A frozen frontier
Fancy a break from the heat and do your bit for the planet?
Airbnb and Ocean Conservancy announced the Antarctic Sabbatical and invites applicants from the UAE to be part of a scientific research mission to the frozen lands for one month.
Five individuals require no formal training as they join Antarctic Scientist Kirstie Jones-Williams on a first-of-its-kind scientific research mission in December. The aim is to collect snow samples and study the extent to which microplastics have made their way to the interior of Antarctica.
“This expedition will be hard work, with scientific rigour required during unforgiving wintery conditions,” explains Jones-Williams. “We are looking for passionate individuals, with a sense of global citizenship, who are excited to be a part of the team and to return home and share our findings with the world.”
Here is what you can expect:
- Attend an immersion training in Punta Arenas, Chile, where they will prepare themselves with courses on glaciology and field sampling as well as lab work and equipment practice.
- Fly to Antarctica to begin their scientific mission, landing on a naturally formed blue-ice runway deep within the continent where the research will be conducted.
- Collect snow samples from the interior of Antarctica and study them for foreign microfibers to determine how far waste and pollution has traveled across the world.
- Visit the South Pole, where they can walk around the globe in just a few steps.
- Get the chance to explore the beauty of Antarctic sites like the Drake Icefall, Charles Peak Windscoop, and Elephant’s Head to learn about the continent’s geography.
- Return to Chile where they will continue to study their findings and work with Ocean Conservancy to become ambassadors for protecting the oceans. In this advocacy role, they will deliver insights on how the Airbnb community and others can help minimize their collective plastic footprint to support Ocean Conservancy’s mission.
Airbnb is working with Ocean Conservancy to use the research findings from the Antarctic Sabbatical to inform educational and advocacy efforts.
“While Airbnb is inherently more eco-friendly than other forms of travel given that people are using spaces already built, we need to continue to find ways for the platform to contribute to reducing the impact of humans on the environment,” said said Chris Lehane, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Communications of Airbnb.
To apply for the Antarctic Sabbatical, visit airbnb.com/sabbatical
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