The Wilderness Foundation forms part of a global network. Our aim is to protect wilderness areas wherever they are by:
- Educating people about the benefits of wilderness
- Providing opportunities for direct experience of wild places
- Taking action for their preservation when threatened with development
Regular readers of the WFUK blog will by now be familiar with "Ride Earth" - two intrepid young mountain-bikers, Tom and Andy, who have set themselves the goal of biking around the Earth, off-road, raising funds for the Wilderness Foundation UK along the way.
Joined by friend and fellow-cyclist Mark Maultby, the guys set off on their adventure on Sunday 17th June, departing from their homes in Market Harborough with the Port of Harwich set firmly in their sites. Latest news from the team is that they departed the British Isles safely on Thursday 21st June and if all goes to plan, it will be three years before they set foot (or wheel) back on their home turf.
By Friday evening they had arrived in Amsterdam, having covered the 80km from the Hook in one day. At that point they decided a rest-day was in order and deservedly so.
Congratulations to Tom, Andy and Mark on their achievements so far. We will bring you more news as it reaches us.
Ride Earth have chosen to support WFUK by biking around the world. Please take a moment to sponsor them, safely and securely online through the dedicated fundraising webpage: http://www.justgiving.com/rideearth Alternatively, you can mail a sterling cheque directly to the Foundation, made payable to "The Wilderness Foundation UK" at the following address:
The Wilderness Foundation UK 47-49 Main Road Broomfield CHELMSFORD Essex CM1 7BU England
Please mark the envelope "Ride Earth".
Thank you for supporting us and them. The threat to wilderness has never been greater and every penny donated will help us to make a difference.
If you haven't already checked out Episode 1 of their podcast then now's the time to do it. It can be watched 'in-page' here: http://www.ride-earth.org.uk/podcast/ but we recommend subscribing via iTunes or the excellent and somewhat lighter Miro player. That way you'll get the latest automatically and you'll be able to watch it in full screen.
If you already have iTunes, click here to subscribe or simply launch iTunes and select Subscribe to Podcast from the Advanced menu and copy-paste this into the box that appears: http://podcast.ride-earth.org.uk/podcast.xml - That's it. Every time you launch iTunes it'll check for updates.
If you use Miro - Just highlight the URL above, switch to Miro and then use the shortcut Ctrl+N to add a new channel and the dialogue box should have the URL ready to go. Click OK and it'll pick up the most recent podcast. Ctrl+F for full screen during playback.
Whilst we're on the subject of moving images with sound... Here are a couple of recommended green channels:
Life on Terra "is a collaborative filmspace and laboratory exploring the questions and ideas on the cutting-edge of science and at the farthest horizons of the natural world. TERRA films have been downloaded over one million times." - TERRA on iTunes • TERRA on Miro
Films4Conservation "is a collaborative non-profit initiative bringing together activists from social and environmental groups, and helping them get their message heard at a national and international level." - Blog • Films4Conservation on Miro
Wilderness Foundation TV - That's right, you can get our occasional videos directly into Miro. Add channel to the player by clicking here.
A news update from Tom and Andy, the Ride Earth team navigating the globe on mountain bikes for the journey of a lifetime and to raise money for WFUK:
We quit our jobs. We sold our clothes, posessions, computers and stereos. We shaved our heads, said goodbye to friends and families, got on our bikes and cycled off one Sunday afternoon with the mother of all hangovers.
We left everything we take for granted behind in pursuit of some endless quest for intrigue and adventure, some kind of idealistic mission to find meaning in the world. Now, 2 weeks after we left, how does reality stand up to the idea we spent so long preparing for?
To find out the answer to Tom's question read their full blog entry here.
Tom, Andy (and Mark who is currently riding with them) have taken on a huge challenge - they are aiming to raise £10,000 for the Wilderness Foundation UK. A couple of weeks into their challenge they have reached 1% of their target. Please give them and WFUK a big boost by sponsoring them on their journey - they have taken on the greatest Wilderness Trail of them all.
Sponsor Ride Earth online safely and securely at: http://www.justgiving.com/rideearth or alternatively send a cheque or postal order made payable to "Wilderness Foundation UK" to:
Ride Earth The Wilderness Foundation UK 47-49 Main Road Broomfield CHELMSFORD Essex CM1 7BU
"The Ride Earth Fellowship was broken yesterday as Andy and I said our goodbyes to Mark, who now returns home to the UK.
It seems odd that the journey that took him two months to make by bicycle will be undone in less than 24 hours. The adventures and experiences that we have had within those two months give a real insight into the value of taking the idea of travelling a little slower, and experiencing the journey itself rather than the destination." Read the rest »http://www.ride-earth.org.uk/blog/
The Wilderness Foundation was present at this years One Life Live exhibition, held at Olympia on the 2nd to 4th March 2007. We had a very productive time promoting the work of the charity with some excellent responses from visitors, many of whom were particularly interested in our experiential learning programmes.
The main reason for WFUK being at Olymia was to support Tom and Andy of Ride Earth. Regular readers of the blog may recall that Tom and Andy have very kindly chosen the Foundation to benefit from funds raised during their round-the-world Mountain Bike challenge. The guys will be departing from our shores in June, setting off into Europe on the first leg of their journey. Once again we thank them for their support. We will post regular updates on their progress on our website and you can also keep track of their travels on their dedicated website http://www.ride-earth.org.uk
Their is now a dedicated online giving page available for anybody wishing to sponsor Tom and Andy, with proceeds going directly to the Wilderness Foundation. Please visit http://www.justgiving.com/rideearth
Thanks to Tom and Andy for arranging a stand at Olympia and inviting us along. Thanks also to The Independent Newspaper who sponsored the event and donated the stand space free of charge.
Just a quick reminder that our friends from Ride Earth are still out there, navigating the globe on mountain bikes and spreading the world about the value of wilderness.
Our excellent ambassadors publish periodic video journals (podcasts) which can be downloaded from their website:
Tom Allen and Andy Welch aka "Ride Earth" will shortly be departing our shores to embark upon their round-the-world bike ride, through which they will be raising valuable funding for the Wilderness Foundation UK.
Media coverage of the expedition is gathering pace and after Jo's recent appearance on the BBC Radio 4 show "Excess Baggage" (link), Tom and Andy were hot on her heels with her an interview by BBC Leicester.
You can read the interview on the BBC Leicester website (here) or listen to the interview conducted by Julie Mayer here.
It's not too late to sponsor Tom and Andy - all funds raised come directly to the Wilderness Foundation and enable us to continue or valuable work, promoting the value of and protecting the world's last remaining wilderness areas. Visit http://www.justgiving.com/rideearth
Tom and Andrew are in the news again! - This time the Lutterworth Mail. Go here to read the full article, and here to read all our previous coverage of the Ride Earth fundraising effort.
Here at the Wilderness Foundation we understand that simply lecturing people about conservation doesn't really work in its own right - that's why our core work is focused around bringing young people out into Wilderness - because understanding of the wild leads to the passion to protect it.
Still, most of us have to return to the city from time to time, and that means facing a world where 'leave no trace' is somewhat more difficult to practice at both a micro and macro level, even with the leadership skills gained on trail.
It can seem overwhelming for even the most determined.
That's where a sort of 'Green Economics' is coming into focus from previously unexpected quarters: Green is slowly reaching the markets we all rely on and not only that - Passion comes to play too.
Here are two takes on it we hope will inspire our trail-alumni and others to take the message to political and economic leaders otherwise thought unapproachable:
If you watch this TED Talk below - you might have issues with some of the conclusions drawn, but the bottom line is that the speaker, John Doerr, puts his money where his mouth is. Here's a man with Class A old-school capitalist credentials saying:
"I'm really scared. I don't think we're going to make it".
Now that's just the opening line... If you want to see passion, wait for what he closes off with.
"...environmentalists were also thought of as being kind of weird and strange and fanatics and the kind of serious tree-huggers, as you know. Environmentalists were no fun."
[...] "But who are the fanatics now? They are actually the ones that live in denial -- in economic denial, political denial and environmental denial."
This is Green reaching the markets we all rely on, bringing change.
It is people who you wouldn't otherwise expect to say something 'green' in turn reaching people who would not otherwise give the environment another thought... We expect you can use a few of the facts from the videos above to create new constructive conversations for change with the people around you.
Now, if you want to put your money where your mouth is - why not sponsor Ride Earth who are bravely working their way around the world using just pedal power whilst raising awareness of the importance of Wilderness conservation?
Any contribution helps us continue our work of developing young leaders with a strong environmental conscience.
You can of course also make a difference right now - share this article on Facebook, Digg, Newsvine or whatever Social Networking tool you use. (Links immediately below).
...and don't forget to get out into nature - whether local park, nearby Wildland or further away Wilderness. It is good for passion and it is passionate people who make a difference.
The Wilderness Foundation UK takes great pleasure in bringing you news of an ambitious fundraising project which will see two British men, Andrew Welch and Tom Allen, circumnavigate the world, predominantly off-road, by mountain bike. WF-UK has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries for funds raised by this epic challenge. In the coming months we will bring you all the latest news from the guys including regularly progress reports.
"This quest has developed over many years out of our individual desires to face up to the physical and mental challenge of undertaking a journey of great duration and distance, to educate others as to how one can live a meaningful and sustainable life with a minimal ecological footprint, and our passion for mountain-biking and adventure. We will use the expedition as a fund-raising vehicle, supporting charities whose work aims to help create a sustainable and environmentally-stable future for the planet and the human race.
Our broad itinerary covers over 50 countries, through Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Eastern Asia, Australasia, South America, the USA, and Canada. Of the proposed route, we have so far established off-road routes through the entirety of Europe and North America. Elsewhere in the world, topographical mapping, agricultural & trade routes and current knowledge will be our main sources of off-road routes."
Tom and Andy are due to depart from the UK in May/June 2007. To find out more about them take a look at their website: http://www.ride-earth.org.uk
Nouse, the University of York's award winning newspaper, has an interview with Andrew Welch (a York University Graduate) about the forthcoming Ride Earth trip he is doing with Tom Allen.
There is a dedicated online giving page available for anybody wishing to sponsor Tom and Andy, with proceeds going directly to the Wilderness Foundation. Please visit http://www.justgiving.com/rideearth
Last but not least, you can find previous posts about this here.
The Wilderness Foundation forms part of a global network. Our aim is to protect wilderness areas wherever they are by:
- Educating people about the benefits of wilderness
- Providing opportunities for direct experience of wild places
- Campaigning for their preservation when threatened with development.
Registered Charity No. 1118493
Across the world, people with vision share a growing understanding of the urgent need to preserve wild habitats. The Foundation recognises wilderness as being irreplaceable, and a source of inspiration to us all.Discover how we are working to preserve the world's wilderness places and how you can help.
The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the value of the world's last remaining wild areas.We do this through lobbying, education and, wherever possible, by offering direct experience of wilderness itself. We support projects that conserve wilderness and those seeking to re-establish it in Great Britain and overseas.
The Wilderness Foundation was established in 1974 by Sir Laurens van der Post, writer, explorer and philosopher, and Dr Ian Player DMS, international conservationist renowned for saving the white rhino and founder of the World Wilderness Congress movement.
Together we share a common belief in the irreplaceable value of wilderness, which contains the wonders of pristine nature, and enables us to return to our origins and draw a deep sense of belonging and inspiration.
Explorers and writers, such as the Foundation’s founder Sir Laurens van der Post and its patron, Sir Wilfrid Thesiger, often wrote of the ancient link between humanity and nature, and how within our fast moving cultures of today, much of this link has been forgotten.
We believe that by visiting the unspoiled places where nature has been allowed to exist since time began, this connection is rekindled.
Films4Conservation
Wilderness Foundation TV
