Swimmer Suffers for the Planet

When you think about the impacts you might ‘suffer’ if you were to make some changes to live more sustainably and reduce your impact on climate change they probably seem fairly inconsequential when you read about the extremes that swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh has gone to! Suffering through shorter showers and having to deal with the inconvenience of TVs and washing machines switched off at the wall just doesn’t seem to cut it.

On July 15 Pugh undertook a world first by swimming a kilometre in the north poles freezing waters (-1.8˚C!!), and he did this to raise awareness of the effects that climate change is having on the polar ice caps and the rapid rate at which they are melting. Pugh says ‘I can’t think of a better way to show that climate change is a reality than by swimming in a place that should be totally frozen over.’

Pugh braved the water for 18 minutes and 50 seconds while he thrashed out a lazy kilometre in a pool formed in thick ice by rising global temperatures. On emerging he said “I hope my swim will inspire world leaders to take climate change seriously. The decisions which they make over the next few years will determine the biodiversity of our world.”

It’s definitely inspiring to hear of someone so committed to a cause, and his brave call to action has generated a huge amount of media highlighting the issue of climate change and the need to act now. Though, based on the number and content of articles and stories that have been appearing in the media these days about climate change, global warming and other related subjects it seems that global attention to this issue is quickly increasing in priority and becoming more mainstream.

This week's announcement by the Federal Government of their plan to introduce an emissions trading scheme by 2012 is just another sign that climate change is an issue that is not going to disappear.

So, why not be inspired by Lewis Gordon Pugh and take the time to make a few more changes for the planet – lucky for us we needn’t jump into freezing cold water to do it! Although I do hear that Greenpeace are looking for volunteers to strip off for a photo on a shrinking glacier in Switzerland in the next couple of weeks!

But seriously, there are plenty of ways you can make a difference – check out some of our fact sheets or visit the websites listed below.

Useful Websites:
1. NABERS - http://www.nabers.com.au/home.aspx
2. GreenPower - http://www.greenpower.gov.au/home.aspx
3. Energy Smart - http://www.energysmart.com.au/
4. NSW Government Climate Change - http://www.greenhouse.nsw.gov.au/
5. It's A Living Thing - http://www.itsalivingthing.net.au/
6. Australian Greenhouse Office - http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/