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ANTARCTIC LOGISTICS & EXPEDITIONS AND AIRBNB COLLABORATE TO MEASURE HUMAN’S PLANETARY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Scientist Kirstie Jones–Williams Will Lead a Team of Citizen Scientists in Antarctica on a Once in a Lifetime Expedition
Salt Lake City, Utah October 2019 – Airbnb announced they are funding a research sabbatical in the heart of Antarctica. Led by Antarctic scientist and passionate biogeochemist Kirstie Jones–Williams, five people will join an expedition to explore the impact of humans on Earth’s remotest regions. These five participants will be carefully chosen by Airbnb’s expert team and trained in Chile for an expedition on the ice at ALE’s Antarctic camps, working with highly trained professionals during their expedition.
From the start, the focus on environmentally conscious travel has been part of ALE’s company mission. ALE is enthusiastic to support this program and what it will bring to planetary awareness. ALE has long played a crucial role in Antarctic conservation and works with Antarctic Treaty States to regulate Antarctic visitation and protection of the Antarctic environment.
With this new collaboration ALE will support the Antarctic component of the trip, including providing expert guides, safety and all logistical support in their premier deep field camps for the Airbnb team to conduct extensive research while also experiencing all the adventure and comfort ALE provides on the ice. The five volunteers will:
- Work one-to-one with expert scientist Kirstie Jones–Williams
- Be immersed in training in Punta Arenas, Chile
- Learn about ice and snow, and field sampling
- Fly to Antarctica to conduct their scientific mission
- Collect snow samples to research how far plastic microfibers travel around the planet
- Visit the South Geographic Pole—the southernmost point on Earth
- Explore well-known sites such as Drake Icefall, Wind Scoop and Elephant’s Head
- Study their findings for final results
- Be Antarctic Ambassadors for the environment and share their experiences with the world
“The Airbnb community values healthy travel, including 64% of guests who chose Airbnb in 2018 because of its environmental sustainability,” according to Airbnb. Because their guests are exploring more social impact experiences, Airbnb launched their first Sabbatical earlier this year with high success, increasing excitement for the Antarctic Sabbatical starting in November this year.
“The demand continues to grow for world exploration, adventure and discovering ways to conserve our planet. This is an exciting time,” says David Rootes, a Partner at ALE “Working with brands that understand that mission along with what we do, can help profoundly change the global conversation.” Find more on ALE’s commitment to safe and environmentally responsible adventure travel to the Antarctic at www.antarctic-logistics.com
To learn more and apply to the Antarctic Sabbatical, visit Airbnb.com/Sabbatical to apply to join this once in a lifetime opportunity. Candidates must be over 18 and available to travel to Chile and Antarctica for four weeks November to December 2019. Continue to follow the story through ALE and Airbnb updates and social media. ALE is proud to partner with Airbnb on this project.
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About Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions: Specializing in expeditions to Antarctica’s deep interior, Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions provides 14 unique adventure travel experiences along with camp services, communications, travel safety, air support, overland support, meteorology and full logistic services. With a diverse international team and unparalleled access to remote camps and retreats, ALE is led by passionate and seasoned partners and highly sought teams to provide exceptional experiences. ALE is a Member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO.org) and fully subscribes to the principle of safe and environmentally responsible travel to the Antarctic. www.antarctic-logistics.com
About Airbnb
Founded in 2008, Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where people can belong through healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable. Airbnb uniquely leverages technology to economically empower millions of people around the world to unlock and monetize their spaces, passions and talents and become hospitality entrepreneurs. Airbnb’s accommodation marketplace provides access to 7 million unique places to stay in more than 100,000 cities and 191 countries and regions. With Experiences, Airbnb offers unprecedented access to local communities and interests through 40,000 unique, handcrafted activities run by hosts across 1,000+ cities around the world. Airbnb’s people-to-people platform benefits all our stakeholders, including hosts, guests, employees and the communities in which we operate.