Howdy! My name is Madeleine Gass and I am a junior Biomedical Sciences major from Aledo, Texas. Before diving into the main topic of this blog post, “Initial impressions of the global sustainable business and leadership field trip to Antarctica & what I gained from this experience” I thought I would share some background information regarding why this trip was so monumental for me.
As a kid it’s customary for adults to ask you what you want to be when you grow up. Most kids say they want to be princesses, rockstars, astronauts or as far as saying president. However, that was not the case for me. I wanted to be a penguin scientist. I vividly remember when career dress up day in kindergarten came around and telling my mom I wanted to be a penguin scientist. Like any incredible mom she made my kindergarten self’s dreams come true. She found me a white lab coat and made me a DIY penguin scientist research journal and lanyard. I was so proud to walk down the halls of my elementary school in my penguin scientist outfit! Like any naive child I was convinced I would live in an igloo in Antarctica and study penguins for a living. In short, traveling to Antarctica has been a dream of mine since I was five years old.
However, now as a junior in college traveling to Antarctica was less about being a “penguin scientist” and more about developing a unique perspective on global sustainable leadership from a once in a lifetime traveling experience.
Therefore, with a little background knowledge on my love for Antarctica you will hopefully be able to understand my heart and thought processes regarding my initial impressions of the global sustainable business and leadership field trip to Antarctica. With that being said, what were my initial impressions?
Throughout the duration of the 2024 fall semester I had the opportunity to sit in a class with my fellow peers who went on the study abroad trip to Antarctica. While in this class our professors challenged us to develop a deeper understanding of sustainability and what it means to be a sustainable leader. Through group discussions my peers and I were able to converse and challenge one another’s perspective on various topics including but not limited to global warming, poverty, health, education, climate change and production and consumption. All of which are topics that impact the overall sustainability of a country and our world. At the end of each discussion we all came to the same and rather upsetting conclusion. That the habits specifically of individuals in the United States are so deeply rooted into how our country operates, that it is going to be merely impossible for one sustainable leader to change the whole trajectory of a country and let alone the world.
As the semester ended and my classmates and I prepared to embark on our trip we laughed at the fact that we spent an entire semester studying sustainability and here we are about to travel by plane for 33 hours and a two day boat voyage all to get to the most pristine location…Antarctica. So initially I found there to be a significant amount of irony in our study abroad trip.
However, as we sailed into the Antarctic Peninsula my entire perspective changed. Although the irony was there, it was covered up by the indescribable beauty of Antarctica. Laying my eyes on the white continent of Antarctica radically changed my perspective on sustainability and the importance of global sustainable leadership. Throughout the duration of our voyage to Antarctica the staff aboard the boat could not stress enough the importance of following the rules set up by The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). As a prevet student who is passionate about animal health and the sustainability of ecosystems, I was impressed by the care and consideration that was taken into maintaining the ecosystem of Antarctica and protecting its wildlife. It was encouraging to be surrounded by individuals who deeply cared about preserving the pristine environment of Antarctica. So initially my impressions of the global sustainable business and leadership field trip to Antarctica transformed from one of little hope for the future sustainability of our world to one that was encouraged and saw hope for the future.
This hope stemmed from seeing all the individuals aboard the boat taken aback by the beauty of Antarctica. Individuals from all over the world were on the boat. Places such as the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Russia, Chinna, Vietnam, Australia, Iran, Georgia…the country and The United States were all represented on the boat. Seeing so many diverse groups of people from all over the world deeply moved by the scenery and wildlife of Antarctica, provided me with a deep sense of hope. Hope, that the beauty of Antarctica wasn’t going to remain down in the south but through personal testimonies the beauty of Antarctica would travel to various countries around the world. I firmly believe that if everyone who has had the opportunity to travel to Antarctica would share their stories and experiences, more people would be encouraged to preserve the beauty of Antarctica through the development of more sustainable practices into their own lives.
Throughout the duration of this global experience I have gained a deeper understanding of how important sustainability is through witnessing a place that is truly unworldly. Antarctica, your beauty has shown me how I need to change my habits. How I need to live a life of simplicity, one free from the over consumption of goods. Antarctica, you have shown me the order I need to maintain in my life. Your pristine beauty is unmatched and I hope to rearrange my life to reflect and maintain the beauty I’ve witnessed while abroad.
Since visiting Antarctica it dawned on me that humanity does have the power to change the trajectory which the state of our world is heading. We have the power to break the cycle of habits that are breaking Antarctica. Only through the development of new practices can new habits be developed. Antarctica has truly rewired my thought process regarding the power of the individual. Although today’s society is anchored on a fast paste, constantly changing, the bigger the better mentality doesn’t diminish the power an individual has to promote change. I mean history books are filled with radical individuals who saw the need for change and were outspoken enough to say and do something about it. So who’s to say that one person doesn’t have the power to make a difference? Who’s to say that one global sustainable leader couldn’t start a chain reaction of more sustainable practices? A chain reaction so big that the Antarctica I saw today would be the same or even better Antarctica future generations will get to witness.
