PAX ARTICA’S CENTENNIAL NORTH POLE EXPEDITION TO RAISE AWARENESS OF GLOBAL WARMING IMPACTS

Global Green USA and the City of West Hollywood Honor Sebastian Copeland’s Treacherous 40 Day North Pole Trek; Future Expeditions Will Soon Be Impossible Due to Ice Melt

Cities Urged to follow West Hollywood’s Lead to Reduce CO2 emissions by Making Homes, Schools, Communities more energy-efficient

March 16, 2009 – WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – The City of West Hollywood and Global Green USA marked the departure of arctic adventurer, photographer, and environmental activist Sebastian Copeland with a City proclamation honoring his trip, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first trek to the North Pole by Admiral Robert Peary in 1909.

The public can follow Copeland’s progress and see pictures from the trek on his blog, which will be available at myspace.com/sebastiancopeland

Sebastian Copeland & West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang

Copeland is embarking on this trip (his fourth to a Polar region in the last four years) to raise awareness of the alarming rate of ice melt due to Global Warming. Scientists predict that in less than five years, the Arctic sea will be ice free in the summer months. In 1909, the average depth of ice at the North Pole was 12 feet while today it averages just 5.5 feet. Just twenty years ago, 80% of the Arctic sea ice was 10 years old or more. Today, just 3% of the ice is a decade old.

“We are so pleased to be a co-sponsor of Sebastian Copeland’s mission to raise awareness of the urgent threats posed to our world by global warming,” said Global Green President Matt Petersen. “You don’t have to trek to the North Pole to see the impacts of a warming world. We’re already witnessing increased droughts, floods, storms, and sea level rise due to global warming. Fortunately, we are also beginning to see cities and communities take these threats seriously by creating smart green building policies, like the City of West Hollywood’s best in the nation policy that will create green jobs, help families save money on high energy bills and help slow global warming.”

“From our sustainable building standards, to advocating for urban green space and promoting expeditions to the North Pole, the City of West Hollywood remains on the cutting edge of environmentally conscious government,” West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang said. “I’m proud to support Sebastian [Copeland’s] trip and I expect to hear some remarkable stories upon his return from the Arctic.”

In 2007, the City of West Hollywood passed the most comprehensive green building standards in the country, which were developed in partnership with Global Green USA. Every private and public development must meet the city's ambitious green building requirements, which include new construction, rehabs and structural additions. The City of West Hollywood’s forward thinking is making a big dent in reducing the region’s carbon footprint.  Buildings account for more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

Copeland will be joined by Keith Heger of PolarExplorers, an outfitting and logistics company specializing in the polar regions (http://polarexplorers.com). The mission is also sponsored by HP, the clothing brand Napapijri and MySpace and will be made carbon neutral by Climate Partners.

Copeland’s adventure is the continuation of the Pax Arctica mission started last summer with the Young Ambassadors of the Arctic. Copeland, Luc Hardy and Global Green partnered to raise awareness on the need to establish a charter of protection for the Arctic as the sea ice melt is opening the region to the exploitation of its natural resources. “One oil platform has a 33%-55% chance of a major spill in the Arctic environment; that is just one platform!” said Copeland. “In the Arctic, they are virtually impossible to clean up. The pack ice spreads the spill to thousands of square miles, spelling assured death to its surrounding wildlife, and adding one more challenge to the endangered Polar Bears. New maritime sea-lanes emerging in the Arctic are also challenging its biodiversity.”

This mission will lead to a forum at the UN in November chaired by Copeland aimed at establishing an international charter of protection for the Arctic similar to the treaty of Madrid for Antarctica which declared it "land of science, land of peace".

About The Expedition
The North Pole is considered the "Everest of Polar Expeditions." Sebastian Copeland and his partner Keith Heger will set out on the ice March 23rd for an anticipated 40 days to reach the pole at the end of April. They will be skiing and pulling 200 to 250 pound of equipment and supplies in specially designed sledges for 8 to 12 hours a day -- the equivalent of running a marathon every day for over 40 days. Frigid mean temperatures range from -50C to -5C. Ten knots of wind at -50C can drop the overall temperatures to -70C.

Additional challenges the men will face include frostbite; open leads of water; swimming with specially designed suits when leads are too large to cross; Polar Bears; hypothermia; and exhaustion. Sebastian and Keith are expected to lose around 15 pounds in spite of a 7000-calorie rich diet. Sebastian has subjected himself to six months of rigorous training involving core and strength, hiking with a 100-pound vest, and yoga.

A daily blog of the expedition will be posted on MySpace at myspace.com/sebastiancopeland. The outfitting company PolarExplorer will be running logistics. The team is anticipated to exit out of Longyearbyen in Svalbard, through the support of the Arctic floating station Barneo.

About Sebastian Copeland
Sebastian Copeland is a renowned photographer and environmental advocate. He is also an author and lecturer to audiences around the world, including at the UN, the World Affairs Council, and the DLD in Munich. His books have been translated to international markets. Antarctica: The Global Warning won him multiple awards including the prestigious 2007 IPA Professional Photographer of the Year. Copeland is on the Board of directors of Global Green USA. Copeland will produce a personal documentary of this expedition, as well as document photographically this exotic and endangered landscape. This will be his fourth trip to the Arctic in preparation of his follow-up book on the area, due in Fall 2010. Sebastian Copeland - photo@seabassprod.com / www.sebastiancopeland.com / www.antarcticabook.com

About Global Green USA
Global Green USA - the American affiliate of Green Cross International founded by Mikhail Gorbachev - is a national leader in championing smart solutions to climate change. For over 15 years, Global Green has influenced more than $20 billion dollars in green construction, including green building for affordable housing, schools and communities. Global Green, in conjunction with other Green Cross International affiliates, has co-sponsored numerous expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic to shine a light on the human impacts of global warming, and highlight the imminent danger caused by these warming trends.