A team of three Cambridge graduates has today received a Land Rover Defender 110 and a cheque for £10,000, at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London, to embark on an expedition of approximately 32,000km, through 31 countries, to raise awareness of the potential impacts of climate change along the Atlantic coastline.
'Atlantic Rising', winners of the 2009 'Go Beyond' Bursary, which was awarded by the RGS-IBG and Land Rover earlier this year, will navigate land around the Atlantic Ocean by attempting to follow the 1m contour line which scientists forecast could become the new coastline in 100 years.
'Atlantic Rising', winners of the 2009 'Go Beyond' Bursary
Tim Bromfield, Lynn Morris, and Will Lorimer, will follow the 1m contour line around the Atlantic as closely as possible, visiting schools and creating an educational network with up to 10,000 students along the route. They will report from some of the remotest coastal regions of the Atlantic Ocean and establish a sea-level change education project that can be used in 1,200 schools throughout the world via the Rafi.ki online schools network.
Tim said: "Education is the most powerful weapon we have to combat climate change. By encouraging students around the Atlantic to work together, we want to highlight our shared responsibility in dealing with this critical issue. By encouraging international friendships, we hope to make people care enough to act."
Dr Rita Gardner, Director of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), said: "This project, made possible through our partnership with Land Rover, focuses on one of the most challenging issues we face – the potential impacts of climate change in coastal regions. As recipients of the Bursary, Atlantic Rising have been granted the opportunity to 'go beyond' their normal limits and boundaries and at the same time support one of the Society's objectives which is to promote the wider understanding and enjoyment of geography."
This is the second 'Go Beyond' Bursary run by RGS-IBG on behalf of Land Rover, whose partnership with the Society has existed for more than 20 years.
The manufacturing and mileage of the 110 Defender vehicle are being carbon offset through ClimateCare who run Land Rover's CO2 Offset Programme in the UK, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Austria and other international markets.
Keep up to date with the Atlantic Rising team by visiting their website http://atlanticrising.wordpress.com
Meet the team
Tim Bromfield – Tim graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Geography and has worked as a teacher in both London and Uganda. For the last 5 years he has been working at Accenture where he has led projects such as the Guardian's Katine project in Uganda. Until recently he has concentrated on building Accenture's sustainability practice. Desperate to swap his suit for sandals, Tim continues to work with the African Medical and Research Foundation.
Lynn Morris – Lynn finally settled in London working as a video journalist for the Press Association, after spending six years as a reporter in three different continents. She blames her wanderlust on a childhood spent between family in Kenya and Somerset. Lynn graduated from Cambridge in 2002 with a BA in Social Anthropology and also holds an MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Manchester.
Will Lorimer - After leaving Cambridge University with a first class degree in Social Anthropology, Will went to film school in Manchester before working as a cameraman in Palestine, Poland and America. He has worked on productions for the BBC and Channel 4 as well as directing programmes for Five, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. When not working, he usually bolts to the West Coast of Scotland for mountaineering and fishing expeditions.
Itinerary
Europe leg
UK Barrow-in-Furness 30/06/2009
UK Lancashire 01/07/2009
UK The Wirrall 02/07/2009
UK Swansea 06/07/2009
UK Greenwich 09/07/2009
UK Brighton 16/07/2009
UK Poole 15/08/2009
France Le Havre 02/09/2009
France Mont St Michel 02/09/2009
France Nantes 04/09/2009
France La Rochelle 06/09/2009
France Bordeaux 08/09/2009
France Biarritz 11/09/2009
Spain San Sebastian 13/09/2009
Spain Cadiz 15/09/2009
Gibraltar Gibraltar 19/09/2009
Spain Algeciras 14/09/2009
Africa leg
Morocco Tangiers 14/09/2009
Morocco Larache 15/09/2009
Morocco Rabat 16/09/2009
Morocco Casablanca 17/09/2009
Morocco Essaouira 18/09/2009
Morocco Agadir 19/09/2009
Western Sahara Laayoune 21/09/2009
Western Sahara Dakhla 23/09/2009
Mauritania Nouadhibou 25/09/2009
Mauritania Banc d'Arguin 27/09/2009
Senegal St Louis 04/10/2009
Senegal Dakar 10/10/2009
The Gambia Banjul 14/10/2009
Guinea Bissau Bissau 24/10/2009
Guinea Conakry 31/10/2009
Sierra Leone Freetown 07/11/2009
Liberia Monrovia 19/11/2009
Cote D'Ivoire Abidjan 26/11/2009
Ghana Cape Coast 03/12/2009
Cote D'Ivoire Abidjan 15/12/2009
Latin America leg
Option 1 - arriving into Belem, Brazil
Brazil Belem 05/02/2010
Brazil Macapa 12/02/2010
Brazil Calcoene 19/02/2010
French Guiana Cayenne 26/02/2010
Surinam Paramaribo 03/03/2010
Guyana George Town 08/03/2010
Guyana Bartica 14/03/2010
Venezuela Ciudad Guayna 18/03/2010
Venezuela Carupano 23/03/2010
Venezuela Margarita Island 25/03/2010
Venezuela Caracas 28/03/2010
Venezuela Marocaibo 31/03/2010
Columbia Barranquilla 03/04/2010
FERRY 17/04/2010
Panama Colon 23/04/2010
Costa Rica San Jose 26/04/2010
Costa Rica Limon 02/05/2010
Costa Rica Tortuguero 06/05/2010
Nicaragua Bluefields 11/05/2010
Nicaragua Puerto Cabezas 16/05/2010
Honduras Laguna Da Caratasca 19/05/2010
Honduras La Ceiba 21/05/2010
Guatamala Morales 26/05/2010
Belize Placencia 28/05/2010
Belize Belize City 01/06/2010
Mexico Cancun 07/06/2010
Mexico Progreso 13/06/2010
Mexico Jonuta 15/06/2010
Mexico Pajarillos 18/06/2010
Mexico Panuco 22/06/2010
Mexico Matamoros 26/06/2010
Latin America leg
Option 2 - arriving into Colon, Panama
Panama Colon 08/01/2010
Costa Rica San Jose 11/01/2010
Costa Rica Limon 17/01/2010
Costa Rica Tortuguero 19/01/2010
Nicaragua Bluefields 22/01/2010
Nicaragua Puerto Cabezas 27/01/2010
Honduras Laguna Da Caratasca 30/01/2010
Honduras La Ceiba 01/02/2010
Guatamala Morales 06/02/2010
Belize Placencia 07/02/2010
Belize Belize City 11/02/2010
Mexico Cancun 15/02/2010
Mexico Progreso 21/02/2010
Mexico Jonuta 23/02/2010
Mexico Pajarillos 26/02/2010
Mexico Panuco 02/03/2010
Mexico Matamoros 06/03/2010
North America leg
USA Brownsville, TX 29/06/2010
USA Corpus Christi, TX 29/06/2010
USA Houston, TX 29/06/2010
USA New Iberia, LA 30/06/2010
USA New Orleans, LA 10/07/2010
USA Key West, FL 20/07/2010
USA Virginia Beach, VA 30/07/2010
USA New York, NY 09/08/2010
USA Nantucket Island 19/08/2010
Canada Moncton 29/08/2010
Canada Halifax 03/09/2010