Robert Swan’s contribution to education and the environment has been recognised through his appointment as UN Goodwill Ambassador for Youth, a visiting Professorship of the School of the Environment at Leeds University and in 1994 he became Special Envoy to the Director General of UNESCO.

From 2002 to 2007, Robert’s dream of building the world’s first educational base (E-Base) in Antarctica became a reality. E-Base serves as a resource for teachers and an inspiration to young people around the world. 2008 will see ‘The E-Base Goes Live’. Powered entirely off renewable energy Swan and a small team will live and broadcast to schools and universities demonstrating clean technology and energy saving techniques.

Over the past seven years 2041 have taken 20 teachers from various countries to Antarctica, many of whom in turn have helped produce ‘A Journey to Antarctica – The Coolest Curriculum in the World’. The curriculum’s aims are:

• To inform learners about Antarctica, it’s geology, it’s geography, its history, its climate, its stunning scenery and captivating wildlife.
• To educate learners through practical, creative activities and hands-on investigations that enable them to deepen their understanding of this beautiful continent.
• To inspire learners to action, to open their minds to ways in which they, both individually and collectively, can make a positive difference to their world and Antarctica in particular.

In April 2008 Robert Swan and the 2041 team will embark on ‘The Voyage for Cleaner Energy’. This is a five-year commitment by Robert Swan to create an International Alumni. In 2007, Al Gore highlighted the issues of climate change with his successful ‘Live Earth’ event. Having spent over 20 years facing challenges and meeting extraordinary goals, Swan believes he can take Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’ one step further to develop Convenient Solutions with the support of the alumni. Our call to action will be to inspire and connect young upcoming leaders from universities together with established leaders from corporations and industry. This International Alumni will work closely with local and global communities to affect personal change and influence government policy. In order to create this International Alumni, Robert will lecture at universities, high schools, corporate headquarters and governmental offices around the world. The lecture series will begin on the west coast of America in 2008 and finish in Asia at the 2012 World Summit for Sustainable Development.

As part of the ‘Voyage for Cleaner Energy’, 2041 is offering university and high school students the opportunity to join us on our 2009 Antarctica Expedition. Robert will select highly motivated individuals who will spend two weeks in Antarctica in March 2009. During this expedition they will learn unique leadership skills from Robert and industry leaders. They will spend time at the E-Base as they increase their knowledge on climate change and renewable energy.