Action | Student News

Antarctica Journal: MEM Student Learns About Sustainability

by Drew Stuyvenberg

  In February of 2004, I traveled to Antarctica with an international group of Coca-Cola employees and affiliates. We were beneficiaries of then-CEO Doug Daft’s interest in sustainability and environmental awareness, as well as his abiding belief that personally encountering nature-writ-large is an effective way to build a company ethic around good stewardship.

  I was asked to join the voyage by Coke’s North American division. They had a strong interest in including a university student and desired one with a background in sustainable waste management. (I had little idea that my previous experience helping businesses to economically reduce waste and recycle would be quite so useful when I decided to enroll at the Nicholas School.)

  Antarctica exists on a scale outside of most human experience. Size, shape, depth, clarity, silence, solitude and nature’s power take on new meanings. Icebergs, islands and the continent itself all rise precipitously from the sea. Snow and ice cover most landmasses, making exposed beaches, scree slopes and cliffs even more striking. This ruggedness, climatic harshness, and distance from populated areas keep Antarctica nearly pristine.

   Summer—from approximately late November to early March—is bright and relatively warm. Temperatures near the coast and along the peninsula may reach the high 30s or low 40s. Wildlife abounds on the sea margins: penguins, skuas, cormorants, gulls, terns, petrels, sheathbills and several species of seal are common.

  The guide on our trip, Robert Swan, had been to Antarctica on several occasions, including an unsupported walk to the Pole. On that quest, Swan was burned by intense ultraviolet radiation through the polar ozone hole, and he saw firsthand the masses of waste many research stations dumped on land and into the ocean. His experiences opened his eyes to the damage humans had done to the environment in Antarctica and elsewhere.

  Already gifted at telling his own story, Robert has engaged groups such as Coke to fund a series of clean-up efforts directed at Antarctic research bases, which, combined with preventive stewardship efforts, like the voluntary rules of IAATO—the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators— will become increasingly important as human presence (primarily tourists) in Antarctica increases.

  Coke hoped Robert would help its employees build personal stories and share their perspectives with others upon their return. And I am hopeful that Coke’s unorthodox efforts in employee development will bolster their sustainability efforts.

View a slideshow of Drew's photos online >

Drew Stuyvenberg is an MEM Candidate who will receive his degree in Environmental Economics and Policy in 2005.

Drew Styvenberg Photos