Is environmental education the way forward?
Interview with Geoff Green of Students on Ice Expeditions
Click the audio player to hear my interview with Geoff Green, the founder and Executive Director of Students on Ice Expeditions, an award-winning educational organization based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The program – now in its tenth year – has taken over 1,500 students, teachers and scientists from around the world on expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic. The goal is to give the world’s youth a heightened understanding and respect for the planet’s global ecosystem, and the inspiration to protect it. Their aim is not to simply provide students with a “trip” to a unique destination but rather to give students an opportunity to have an aesthetic experience in some of the most wild and awe-inspiring ecosystems in the world.
In our conversation, Geoff talks about why he started the program and what he hopes it will achieve. We also discuss the importance of environmental education in light of all the serious environmental problems that confront us, from climate change to biodiversity loss to depleting fisheries.
Could part of the solution to these problems rest ultimately in better environmental education for our youth? And if so, how do we reach those kids who can’t afford to go to Antarctica or aren’t interested in wilderness adventures? What about students who live in urban environments with no easy access to wilderness? Are schools doing enough to educate kids not just about environmental problems but about the importance of connecting with nature?
Geoff has been leading expeditions and adventures from pole to pole for the past fifteen years. Most recently, Geoff was recognized as one of 25 Transformational Canadians. He was also voted one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” – an annual national prize event saluting Canada’s top young leaders. In 2004, Outpost Magazine chose Geoff as one of the “Top 5 Canadian Explorers” to watch.
To download the interview, right click HERE and select ‘Save as’ or ‘Save target as’.
