by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
A world-renowned environmental advocate will speak to employees and friends of Gate Petroleum in Jacksonville on Monday and Tuesday.
British explorer Robert Swan, 52, will talk to students at Episcopal High School on Monday and invited guests at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club Tuesday to increase awareness of the consequences of climate change and explain what people can do to live sustainable lives. He has seen the affects of climate change at both the North and South Poles first hand as he is the first person to walk to both poles covering 900 miles in the span of 70 days.This message is also the theme of the “Voyage for Cleaner Energy,” his five-year sailing expedition and lecture series.
“I attended a small gathering earlier this summer where Robert spoke,” said Buzz Hoover, 68, president of Gate Biofuels. “I thought his message was so powerful and informative, and it would be good to have him speak to our community.”
Swan’s boat “2041” sailed into Jacksonville Tuesday after its last stop at the Annapolis Boat Show. The 67-foot boat has a 90-foot mast, which makes it a little difficult to slide under the bridges Downtown. It has little trouble tapping into alternative sources of energy. The ship’s wheel is sheltered from the sun by solar panels and there are also two wind generators that supply electricity for the ship. Its diesel engine has been converted to bio-diesel, which allows it to run on bio-diesel or vegetable oil.
The ship’s Captain Mark Kocina was hard at work tending to the boat Wednesday and talking to passersby near The Jacksonville Landing where the boat is docked.
“We are raising people’s awareness and trying to inspire people to do something about global warming,” said Kocina. “It’s all about motivating people to do something.”
As winter creeps up the calendar, Kocina is motivated to find a winter home for the “2041.” It will reside in a slip somewhere in Jacksonville until the spring. The “Voyage” will start back up again next April and the trip will include stops in Sweden, Russia, Europe, the Mediterranean, India, and the final stop will be in Singapore for the Earth Summit in 2010.
The boat is named after a nonprofit organization that Swan created to raise awareness of the review of the Environmental Protocol of the Antarctic Treaty, which will take place in 2041. His goal is to raise awareness among tomorrow’s leaders so they will realize the impacts of global warming and fight the review. The review could result in the mining of Antarctica for minerals and fossil fuels.
“We think it’s essential that business lead the way to a cleaner, greener, sustainable economy,” said Hoover. “We think that Robert Swan’s observations will help our community understand why it’s so important. As the Governor’s Action Team has just issued its recommendations, this discussion is particularly timely.”
Hoover was appointed to the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change in March.
Gate was one of the first companies in Florida to convert and offer gasoline with 10 percent ethanol at all of its retail stores.
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