pangaea

FEATURE | PANGAEA
&The Youn g
Pangaea
Standing on board the Pangaea yacht in Cape
Town’s harbour with the wind gently tugging at my hair and
that beautiful deep blue ocean stretching on forever over the
horizon, I truly get a sense of the sheer enormity of Mike Horn
and Mercedes-Benz’s Pangaea Project. This massive four-year
effort to generate an attitude of conservation towards the
planet in youth from around the globe is finally culminating in
the twelfth and final expedition to Africa, where a select few
were invited to see the heart of the project – the Pangaea yacht
– first-hand. Although we didn’t get to experience a full-scale
Pangaea expedition, we did get to take a trip around the harbour
on a typically windy Cape Town day, with Signal Hill and Lion’s
Head as the backdrop, and Mercedes-Benz and Mike Horn as our
gracious hosts.
BORN FOR ADVENTURE
Influenced by Jacques Cousteau, Mike Horn’s life has been a
journey of expeditions, always pushing the limit of human
endurance. Since his departure from South Africa when he was
younger, no longer content with national boundaries, Mike
Horn has taken on various adventure challenges on the most
unforgiving of terrains. He has circumnavigated the earth and
the Arctic Circle, completed the first night expedition to the
North Pole, climbed to the summit of the Himalayas and made a
journey across the South American continent alone and without
any motorised transport. He has, in fact, made a career out of
expeditions and in 2001 was awarded with the Laureus World
Alternative Sportsperson of the Year Award.
“Fascination, perfection and
responsibility – those are the
principles that Mercedes-Benz
and I have in common.”
Main:
Mike Horn and the
Young Explorers used
the Pangaea to travel
across the world.
Inset:
Mike Horn, leader of
the expedition.
Spurred on by his own adventurous spirit and drive to conserve
this remarkable planet of ours, Mike decided to involve some
members of the younger generation in discovering the beauty
of the earth and learning how to conserve it in what would
eventually become the Pangaea Project. After joining forces
with Mercedes-Benz, the Pangaea Project was officially born
and today – four years later – the project is estimated to have
reached over six million young adults. As Mike says, “Fascination,
perfection and responsibility – those are the principles that
Mercedes-Benz and I have in common”.
10 | SUBMERGE Let the dive begin
South African explorer Mike
Horn and Mercedes-Benz
see the culmination of a
global campaign aimed at
the younger generation,
with the ultimate goal
of instilling a love of and
respect for our planet.
Sabrina Hindley is invited on
board to find out more.
By Nicolette Els
Images courtesy of
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd
PANGAEA | FEATURE
Ex plorers
Left:
The charming
“dolphin smile”.
Image by Dolphin
EnCOuntours.
December 2012/January 2013 SUBMERGE | 11
FEATURE | PANGAEA
Above:
One of the project goals
was waste clean-up.
Far right:
The Pangaea during the
expedition to India.
Inset:
The team explored on
land and underwater.
There is no doubt about the sheer ambition that drove the
project – the Pangaea Project is the biggest environmental
initiative the world has seen – and it is quite aptly named, since
Pangaea was the last supercontinent when all the continents of
the earth were one.
THE PANGAEA YACHT
To transport Mike Horn and the Young Explorers (the youths
that would accompany Mike on the expeditions) to their various
destinations, the Pangaea was constructed. The 35m yacht is
tailored exactly to the needs of the crew and is itself a green
vessel. Its built-in green features include solar panels, wind
generators, waste collection facilities and a recyclable hull. The
Pangaea was the base from which the project was run, and
acted as a beacon in every port, marking the team’s arrival in
each destination. Much like the project itself, the yacht exudes a
youthful spirit of adventure.
eight youths were chosen (based on physical and mental ability)
from each Selection Camp to accompany Mike on one of the
12 expeditions. The destinations included Canada, the USA,
Brazil, the Arctic, India, East Africa, the Himalayas, the Antarctic,
Russia, Malaysia and New Zealand. Each destination had its own
set of objectives related to conservation, and the expeditioners
would take part in environmental initiatives such as water
and snow research, cleaning up waste floating on the ocean,
and teaching fishing villages to practise sustainable fishing. In
addition to the projects the Young Explorers were involved in on
their expeditions, there are various other projects that they set
up themselves or still assist with after the Pangaea Expedition
ended. Having seen real-world problems first-hand and
physically working to better them, these youths returned home
as ambassadors of the earth and the ultimate goal of Pangaea
continues – to spread the spirit of conservation.
THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW
PROJECTs
SHARK PROTECTION
In recruiting youths for the Young Explorers Programme, anyone
between the ages of 15 and 20 could apply. Of those, 16 were
chosen to join Mike Horn for each of the Selection Camps at the
Mike Horn Expedition Centre in Switzerland. A Selection Camp
was held for each of the 12 expeditions and involved various
activities and courses, such as first aid, sailing, communication
skills, environment and photography. Ultimately, only around
The Pangaea Shark Project consists of various smaller projects,
some of which a few Young Explorers have set up in their home
countries, including Shark Smart in Cape Town by South African
Young Explorer Henko Roukema. Ultimately, it is a worldwide
mission to raise awareness about the wasteful practice of shark
finning, to further research about shark and human interaction,
and to promote shark conservation.
12 | SUBMERGE Let the dive begin
PANGAEA | FEATURE
December 2012/January 2013 SUBMERGE | 13
FEATURE | PANGAEA
Top left:
A visit to Lankayan
Island Turtle
Sanctuary.
Second left:
The expedition had
many beach and
island clean-ups.
Third left:
The Young Explorers
from the Malaysia
Expedition.
Bottom left:
Mike joins the youths
for a beach clean-up.
Bottom right:
An injured baby turtle
from Lankayan Island
is released in deeper
water to increase its
chances of survival.
TURTLE REHAB
In Australia, some Young Explorers are involved with a turtle
rehabilitation programme called the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation
Centre, which cares for the many turtles along the Great Barrier
Reef and Cape York Peninsula that have come to be harmed
through ingesting plastic, getting caught in ghost fishing nets
and the destruction of seagrass meadows due to cyclones.
CORAL FARMING
In Borneo, attention is turned towards the promotion of coral
growth through the innovative method of coral farming – a
process during which new coral is grown in pots or fitted into
concrete discs that are lowered into the ocean.
The ultimate goal of Pangaea
continues – to spread the
spirit of conservation.
5
14 | SUBMERGE Let the dive begin
These projects are only a fraction of the conservation efforts
supported and created by the Young Explorers, and as the
initiatives spawned by the Pangaea Project continue to grow,
we hope to see real, long-lasting change brought about for
the environment.
As I take my last look around, admiring this remarkable vessel, the
Pangaea, I am drawn to its path of exploration, and envy the lucid
explorers and young environmentalists who have the privilege to
call it their home. Unfortunately, my own little adventure aboard
the Pangaea is drawing to a close and it’s time to head back to
the airport. However, I feel comforted to know that innovative
companies like Mercedes-Benz and charismatic leaders like Mike
Horn are taking such a proactive interest in the planet’s welfare.
Thanks to them, the drive to take action in conserving the earth
has spread from a few individuals to countless people right across
the globe and still continues to inspire. As Mike says, “I write history
with the support of my sponsors”. If other corporate companies
took the same initiative and interest in sustainable solutions for
our future as Mercedes-Benz does, our oceans will have a fighting
chance in the plight of sustainability. S