THE founder of a training provider in Southampton has joined a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to Antarctica in a bid to see any effects of climate change first-hand.
Kiwi Education founder and managing director, Michael Steel is travelling with his 72-year-old fellow adventurer and dear friend Pauline Bisson.
He hopes to be able to better inform learners and stakeholders about the importance of climate change awareness and the steps they can take to lessen their impact on the environment following the trip.
The duo started their 16-day trip by flying to Punta Arenas in Chile, South America, then over the world-famous Drake Passage to King George Island.
From there, they’ve headed by ship with Quark Expeditions to the Antarctic Peninsula, where it’s the start of winter and temperatures are 0C to -10C.
Polar experts onboard the ship are teaching Michael and the group of adventurers about Antarctic wildlife, history, glaciology and geology.
They will stay on the ship and take daily excursions to the land, getting water-level views of icebergs and wildlife.
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Michael said: “I’m planning to learn more about the impact of climate change and document my journey through photos and videos.
“Penguin colonies have been impacted due to the changes in temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula, which we’ll learn about, and microbeads have been discovered in the ocean there.
“There's a real possibility my home could be underwater one day and that’s really serious.
“People have got to, in my view, start thinking about how they can actively take small steps to make changes both personally and as employers.
“The more I learn, the more I can inform learners and businesses about the importance of climate change awareness, as we expand our green skills offerings, which will also help stakeholders to make changes that lessen their impact on the environment.
“As the number of green jobs continues to grow, so does people’s level of social awareness about how our actions impact the planet and it’s driving more people to question an organisation’s environmental performance.
“Keeping talent isn’t as simple as just increasing salaries.
“Lots of factors make up the reason for someone leaving a job and now you can add ‘climate quitting’ to the list.
“This is known as the growing trend of people who are leaving their jobs to pursue a career focused on tackling climate change, or, because their employer's ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) commitments aren’t solid.”
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