the special effects for Star Wars) and a handful of devouted eco-warriors, Richard O’Barry makes it his mission to capture, on film, the slaughter.

If this film doesn’t make you think twice about visiting Seaworld and the like, nothing will.

~ Jack Kerouac

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes. ”

- Charles Swindoll