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There are people, and I hear this all the time, who think that if you want to change the world, then you should be a paragon of morality yourself. You should eat only locally grown organic vegan food; never wear fur or leather; avoid drinking, smoking, extreme sports and other wastefully unproductive activities; stick to bicycles and public transport; shun non-recycled paper products, disposable razors and non-composting toilets; buying anything vinyl is right out of the question; and in fact you should avoid buying anything at all with excessive packaging. If you are one of these people, then I wish you all the best. Seriously, I mean that. You are doing the right thing.

To be honest, though, I am more of the: throw another burger on the grill (but preferably free range meat or at least from a union shop), keep forgetting to turn the lights off (but at least they're energy saving compact fluorescents), beer drinking (but can recycling), car owning... well I haven't actually owned a car for years (but if I did it would get excellent gas mileage).

Anyhow, I think you get the picture. The big point that we're trying to get across on this website (aside from how much it sucks to be seasick, and that Antarctica is cold) is you can be a regular person while still doing something to make the world a better place. And that's why I'm here.

Let's see, what else... I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you a few of my favorite websites (but don't go clicking on them until after you've signed up to be an Ocean Defender):

Treehugger http://www.treehugger.com/
Defective Yeti http://www.defectiveyeti.com/
BoingBoing http://www.boingboing.net/
Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com/
Red Vs Blue http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/archive/

...and if you really have to know more about my past work with Greenpeace, check out my personal site. (http://www.adavies.org/)

Andrew - you rock!

Who can say they have been to the top and the bottom of the planet in the space of 6 months?

Love your website. Excellent pictures.

L.

ah, i actually recognized that "normality" of the greenpeace activists when i sailed on the rainbow warrior during part of its asia energy revolution tour in the philippines. ive been putting a lot of pressure on myself on my ecological footprint, how much waste i produce et al... then i thought to myself, these guys on board drink lots of soda but then i guess its ok since they crush the cans before throwing them then deposit them to recycling centers whenever they dock somewhere. it was nice to know that ... because it relieved me of guilt of sometimes living in organized chaos when i dont have time to clean up - but promise myself that i will anyway :O but then again, being on the ship with the crew religiously waking up at 730 and accomplishing their assigned tasks of cleaning and ship maintenance, i realized that its a good habit for those who are trying to clean up the world's pollution. i think the ocean defender's tour is really worth praise. the icebergs posted previously are natural works of art. more power to the campaigners and crew. i hope you catch those whale killers, bottom trawlers and toxic dumpers!

Thanks for the link to DefectiveYeti -- I hadn't known that one before and it passed the minute test (if it grabs my attention for more than a minute, I bookmark it.)

By sheer coincidence, Matthew just read a book I just read: The Time Traveller's Wife. And I'd agree 100% with his assessment of it. A fine, strange, utterly unusual work that I never would have guessed to be a first novel.

Anyway, hats off to Matthew's blog. The only thing I can think might improve it is a link to the Ocean">http://oceans.greenpeace.org">Ocean Defenders site or even, dare we ask, a pitch for people to become Ocean Defenders.

Hi Andrew...,
Vegetarian, non smoker (cigarettes), non drinker, but hey, ...I Love you anyway bro. Sooner or later you'll come around.
Thanks so much for getting all this web content out. It's becoming a hit on my website, ...especially the RSS feeds. Those are just great, and for people like me that rarely ever get that kind of adventure, or a chance to really help. I hope too my site might help to inspire you and give you something to look at during the voyage. I have much appreciation for Greenpeace there, ...especially a nice tribute at the bottom of my homepage.
I guess the bottom line is that our oceans are very sick. Thank God for people like you, or we will have no chance at all. I will continue to support you throughout the journey, and look forward to your daily feeds.
Thank you so much for the sacrifices you make. Wishing you Love and Light, ...a safe and fruitful journey.

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REPLY FROM THE ESPERANZA
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Thanks for your kind words, and thanks for syndicating our site. Getting the word out is half of the struggle. As for smoking, since it keeps coming up this trip, I'm not personally a smoker and am not very keen on it at the moment. Really, I don't recommend it as a habit to pick up. But we all get to choose our vices I suppose.

Hi, Andrew,

I have enjoyed cruising this site...it is a very good photo
of yourself, and a good crew and impressive mission statement. Here in the regular news media we have been
reading about the plight of the polar bear; so, eventually
issues do make it to the front page.

I hope that all is well with you. I am hopeful that you can
tell me how I can post mail to you. As for now, this must
be my sincere wish for you to have a Merry Christmas.

Much love to you, Andrew,
Aunt Judy

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REPLY FROM THE ESPERANZA
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Aunt Judy - Much thanks for for the Christmas wishes. Good to hear as it is always a bit rough being away from home at this time of year. I hope all is well with you and yours.

Hi Andrew...,
...and congrat's for finding the fleet. Thanks to you, the world is now watching. I've a little technical glitch in my RSS feed, ...can you give me and email address I can explain it to you? wescv@sbcglobal.net
Anyway, ...that was quite the swim for those guys on the Arctic Sunrise. Someone will have to remind Mikey to keep his hood on.
These feeds are really great, and I am having very heavy traffic on my site for it. Keep rockin it bro... ...Wes

Hi Andrew...,
Just wishing you to know I've made a new page on my site for you there, ...although Brian tells me you're having these slow connection problems. Unfortunately you won't be able to access the page without a high speed one. I'm concerned that this brutality, may for some, be a reflection of the Japanese people. Of course Yuko and Hana on this mission with you, are two of the finest human being on this earth, and so I have dedicated this page to them. I hope you enjoy it Andrew, ...Might be nice for a foggy day. I've already sent it to Yuko and Hana.
Well anyway, the weather is changing, and I guess so will the level of activity. Please stress safety guys, ...Love and Light to you, ...and with your help, ...for the world. ...Wes

"Land of the Rising Sun" - http://www.gratefulchild.org/projects/gcweb/gc/html/audio/

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Andrew replies

Thanks for that Wes. I think people setting up pages on their own sites about the Defending Our Oceans tour is a great way to spread the word. I'll probably have to wait until I get back to land before seeing your's though because of our expensive satellite connection. But good to know it's there.

I will also be sure to pass your sentiments on to Yuko and Hana. And I very strongly agree with you that it would be wrong to make generalizations about Japanese people becuase of the Antarctic whaling. After all, I am from the US myself. My government has been doing some pretty wrong things itself lately, but I know for a fact that my fellow countrymen are fundamentally good folks. Without doubt, it is the same with people in Japan.

-- Andrew (onboard the Esperanza)

Hi Andrew, ...and thank you for all these heartfelt posts of yours. They are to the point, and just excellent. There was a comment today in Lally's post, from Tim, who feels for some reason this has been his greatest inspiration. I feel much the same way, ...and I'd like to do something for you all today, ...hoping by some chance it might make a better day for you, and those that risk so much.
I've put together a tribute page and video, ...sent it to my good friends in Amsterdam, ...and I would Love to share it with you, ...who I've meant this for. You are all on the page, and I hope you have overcome your internet problems and can share this. I'll give you a direct link, ...but you especially Andrew have a special and personal link from my homepage to the video. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Love and Light, ...Wes

http://www.gratefulchild.org/projects/gcweb/gc/html/onward/

Hi Andrew..., ...and thanks very much for posting the video footage today. I'm really dissapointed you and the crews are not able to see some of the stuff I've done for you. I'd hoped it might offer you some inspiration and resolve to go on. This last page especially has been getting great attention, and it would be such a shame if the people it was done for, could not see it. All the crew of the two ships are on the page. I know you can't stream the video, ...so I created a jpg for you in the hope that you can deal with a 550k file. It's minus the video, ...which would normally be embedded in the rectangle there. Anyway, ...I thought it would be worth a try to get at least the graphic for you all there. I'm only sending this to you, and hoping you might be able to pass it on. I made a made a personal link on my server for you to download - http://www.gratefulchild.org/onward.jpg You may have to click the bottom right of the picture to maximize it. Good luck to you Andrew, ...thanks so much, ...Love to you all, ...Wes

[Editor's note - This is a lovely tribute to the crew onboard both of the Greenpeace ships, thanks so much. I'll make sure the crew sees it! - Lisa]

Gidday Andrew. Quick note for your readers - I have just checked out Andrews pictures over on Flikr, they are fantastic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adavies/

Do you get paid for this Photo expedition?

By the way Andrew, thanks for the clarification on my Blog - now I know I have a reader other than my Boss!

Thanks so much Lisa, ...Andrew. That would make it all worthwhile. Just hope everyone gets to go home soon, ...Love to you all - ...Wes

p.s. the url to the actual page for those that can stream it - http://www.gratefulchild.org/projects/gcweb/gc/html/onward/ . It is a beautiful video that goes so well with the page, 'Onward' by Yes. Has whales and dolphins in it... You've just got to see this my friends... It's from a DVD, 'Keys to Ascencion' You're the Light burning brightly...

Thank you for placing my comment (the one about my letter of appreciation to the embassies of the 17) in the brainstorming section. Please know, too, that whenever I have to talk to people about multitasking, I cite you as the shiniest example: Andrew, I cannot even begin to describe my amazement at how you do it, one minute out there on a tiny boat, all wet and cold, a toy of rough waves & weather, loomed over by giant grey harpoon-bearing Leviathans, and the next sitting fully concentrated in front of a seasick computer, diligently reading and placing comments where they belong, filing information and sending it out again in the right order, and all this while gravity is by no means to be taken for granted. Stunning! Sincerely, Pavlos