Let's build a brighter future in Antarctica

Sherry Xue Start Date: Feb 9, 2022 - End Date: Mar 15, 2022
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Antarctica
  • Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina

My Travel Story

by: Sherry Xue Start Date: Feb 9, 2022 - End Date: Mar 15, 2022
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
Hi, my name is Sherry! Born and raised in China, I'm currently a senior at Northwestern University studying Communications, Entrepreneurship, Data Science, and Design. I have been selected by renowned polar explorer and sustainability leader Robert Swan O.B.E. as one of 170 participants comprised of citizens of 30+ nations to join the 2041 ClimateForce Antarctic Expedition in March, which is what brought me here :)

2041 ClimateForce Antarctic Expedition? 
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it…”
                                                                                         –Robert Swan

As the world’s most dynamic Antarctic sea expedition, it is a unique 12-day educational journey by ship to ‘the Last Great Wilderness on Earth,’ led by polar explorer and sustainability champion Robert Swan O.B.E. - the first person in history to trek to both of Earth’s poles.

The ‘carbon-negative’ expedition aims to inspire, develop, and train the next generation of leaders to promote a more sustainable future. Through lectures, shore landings, hikes, group discussions, workshops, and more, the Expedition will train inspirational participants on up-to-date climate science, sustainability, and leadership skills and will equip them with the tools to create meaningful impacts in their communities, institutions, companies, and governments in order to benefit this planet that we all call home.

Why Antarctica? 
You know, besides how cool it is of course ;)

Antarctica, a largely pristine wilderness that belongs to no country, is not only home to a wide range of fauna and marine species, but it also contains approximately 90% of Earth’s ice and roughly 70% of our planet’s freshwater.

For decades, the effects of climate change have been more and more visible in the Antarctic: glaciers and ice shelves such as the Larsen B melting and breaking off prematurely, sea ice disappearing, critically disrupted ecosystems and food chains, etc. If these patterns are allowed to continue unchecked, the resultant sea-level rise alone in the next century would lead to catastrophic, absolutely unimaginable changes to our world.

This Expedition is an opportunity for us to connect with and learn from the natural environments most affected by climate change, and to realize the urgent need for real-world solutions to address these issues. 

WHY do I care? 
As I was walking in the 52℉ (12℃) weather outside in Chicago on a beautiful December day, I couldn’t help myself lamenting and worrying for the future that lays behind all the beauty. Even though I fortunately haven’t felt many direct consequences from climate change beyond the weather itself, many people’s lives have been changed drastically in other parts of the world and I want to help. 

Growing up, I've always been very connected to nature. Seeing the rise of extreme weather and natural disasters year by year is disheartening and motivates me to be part of the change. Senior year of high school, I learned more about the imminence of climate change and the impact our individual actions can have, which motivated me to start a no-styrofoam initiative with my classmates at school. During school breaks, I volunteered for environmental and wildlife conservation NGOs in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Bolivia and learned more about the challenges people face in different parts of the world. 

As I'm at the pivotal time to finishing my undergraduate degree, I'm excited and grateful to use this opportunity to explore how I can integrate my skills with my passion for sustainability through connecting with sustainability leaders from all around the world. I'm looking forward to learning how to initiate small but mighty change in my community through understanding / experiencing why some people wake up and take daily action to be more sustainable while others acknowledge the issues but neglect to take action.

What will I do?
This list is by no means exhaustive. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear them : )
  • Document my journey and learnings in digital media format
  • Share resources on how one can live more sustainably without changing much, no matter who you are
  • Incorporate my experience with my startup Explorate to make experiential learning opportunities more accessible for young people and make getting help easier for NGOs around the world 
  • Bring back my learning to the Northwestern community and implement sustainability projects in the Chicago-land area
  • Antarctica
  • Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina

More Travel Information

Adventure Registry

  • Waterproof Drybag

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  • Ski Goggles

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