While most teenagers will be splashing in the surf or kicking around their hometowns during spring break, 15 year-old Parker Liautaud will be braving blizzards, bears, frigid water and the limits of endurance as he attempts to be one of the youngest people to ever ski to the North Pole. Parker, who has joint United States and French citizenship and goes to school in the United Kingdom, will spend eight to ten days on the polar ice this April with Arctic adventurer Doug Stoup – all to increase environmental awareness. GE is sponsoring the expedition, which social media-centric Parker hopes will launch a new global digital network of environmentally aware young people. He’ll be hitting the ice starting April 2 and will be reporting on his progress online through his Facebook Fan Page “The Last Degree” as well as providing updates via his Twitter handle @parkerliautaud.
Take the trek: If you visit Parker’s Facebook Page you can pledge your status update to a green task; guess when Parker will get to the North Pole; submit videos of how you are going to improve the environment; tag a visual petition to support Parker; and watch video interviews with Parker and Doug. You can also share your ideas on how to improve the environment and increase awareness — with the best thoughts and videos being submitted to the delegates at the next United Nations environment conference scheduled for May 2010 in Germany.
“I became passionate about the Polar region last March,” says Parker, “when I participated in an expedition through Antarctica with Robert Swan OBE, a world famous Polar explorer and the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles. I learned about the significant changes in ice conditions and wildlife that are taking place there today and decided that I wanted to do something about it. The polar region is a barometer of global environmental health, and the changes that are taking place there today create a real impact on our planet. I hope to rally young people around the world to work together and build a sustainable future.”
Parker adds: “I’ve been training daily for months to prepare myself physically. I go to the gym for about 1-2 hours every day and pull tires 3-4 days a week around my schoolyard. I’ve also been drinking 2-3 protein shakes daily to build fat in addition to muscle as I’ll burn approximately 8,500 calories a day during the trip but only take in 5,000. I’ve been blogging about my experience training for this on Daily Mile.”
She likes your style: Fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood has pledged to support Parker’s trip – and has even designed a flag for Parker to plant when he reaches the north pole.
Connect with Parker’s expedition via these links:
* Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/thelastdegree
* Twitter: www.twitter.com/parkerliautaud
* Read the announcement
* Watch Parker’s video interview on CNN
* Read coverage via UK’s Metro
* Learn more about GE’s ecomagination technologies
* Learn about GE’s eVent fabrics technology that Parker will be wearing
* Learn about Rab, which is providing expedition gear for Parker