Rocky's Webspace

What you See when at Sea

Oil Tanker at Gibraltar

After fueling in Gibraltar (yea, right next to THE rock), we entered the Mediterranean. When fueling up we saw dozens of oil tankers all around us, offloading oil shipped in from lands far away. As we travel across these seas, the one thing we can almost always see around us, is an oil tanker. No doubt about it, the life blood of industrialized countries is pumping through the shipping lanes/veins of this planet. The U.S. imports over 60% of its oil, the top ten countries importing oil to the U.S. include Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Angola, Russia, Iraq, Algeria, and Brazil. When we fill up our tanks, we should all be reminded that the price we pay at the pump reflects few of the true costs, be they social (human rights in Saudi Arabia), political (is Hugo Chavez in Venezuela our good buddy?), military (if military costs of defending Persian Gulf oil imports were added to the price gas it would increase by over $8/gallon), or environmental (do you know about the environmental impacts of oil drilling on natural systems and indigenous people in the Niger Delta?). Beyond the hydrocarbons, we should all be reminded of what we are really pumping into our tanks. Everyday we support actions around the world through our purchasing decisions, whether we see them or not.

A Taste of Spain

While we wish we could send you the smells, sounds and tastes of Spain through cyberspace, this three minute visual montage of some of our favorite personal photos will have to do. You'll need Quicktime installed on your computer to check out this little ditty. You'll have to imagine the Flamenco music in the background because music files are too large to upload given our limited bandwidth through the ship's satellite connection. Just click on the "Short Taste of Spain" link below. Next stop, Italy!

Short Taste of Spain

Bienvenido a Espana

This morning we arrived in Cadiz, Spain. It's the first stop on our voyage this summer, and so far it is a BIG hit. Cadiz is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the Iberian Peninsula and possibly all of southwestern Europe.

Cadiz, Spain

The old city is a classic pre-auto design. Folks live in flats over stores, restaurants, and other commercial developments (located on the street level). Plazas and cafes are seemingly everywhere. Many streets are car free. Today in the U.S. we might call this "New Urbanism." It's hardly new, and everyone here seems to love this form of urban design. Life on the streets is both peaceful (let's just sit on this bench and watch the world go by) and electric (live music, flower stands, street performers). While the old city is the focus just off the ship, in the distance we can see the new focus of Spain ... renewable energy. Here are two examples. Not far away (near Sevilla where we will visit tomorrow) is Europe's first commercial solar power plant.

10 MW Solar Thermal Plant near Sevilla

And from our ship we can see in the distance oodles of wind generators.

Cadiz "parques eolicos" or wind parks

Spain has become the third largest producer of wind power in the world and has recently begun shutting down their nuclear facilities and replacing them with efficiency, wind and solar. In addition to tapas, siestas, and Flamenco, this region has another "way of being" I think we should all embrace. Ole!

Hey, what's your cabin like?

Inquiring minds want to know! We're on the top floor (aka 7th deck) this voyage and have a fantastic cabin. The best way we know to show you what it's like is to direct you to the following four minute YouTube video called 'Cribs'. While this is Archbishop Tutu's crib from Spring 2007, it's exactly like ours in Summer 2009. If you watch the video you'll also see the Archbishop's photo of our son, Ryder James.

Just past the Azores

Yesterday we were treated to the sight of land. That thrill of "Land Ho!!" takes on a vibrant new meaning when you have been at sea for six days. I had a tiny taste of what it must have felt like for mariners of days long ago when they got a glimpse of terra firma after being at sea for months (not just our few days). The captain turned the ship off of the previously set course to take us right between the islands, and as the sun faded over the horizon we saw the twinkle of lights signaling the presence of other humans out here in what feels like the middle of nowhere. Here's an image from Google Earth (with the yellow push pin marking our location) to give you a sense of where the Azores are geographically located (they are officially part of Portugal).

Passing the Azores means we also left the last of the North American Plate and passed into the Eurasian Plate (check your dusty old geology textbooks in case your thinking this is a culinary reference). So I guess you could say we have officially arrived in "Europe." In addition to sighting land, in the last few days we have also seen lots of dolphins, turtles, and Pelagic sea birds (in addition to styrofoam junk, oil tankers, and plastic bottles). Tomorrow is our last day at sea before arriving in Spain! Ole!

Rockin on the Atlantic

We have now been at sea for three days, with four more to go before we reach Cadiz, Spain. Today the seas are rockin again (after a short respite yesterday), but we are all adapting (catching each other as we fall down stairways, bouncing off walls, holding the podium as we lecture, etc.) Most of us are fully medicated by now, so we all feel a lot better. Say, if you would like to view a 10 minute "student's tour" of the ship, check out this web site.

Classes have begun (today was day two). I have 30+ students in both of my courses (Sustainable Communities, and Energy, Technology and Society). These are a bright lot (mean GPA = 3.3). While most of them are from the U.S., I also have students from other developed national (e.g. Canada and EU nations) and not-so-developed nations (such as Mongolia). Assigned readings this week include "Science and Technology for Sustainable Well Being" (a recommended read), recently published in Science by John Holdren, former president of the American Academy of Sciences and current science adviser for President Obama. OK, time for dinner. When the seas are calm, here is an example of where we like to dine!

OH, Canada

So long land, hello Atlantic. 720 students from 300 universities and over a dozen nations are now aboard the MV Explorer. We left the sunny, clear skies of Halifax, Nova Scotia yesterday. Leaving behind sobbing parents, land sweet land, the security of known social relationships, language, food, etc. --- they have entered a vast unknown (physically, emotionally, socially, and more). "Lost at sea" may have a new, profound meaning for these young folks (and the rest of us too).

Today out on the open Atlantic we've encountered some very "rocky" seas. As I'm blogging away I look out over a white cap laden sea and listen to the howling winds swirl around us. Although I'm on the 7th floor (think 7 stories high), every now and then the waves crash over the bow and drench the windows that surround the faculty lounge. As an old kayak buddy use to say, "It's not an adventure until something happens." Well, I think these crazy seas officially count as something happening.

On the ship we all learn about the F word. Flexibility. With classes starting tomorrow, the faculty who haven't sailed before will become profoundly aware that this is a very different experience than they are accustom to on dry land.

Meanwhile, Ryder is already a hit on the ship and seems immune to the rock and roll. He misses Miles our dog and wants to know why he isn't with us, and if can please come on board tomorrow.

Here are a few photos to give you a taste of beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia.

And away we go!

In 10 minutes our voyage officially begins. We sent sail from Boston for Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then across the Atlantic to Europe and North Africa. In my belly I feel the swirling concoction of that "night before Christmas" childlike wonderment, deep gratitude for this incredible opportunity, and anxious anticipation of wild adventures yet to come. In the belly of the ship you can hear the engines warming up, ready to propel this magnificent vessel through the waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Come on along! Feel the sea breeze in your face, see the billions of stars above, feel the twinge of excitement of so many young students and young-at-heart faculty and staff, smell the future of dried fish in Greece or the spices in Morocco. Permission to come aboard.