| March 1, 2010 |
In Pictures IV – All eyes on the Environment – Antarctica and Earth Day |
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Peace Boat spent three spectacular days sailing through the South Shetland Islands and around the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the main highlight of an already remarkable voyage, but also an important learning opportunity for the participants. |
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Leading up to the Antarctic cruise, Peace Boat staff Yamamoto Takashi educated participants about environmental concerns in the region and what it plays in world peace. As Mr Yamamoto informed everyone, Antarctica is the only borderless territory on the planet and no military presence is permitted on the continent. |
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The abstract forms the icebergs take on are magnificent sites to behold, but, as participants saw during the three-day journey, the quantity and size of the bergs were somewhat alarming. For the participants it was a firsthand view of the deteriorating ice shelf: Antarctica holds 90% of the planet’s ice, but it’s melting faster than ever before. |
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The stunning Antarctic scenery, and occasional boat-side visits from whales and penguins, had people snapping their cameras in every direction, while the snow-capped mountains and rugged glaciers brought out the artistic side in many participants. |
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Peace Boat hosted an Earth Day celebration onboard after visiting two of the planet’s most important environments – the Antarctic and Patagonia. Participants turned the open space on the 8th floor of the ship in to an exhibition of eco-artwork and set up information kiosks about issues such as nuclear power plants, ethical consumerism and vegetarianism. |
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Peace Boat staff Fujimatsu Rin (seated, left), with volunteer communication coordinator Fukuda Hikari, promoted the Peace Boat Forest project. In conjunction with guest educator Nakanishi Takeshi’s Carbon-Free Consulting firm, profits from the sale of carbon off-set stickers will be used to plant trees on a plot of land in Inner Mongolia (China). |
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Betania Cappato, a filmmaker working with the Argentinean NGO Proteger and a member of the 68th Voyage’s Latin IS (International Student) programme, asked participants to share their messages about peace and environmental protection for a documentary she made onboard. Ms Cappato used the orizuru (folded paper crane) as the focus of her video: The tradition of folding paper cranes for peace began after the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. |
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Participants could make their comments or hopes in any language they wished. Iwasa Setsuko and her husband Kohei used Japanese sign language to share their hopes for world peace, before stringing up their orizuru. |
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