December 27, 2021

The Call to Adventure Podcast - Episode 22 - Climate Explorers

Join eco-adventurers Isaac, Lukas and Alex on their biking adventure from the Orkney Isles to the Isles of Scilly, fitting in as many National Parks as possible whilst raising awareness of the UK's endangered green spaces
Podcast Guest
Climate Explorers

Join Isaac, Lukas and Alex (formerly Pedal 4 Parks) as we discuss the biking adventure that took them from the Orkney Islands in Scotland down to the Isles of Scilly, fitting as many National Parks as they could in between and navigating the water crossings by water bikes. An adventure taken on by this bunch of eco-adventurers, and it must be said eco-optimists, who hoped to spend their trip shining a light on the issues currently facing the UK’s green spaces and what we can do to protect them for the sake of the planet and our own wellbeing.

The team dig into the people they interviewed en route, the most exciting bits of their adventure, their epic film documentary and what they have planned next. Tune in!

Guest links

Show Notes

  • Sicily adventure
  • Introduction
  • Taste in music
  • How did the team meet?
  • Quiz
  • How many national parks are in UK?
  • Biggest national park in UK?
  • Oldest national park in UK?
  • What's the world first national park?
  • Most recent biggest adventure?
  • Importance of spending time outdoors
  • What's like experiencing water bike?
  • The most interesting national park project
  • The Venus Project
  • Renewable electricity projects
  • Hydrogen power projects
  • Regenerative agriculture
  • Top tips for being environmentally friendly
  • Advices how to get sponsors for your adventure
  • 14 Days South - 30-minute documentary
  • Cycling over sea and land

 

Full Transcript

Call to Adventure

Hello and welcome to another episode of the call to adventure podcast with me george b I hope you're all good listeners and watchers. So I recently got back from Sicily scoping out a new rock climbing trip for you guys and it was awesome. I can't wait to take some of you out there. The island is stunning with crystal clear turquoise water giant cliff faces rising out the sea incredible italian food and stunning rock that you just stick to so it was amazing. I tried multipitch for the first time for people that know what that is so um. Continuing up the rock face instead of coming down doing multiple pitches 1 after the other and having lunch whilst hanging 2 hundred meters off the cliff over the sea was pretty incredible. Um, if that puts anybody off the trip just know that multipitch is optional so you can just do sport climbing or bouldering. And there's all levels of climbing available. So that sounds cool or you want to check out any of our other trips head over to calltoadventure uk but now on to today's episode so we're speaking with the pedal for parks team or at least part of them so isaac. Alex. And lucas recently the team completed a world first cycling over both land and sea using waterbights from the orkney islands to the island isle of sily covering 1 thousand 2 hundred miles and ascending 2 point five times the height of everest in just 2 weeks. During the journey. The team interviewed a number of environmental and climate change experts and turned this into a documentary that will soon be available on amazon prime so isaac alex and lucas welcome to the show.

Lukas Haitzmann

Hello Thank very much.

Isaac Kenyon

Hi Thanks to for having us on. Yeah.

Alex

And excellent. So how it goes.

calltoadventure

Yeah, keen to chat so we'll kick off with some really brief intros. So um, if you could just give us your name and a quick 1 ne-liner just to introduce you to listeners who might not already be familiar. So let's kick off with isaac.

Isaac Kenyon

Hi I'm isaac and my 1 liner is and before this challenge I had never cycled before orcycled or mortar before or do you want bios.

calltoadventure

Nice, Okay, ah no, that was that but that was even better than what I had in mind. So let's so let's go with that. Ah alex.

Isaac Kenyon

But.

Alex

Sean Snapppy Hi I'm Alex I've got the longest hair in the team but that and that's what I use my cu for being the slowest as well ways we down.

calltoadventure

But a drag air resistance. Okay brilliant and lucas.

Lukas Haitzmann

ah ah ah I'm lucas apparently I have the worst taste of music according to the team and yeah, apart from that I'm a university student and just having a good time. That's a few extra lines there you go.

Isaac Kenyon

Love.

calltoadventure

I Want to dig into this worst taste in music a little bit. What what is your taste in music.

Alex

Oh.

Lukas Haitzmann

I mean I thought it was quite good. It's a bit bit of a mixed mixed genre. But um, it's quite repetitive. Sometimes it's ah quite a small playlist of bannggers and and 2 weeks you know it's a lot of time to fill with good music so stay did in go band.

Isaac Kenyon

Tower the trumpfis oh the trumpets rizzo kicks down with the Trump is.

Alex

It was it was repetitive. Yeah.

calltoadventure

It.

Lukas Haitzmann

A. So yeah, so good songs just not a lot of.

calltoadventure

Rizzle kicks down with the trumpets.

Isaac Kenyon

Um.

calltoadventure

Not love variety. Just stick to the.

Alex

It definitely helped make us go faster. Yeah yeah, we had we we made us go faster because we wanted to get as far away from Ni because possible that I guess that kind of worked yeah in the team favor. Overall.

calltoadventure

Well I think we' that found the theme tune to this podcast. It's gonna be Rizzle kicks and everyone's gonna be like oh yeah, all right I remember this 1 and um for for people that aren't familiar. Um maybe isaac. Do you just want to give us the low down on how you guys.

Isaac Kenyon

Ah, type 8

Lukas Haitzmann

Yes, love it.

calltoadventure

Know each other or kind of how you met in this endeavor.

Isaac Kenyon Yeah, yes, sure and so a long time ago I was on another adventure and so was lucas and we were rowing across the atlantic ocean and we met in the buildup to to rowing in some preparation weekends and then we. Really got you know each other a bit better at sort of the event where we were going to row from in the canary island so I've known lucas for about 3 3 to 4 years now and and then I've known alex a lot longer. So alex used to be and my boss at Royal holloway university where we used to Study. Um I was studying geology and alex was studying physics and we were working as a student union bodyguards and alex ah alex was my boss at a time and and then we went of separate ways a little bit after university and and did a few things and then after the atlantic row. And we met up. Ah a local pub near alex in in london and decided to work together on this big project and pedal for parks and do a massive cycle together and then lucas came in a little bit later after that to to join join the expedition.

calltoadventure Um, very cool. Um I have to ask? Ah, how did you get the gig as body Bodyguards or bouncers. What's the what's the interview process. Oh here we go just giant guns long hair.

Alex Um, just this. Um, honestly yeah, our body goes the hair was very shortank that actually um.

Isaac Kenyon I.

calltoadventure Big guns.

Alex It's not actually all about size. It's not bodyguards a bit of a big word. We're more like stewardts in a stadium we can use any violence. Ah, that's good or bad depending on your viewpoint. We're more like you know, making sure people are okay, escorting them Out. You are trained in. You know, ah like. Close contact situations and how to pin people down if it does degenerate and you know they do get violent. Um, really well. It's just about how how you come across like how good you are explaining things to people How calm you are under pressure. It's a lot of that. Really. Um, and a lot of decision making if 2 different incidents happen at once. How would you react because we actually had some people on the team or you know tiny tiny people like it's not all Muscle. We had some very big people. Very strong people and very much smaller ones and it was actually surprising. It wasn't always the biggest loudest people who were actually the best at the job. Overall, so. So yeah and it it was a pretty calm uni where we went to not not too many fights. No Nis none of that stuff so it was ah it wasn't It wasn't too bad. Overall it was good crack.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah, yeah.

Isaac Kenyon

I begged us up I Really massively biggged us up.

Alex

Um.

calltoadventure

Um, body guards made it sound a little bit like xpecial forces guarding presidents. You know I'm surprised you guys aren't at cop you know, but yeah, yeah, on the on on Bank holidays. Yeah.

Isaac Kenyon

I.

Alex

Well sometimes yeah yeah, sometimes we'd pretend we were these guys? Yeah yeah, when just when there. Yeah exactly yeah when no 1 was out.

calltoadventure

Cool, interesting stuff right? So I think yeah, we've we've we've had a good little intro but we will just do quick fire quiz. So you guys did um your you're obviously your your team is called Pedal for parks.

Alex

Um.

calltoadventure

So we're just gonna go for some quick five questions fingers on the buzzers. There aren't any buzzes so just just shout out so questions about Uk National Parks Everybody ready. Okay, just just just shout to out as as soon as you're ready. Um.

Alex

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, is it.

Isaac Kenyon

All right? Okay here we go.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, yeah, yeah, yeah.

calltoadventure

This this would have been a great drinking game definitely should have thought about this beforehand. But anyway, okay so first first question how many national parks are there in the uk I think that was lucas was it absolutely splashed it.

Alex

Fifteen fifteen. Ah, yeah, yeah, too Good to good ches guys. It's really about them.

Lukas Haitzmann

Ah, he's got straight on it.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, well it is question. Ah, they lives in braves this now we we we.

calltoadventure

Ah, where will I. No Latency on the line then as soon as the quiz started Lucas was in ah okay, question 2 which is the biggest national park in the U K Oh oh was it biggest national park in the U K yeah.

Alex Hi.

Lukas Haitzmann

Ah, the Alex Alex is in Alex is a.

Alex

Ah, that was me that was be bad I was the.

Isaac Kenyon

The biggest national park caneorns I think it's the cangorns. Yeah to to guys well done. Everyone.

Alex

Can gos. Yes, yeah, it's huge.

calltoadventure

Yeah, canorms so correct. So yeah, the kingorms the biggest of the uk national parks at four 500 and twenty eight square kilometers. It's twice the size of the late district national park.

Lukas Haitzmann

Kanggu.

calltoadventure

And bigger than the whole of luxembourg. So interesting stuff number 3 Yeah yeah, luxembourg must be really small makes you make you realize um number 3 which is the oldest national park in the u k.

Isaac Kenyon

Oh big of the country That's pretty cool.

Alex

Um, who didn't clock that. Yeah.

Lukas Haitzmann

Are we? yeah.

Alex

8 peak.

Isaac Kenyon

Pete District I think.

calltoadventure

Isaac smashed it again. It is the peak district nineteen fifty 1 Okay, nearly there. So ah, final 1 still national parks but not u k what was the world's first.

Alex

Oh nice. Yeah yeah, 14 I set a.

Lukas Haitzmann

Are a.

Isaac Kenyon

And we go there. We go there. We go.

calltoadventure

National park.

Isaac Kenyon

Oh that's a good 1 Do you think it was in america.

Alex

Ah, we've not been asked this 1 first national park.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, we have it. No.

Alex

I would think that it would stop from there. Yeah I reckon to be in America usa yellowstone.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, yeah, yeah.

calltoadventure

Um, it was in America yeah, it was it was in the usa go on.

Isaac Kenyon

Could it be you because there theres yellowstone there's your some my there's do you because it so that's like the most well known 1 isn't it but I'm not sure if it's the oldest 1

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, yeah, we ah, let's go with Yellow I think it's yellowstone. yeah yeah I um I stick with Yellow. So yeah, yeah.

Alex

Yeah, some old ones.

Alex

And here's some mites pretty old as well. You hi.

calltoadventure

You.

Isaac Kenyon

You're sticking with yellowstone. Are you.

calltoadventure

We've got 2 yellowstones and a yosemite I think yeah.

Isaac Kenyon

is there 2 is there 2 a yeah the stones. okay fine yeah okay I've been up for ah gone.

Alex

So.

calltoadventure

Um, no sir. Um I'm meant for votes so far. so so 2 of you said yellowstone 1 of you said yoseite and it is yellowstone so well done you you've you've earn earned your yeah.

Alex I've.

Isaac Kenyon

Ah, you know what I should a did you Lucas I'm sorry I'll need to let me just let me just like leave the room for a sec.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, yeah.

Alex

Ah, nice.

Alex

Yeah, yes.

calltoadventure

So yellowstone world's oldest national park opened on the first of march eighteen seventy 2 by President ulysses s grant and it's more than 2 million acres. It's pretty incredible if you ever get a chance to go. It is.

Isaac Kenyon

Eighteen seventy 2

Alex Are.

Lukas Haitzmann

Nice.

Isaac Kenyon

Wow.

Alex

But.

Lukas Haitzmann

Mars.

calltoadventure

Like wilderness that we just don't really see in Europe. It's incredible bison running around lots of wolves um, geeizes or geises everywhere. It's ah it's an incredible place So quick far out the way now let's jump on to your adventure. So I alluded to it a little bit in the intro.

Alex A.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, ah said.

calltoadventure

But um, can 1 of you give us the lowdown on your your most recent biggest adventure that you guys did together.

Isaac Kenyon

Ah, do you want to know the motives behind it or more of what the adventure was or both.

calltoadventure

Um, more just what? what? what the trip? Let's let's kick off with what was the adventure. What was the trick. What do you guys? do.

Alex A.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, ah Lucas you like you liked talking. Ah this bit.

Lukas Haitzmann

Yeah, so so so in terms of the adventure for itself. It was a 14 day cycle. So we started off in the aukney islands right? at the top of the uk and then well we but so we basically did the the land johnna go to lands end.

Alex

Um.

Lukas Haitzmann

But a bit of a twist so we changed the route to include as many national parks as possible and then on top of that we added the water bike crossing from new yorkkney islands to Johnnna groats and a water bike crossing at the end as well from landzend to the others of silly. Um so it was. How long was it again exactly in Total. What we added it want the edge I think it was just about 1000 2 hundred miles in total. Um, and yes it was 14 days. Obviously you know we we were doing about 1 hundred miles a day but we had interviews on route as well because we were making a documentary.

Isaac Kenyon

1200 miles I think it was in total.

Alex

Substance I That yeah.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, and yeah, ah isaac I think you're probably best person to explain the most is behind it. But that's the adventure site.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah, isaac hit hit us with the motives.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, quite. It was quite a full on intervention. Not no much time to sleep. It was very full on and imagine cycling a hundred miles and thinking oh wait I have interviews to do as well as switching a mindset from that sort of adventure mode or cycle endurance mode and in switching mindset to. To and to being educational and thinking about climate solutions and and asking inquisitive questions that was quite a challenge but that was the main reason for behind it and long long story short and mental health and physical health is is pretty poor at the moment and green spaces are declining. There's a bit of a correlation there and I for 1 I benefit a lot from getting outdoors and so 1 of the motives was how can we protect these outdoors to preserve our mental and physical health I have really poor anxiety and my outdoors really helps with that and so that was more of that that was kind of the main motive I wanted to do something that would help the outdoors. I also wanted to do a new challenge and an expedition of such that featured some more learning but I never so I never cycled before and I thought oh I've heard of the Jono groats lanz ze cycle loads of times and I'd really like to do that and then why not combine some sort of a gender and purpose behind the behind it. Um, and then. Team game came together based on that and then we kind of scaled it up a bit more to make it a bit more impactful so it was an adventure of sorts and then we kind of coined it ah or provided a term like ecoadventure to it and which is doing an adventurous activity but also. Educating others on the subject being environmentally responsible and things like that. So just turning it more of just an adventure but also an education piece and in doing so what we did is and to increase the motives of how can we. Reverse this change this poor decline eighty percent of our forests have been cut down in the last hundred years. The uk is 1 of the least biodiverse places in the whole of the world. How can we? How can we go to other countries around the world and say you should do it like this when we're not even doing it ourselves. So the motive is let's shine a light on all the positive. Climate solutions that are restoring and regenerating these spaces and we can use ah an adventure and a sustainable journey to try and share this. So. It's all entwined into a nice coherent story and then from there we can distribute that to as many people as possible to shell these solutions and drive finance. Drive inspiration others to get involved do tree planting in this area or um help get get get this and project off the ground or actually get engaged in in things that and make a difference a lot of us in the team. We were just very tired of hearing those negative headlines climate change this.

Isaac Kenyon

We're hitting 2 degrees. It's all disaster. The ice caps are melting fires are everywhere. That's just just completely blocking the news. It's so negative and it's not very useful so we wanted to try and shine a light on what's really actually going to make a difference and be impactful in the Future. So The yeah, that's where the motives come From. And if you think about preserving your green spaces and these these green corridors. It's very important for your physical mental Health isn't it because a lot of people in the pandemic theyor resulted to go into these outdoor spaces to to spend that hour of of time outside to to kind of get their heads in the right space. Um, so imagine if they disappeared we're on the trajectory of that which is Terrible. You kind of for I for 1 wouldn't want to live in a world like that that which is where where the main motivations come from really and and a team is very much similar that a mouthful.

calltoadventure

Yeah I figure. it's no I think it's awesome it's um and you did a really good job of illuminating the the link between adventure and sustainability and that's completely where we sit and call to adventure and I think there. 2 spending more time outdoors just makes you really think about all of this stuff right? when we used to be able to go ice climbing in Norway for x number of months and now the season is cut a lot shorter or you go up to scotland and there's no more ski touring for the the decent season. It really makes you. Appreciate what's going on in ah in a kind of experiential way as opposed to just facts and figures and it can also talking about carbon budgets and um climate action tracker progress and ndcs can all seem a little bit. Um, intangible. But when you go out into the real world and you actually see this stuff then it really hits you very hard and we kind of 1 of our mottos is that we protect what we love and I think if you can help people fall in love with the outdoors then it makes people really want to take care of all the stuff out there right? So it's kind of trojan horseing in sustainability.

Alex

Well exactly.

calltoadventure

Because talking about climate change in itself can seem a little bit dry. But if you can make it exciting through the medium of adventure then it's much more engaging.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, it sent. Yeah that that's it on head of art with our project as well something we're trying to do.

Alex

Yeah, yeah, exactly yeah and you you're not the only 1 to say that george as well. a couple a couple of people we interviewed to the exact same thing. Yeah, 1 was a you know, kayaking company. The guy doing the same thing.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah, very cool. Awesome.

Alex

Up in the peak district taking kids out another 1 and aldoor educator lake district and yet they same same spiel same esos with them just getting kids to love and care for nature long young age and then eventually you know they'll just have the mindset their whole lives really so get exactly that.

calltoadventure

Yeah, it's really cool to see how many different people are are on the same mission It's awesome. It's great to know that there's so much energy and and people getting on on the boat. So that's really really cool to hear. And loved it. We'll get into the the environmental side in a sec but just before we do you mentioned that you water biked the first bit and the last bit I think a lot of people might not know what a water bike is tell us what? what? a water bike is and how is that experience.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah I couldn't describe what 1 looks like and say imagine a spinning bike in a gym so you've got a spinning bike in a gym. It's connected to 2 elongated fendor floats. So 2 long floats and then you've got a drive chain on on the bike.

calltoadventure

I should I Yeah yeah, okay pray.

Isaac Kenyon

But then drives a submerge propeller that's between the 2 floats. So you're very high above the water and so you can imagine if you can imagine that contraction anyone listening and and yeah 1 of the team can describe. Ah what it's like cycling these things it's quite they're quite fun

Alex

Yeah, it's actually it was actually like you know when you first get on it. It's very Stable. We tried a few models out and the 1 we set settled for was ah yeah, very maneuvverable, pretty stable. Um, the way it feels when you pedal is a little bit like those step machines in the gym if you ever been on those like. When you press down. It's a lot faster than when it comes back up because we'll see the resistance from the water so it feels like you know, not like on a bike where it smooths it goes down as fast as it comes up the pedal. It's a bit like du duk boom boom a bit of a weird rhythm and then because it's only've got 1 gear you know once you hear it. Ah, certain speeds which is about 3 four knots. So. That's why like 6 7 kilometers per hour that said you can't go any faster you can spin faster but you won't go any faster so you're just wasting energy. Um, it kind of feels and then like energy wise it feels like you're going up a steep like very slight uphill continuously. Maybe. 1 2 percent that you never have any respite because unlike a normal bite you can't coast if you stop peddling and stop maneuvering. You just get taken by the current right? So you kind of always have to be on your toes always kind of hands on the handle bars kind of putting yourself back in the right direction. Um. And you can't just coast. There's no downhill so it's actually yeah, pretty pretty tiring experience. You just have to keep a good rhythm a good caden um cadence sorry and then and then it's it's okay, but yeah, a lot. Yeah quite a lot ster than we imagine you know they're quite They're well built. And they can deal with you know, a little bit of swell as well. A little bit of rough and tough. So um, definitely worth trying. There's not many around but um, anyone hits us up. We can let you know where where few of them are where you can rent them There's not that many in the uk unfortunately but it is. It's very good. Fun. Yeah, and they're very capable. We took them all the way style of the City. So great bit of cat.

calltoadventure

I Would like to have a go looks like well it sounds like epic cardio just like on a stepfa machine that you can't really get off and especially if you're going between an island and another Island then it's just keep cute going until you get there but it it.

Alex

Yes.

calltoadventure

It does look fun. It looks cool. So yeah, woods bike's done definitely on the list I have to give that a go 1 day but um, so as you as as you went round. You mentioned that you visited national parks and you did interviews with different kind of environmental and climate change specialists.

Alex

Dip.

Alex

Nice.

calltoadventure

So and visited different projects. So what were some of the most promising interesting and memorable ones that you that you saw.

Isaac Kenyon This sort of you Want to highlight the highlights I guess and we we each have our own highlights and that each project impacted us all personally very differently. Some of us knew about these projects ready some of us didn't and were going into them blind and and got really excited about them.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, some of them were massive scalable large projects that had huge amounts of funding and people and behind them and others were very small grassroot ones. Um on a per on a personal level. Um, my favorite ones were the sort the visionary projects so they're not quite. At the stage of happening right now and but they've got funding and they've they've got support behind them and they're on. They're on their way and I was very interested in sort of the relationship of infrastructure and human activity in green spaces and 1 of the projects that is going on with 1 of our sponsors vectors group. And they're they're doing a massive sort of reshape of town planning where you plan towns around active travel networks and green corridors. So instead of us breaking up these sort of spaces to fit all of our houses and our shops and things why not us live amongst them. And allow nature to sort of live around us and move move through which is I think is really important for for biodiversity and it also encourages and increases the amount of people that can have access into green spaces through the active travel networks like and cycling walking walkways and. Footpaths and things like that a lot more of that less cars less vehicles on the road which of course would be less emissions and and less danger and then having a bit more of a community harbour at the beginning like a community concierge centerpoint centroid area where you get all your foods you can do all your. Open workspaing things things that you would think are like conveniences that you would usually go to a supermarket for everything just in the middle there and it just allows a bit more community which is very good for the mental health as well and because people do um isolation as as we know in the pandemic was pretty poor. So that that particular project. Although it's not happened right now they are planning and building and towns like this. But I think this is the way to go if we're going to coexist with nature instead of the other way around where nature is trying to coexist with us and we're saying no this is I think a way forward. There was other projects like an eco village fact we visited and find horn eco village up in Scotland and that was very much ah heavily involved in in all of the building materials and a way the buildings are and designed sort of integrated in nature. And everything was being off-grid and it was very much like its own little hub I think that that was a really interesting um, project and solution. Although doing that at scale course the country would be quite difficult to do because of national grid and and transportation and things. So.

Isaac Kenyon

I think a combination of the 2 projects could work quite nicely. So maybe in those sort of far-flung towns villages those eco villages could be more more more common and then the bigger towns and cities are ah redeveloped and redesigned in such a way that they don't damage the green corridors. The 1 thing I didn't get an answer from was how they going to deal with the towns are already in this space and there is another project going on called national parks and a city national parks national park city where they're introducing and protecting it and recreating green space within cities and they've started in. London first. So there's already big movements like that happening so the cities and towns that are being developed in the future look like they will be developed differently which will encompass green spaces, green corridors and active travel then there might be some sort of these micro off-grid places eco villages that could be possible. And then the actual towns themselves are already existing more green spaces and protection of green spaces being introduced that was a lot sorry but that that's my favorite projects. Yeah.

calltoadventure

Yeah I think that's really interesting idea and probably a good compromise or a good way to adapt to the fact that there's you know london we're not going to rip it all down and start again and say actually we should build it in a much more thoughtful way. But maybe. Taking some of those principles for new developments. Um, and then trying to green existing ones is probably the best solution. It reminds me of um, don't if you've come across the venus project ever. There's a guy he's called jack fresco really interesting guy I think he died recently. But um. He was used to be an engineer when he was younger and um, they took him to go and meet einstein. He was like this super smart almost savant-like guy and then he got obsessed with designing sustainable cities and sustainable ways of living and there's a great documentary and and called. Think it's called the venus project and it takes those similar principles that you just talked about like if you if you have a community. Why not put all of the resources in the middle and then have people live around the outside and a lot of things as we think about like the sharing economy. And a circular economy. How often do you use something like a pneumatic drill. Well probably that maybe that wasn't a great example. Let's say a violin um you might play it for like 2 hours a week but it doesn't make that much sense for you to use the resources and to spend the cash on on an expensive violin. If you're not using it very often whereas if you can cool the resources in the middle and then have people come in and use them and kind of check them in check them out grow food there minimized transportation. It's a far more efficient way of of building a city or even just like standard permaculture approach which is like working with. Land and looking at instead of trying to force the way that you want the the building or development to be you look at what is there naturally and then fit the building to suit that and I think it's such an elegant approach and it's amazing when you see um places inspired by that it's it's all it's all. Works so well and you think yeah, that's exactly how we should do it like the water naturally runs this way is that this should be where we collect all of the water or that all these gardens should be southfa and we should double back gardens onto each other and then people have more green space and it's it's it's incredible when you realize how far we've come. Without um, kind of taking into account natural systems or natural processes. So yeah I think projects like that are ah fascinating. Um, how how about how about the other guys alex lucas did you have how about a different project. Um that you thought that was interesting.

Alex

Yeah, absolutely there. Well all all of them interesting in some way or other I think I'll focus to this on the energy production projects we visited so the first 1 we visited was in the peak district that was a very small 1 community led that was a saddleworth community hydro project. And that was a brilliant example of reusing infrastructure that was already there. There was a big reservoir in saddleworth. Not too far from olden in the peak district. Um huge reservoir that had been built about 1 hundred years ago and that was to hold water to then power paper mills. Which have long gone basically no longer used to produce any paper in the area but the damage was already dunked to the environment. So the people who were there a group of community people saw that it was actually potential to reuse what had already been built reuse the water kind of drainage the water the the power of the water coming down. They could control to power a turbine and then produce electricity for for their homes so that was quite ingenious. They they only powers about 70 homes what they have. It's actually a very small turbine but it's all community owned. They they rent the land from the the local water management company united utilities. Paid them a fee and they've actually done such a good job with air turbine and the engineering they've done those that themselves with with some contractors they've done so well like they're so efficient that a lot of bigger projects hydro projects have actually come to them and said you know how are you so efficient. How do you make such high percentage gain from the water that comes. Compared to our massive projects and they've had you know scientists researchers engineers come there so that was quite inspiring and it's all community leads and they had like quite amazing problem. They actually make too much money now that they they have a community fund and not enough people apply for these local funds for they actually have an excess which they just pour into other. Community like improvement projects like tree planting flower planting improving various bits and bobs in the community and they've been going for a little while now I think almost well maybe 10 years if not more um and they showed us around and it's just yeah, just really well done. They said. We wouldn't have created you know a hydrid project if the reservoir hadn't been there but since the damage is already done and it was it was unused. We thought well we can use that it's still better than using coal or or getting electricity from the national grid so they basically make their own it goes back into the local grid and into the national grid as well. For for any excess. That was that was pretty inspiring. You know they just kind of just came together as a group and just started it and then you know they sell they sell to the people in the era who won their energy directly from from them and then on the opposite scale was in Orkney orkney islands. Amazing place for renewable energy development in the u k.

Alex

Ah, none. Ah like hardly any of' us had ever been there I think only isaac had been there. A kind of renew. What's going on there but there's a multimillion pound project up there called the european marine energy center eme and basically what they do is they allow other big companies other renewable energy companies to kind of test their products. Their ideas live like in the sea kind of or on various islands plug into their infrastructure just to see if their ideas are viable so you can do as many computer simulations and small like scale down models in the lab as you want but until you've tested it in in the real world. You're never sure if it's survival idea. If it's you know you might have an amazing project. But and if you can't even place it in the water or can't even build the structure in the real world that is that is pretty useless. So and we interviewed 1 of the projects there called orbital marine and they have this device called the o 2 if just this Summer just ah, deployed. And it. Ah it makes ah energy from tide from the tidal power. So if you look at it from it's quite a big structure if you look at it from the top down. It's a bit like a plane like a kind a cross shape and you have the main body and on the wings as you call them I'm not sure what they call them. You have 2 big turbines underwater. And the swell going past basically spins them round and that generates you know that powers a generator like most renewable energy mechanisms that creates ah and electricity and then what they what? Emech allows them to do is to plug into their infrastructure and then take the energy back onto land and then that can be used. Basically. And they also use something that's not used so much yet is ah they've got this project called surf and turf where therenewable energy they make is off off the Mainland main island of orkney. It's kind of on a smaller island. Um, and basically they're. That electricity infrastructure is not good enough at the moment they're underea cabling to export all of their electricity so they actually have an access of electricity and so what can we do because it's ah it's a lot of work to get the grid upgraded a lot of money and it's not just them. It has to be come from the national grid and from you know Scottish government. So well what we can do is try out a hydro and Batteryies. So what they do is they the excess electricity they convert it to hydrogen via I think it electrolysis isac can probably yeah exactly? Yeah so electrolysis converted to hydrogen and basically fill up big hydrogen tanks.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, yeah, electrolysis. Yeah.

Alex

Which they then take on hydgen powered trucks take on a hydrant powered ferry and then bring back to mainland and then um on main on the Mainland they you know they reverse the process of electrolysis and it becomes um it becomes electricity again. It goes back into the grid so that was that was pretty innovative. There's not so much there. There's not so many projects sorry like that around and they're working on a hydgen powered ferry a hygen powered plane hydrogen fer powered light truck for they already used a lot of hydro or everything basically so still you know and there's a lot of money behind this project too. So and a lot of european collaboration which. Thankfully even after Brexit they haven't been affected like all of that's still going on so it was pretty pretty amazing to see all of that going on in a very remote corner of the uk all all this all this hub of activity and just pretty pretty awesome projects. Yeah.

calltoadventure

Very cool. Yeah, you don't expect ah beforehand that to be like a hub of experimentation and using Hydrogen for these these type of things I mean it's great for large vessels right? like planes trains and. And big trucks. But I certainly wouldn't have thought that all that stuff was happening at Orkney. So really, really cool. Can you go and visit any of these projects normally or is it just because you guys were like you know pedal for parks boys and they were like yeah you can come and see what's going down.

Alex

And the the guy. Yeah I see you can? Yeah yeah Emas definitely yeah, the guy we interviewed is was like you know as a doctor there and is 1 of their communications officers and they say they do a lot of work with local schools especially do a lot of outreach so to teach kids about what they're doing.

Isaac Kenyon

Ah, yeah, think you can emic emex. You can.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah.

Alex

Already in primary school. You know they they tailor that obviously their content or they present to them but they do a lot of reaching out yet to load local kids local schools 6 forms projects I'm pretty sure. Yeah, you can go visit there. They kind of headquarters there and they have a lot of material online and that kind of thing as well. So yeah, yeah. Is is pretty pretty awesome.

calltoadventure

Very cool here we go so we can tie in some adventures with visiting some of these 2 and then lucas favorite project that hasn't already been stolen by 1 of the other 2

Lukas Haitzmann

Yeah, so that hasn't been veged. Ah, don't Worry. There's still so many cool ones? Um I'd say my favorite 1 is is agra forestry. Um, so basically it's a lot of the the projects these days they focus on. You know, new new ideas new like concepts new technology. Um, but this is a really old idea. Um, that's you know been was the way to do it. Yeah hundreds thousands of years ago and it so basically a agri forestry is normally when you farm you have. Forest on 1 patch of land and your sheep and your cows and your chickens and all that and your vegetables on another patch. Um and it takes up a lot more space than it needs to and Niagara forestry is basically this practice of doing them both on the same patch of land. So having your cows your sheep and all of that. Roaming within the forest. Obviously it's it's slightly harder to manage which is why I think people moved away from it. Um, but it is so much more sustainable and there's like even the income per hectare or whatever or the the resources per hectare is so much more than than your usual type of. Of farming just as you know that's I think that's what I like most about it is that it is a very old technique and it it does work really well. Um, especially for the smaller farmers and it just shows that there's so many cool new projects. But there's also so many things that we we. Been doing for so many years but we've kind of just drifted away from a little bit and yeah, that's that's probably my favorite project if I had to choose.

Isaac Kenyon

And reducing a land use. We we use so much land.

Alex A.

Lukas Haitzmann

Yeah, yeah, because then you can just you can let the the very plain green fields that don't have a lot of well a lot of anything Really, you can let them regrow and and become a bit more wild again and and get a bit more of ah a bioder device.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah, yeah.

Lukas Haitzmann

Biodiversity growing on the fields.

calltoadventure

Yeah, yeah, regenerative agriculture is a fascinating area that's kind of seeing more and more about I haven't seen loads about it in the yeah uk. Um, my my. My real guy who I found boy richard perkins out in Sweden he has the world's most northerly permaculture farm. Highly recommend checking him out. It's awesome. Even though it's pretty hard place normally to farm where it's like very far north and cold. But he's amazing and some of the regenerative agriculture stuff that. Doing um is is incredible I'd love to have a go at doing some of that stuff here and agra forestry is something that he talks a lot about closing nitrogen and nutrient cycles and having um your own compostum in your producers on your same site so you want cows and chickens and they. Poop over the grass and then all of a sudden you don't have to go and buy it from somewhere else and using agra forestestry and natural biodiversity means that you don't have to you know, bring in pesticides and fertilizers and then you start to learn about how bad the Haber bosh process is and all that good stuff. And and it makes so much sense when you just go back to a very old- school low-tech cheap and very resilient way of working land growing food building community I think it's really really cool I think the whole that we're going to need the whole gambit of from low tech small. Solutions to the giant who's got the most efficient Hydrogen battery. Um so everything is it's it's all all to play for and and all going to be needed. So yeah, yeah, really really interesting from your from your travels and your journeys has it made you do anything differently or. If not what would be some advice think a lot of people especially now with cop thinking like well what should I do to actually be a better global citizen are any top tips that you guys have what would be a 1 or 2 things if people are listening and thinking like yeah I would like to do a little bit more What. What would you recommend that they do.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah I mean before this ah adventure of such or this ecoadve you know we weren't all of us the most environmentally friendly people. We could possibly be. We've gone for a journey ourselves and learned a lot of new techniques and things that could make us more sustainable. Ah, in the way we live our lives on a personal level and as well as also making an impact in a societal level and 1 of the things if you really wanted to make an impact and is we need to rise above the negativity in the press and ah ah shine a light on all of these climate solutions are going on talk to people about them. Research them give them the time of day and I mean some of them might sound really visionary. But if you really delve into it so and go into the tech and listen it and understand some of it isn't that isn't that far flung or that that far away it's it's very Possible. You may just need a bit of funding or something like that to happen. So um. Please don't write off things. Um, if it does sound a bit far flung. But yeah, yeah, that would be my main tip is just let's try and get above the the negative noise and and and and shine shine. All these positive solutions up and then on the personal level I've done a lot myself in them. Trying to reduce my own emissions of such truckney and traveling more by bike and doing doing less um or yeah face-to-face meetings in my workplace and I mean my workplace. Actually we made the decision to get rid of the office and although that's not so great for mental health and physical health at work. And we do communicate a lot over phone and screens. We. We do have the odd meet up here and there but it obviously reduces a lot of your emissions as a company and things like that and so yeah, those are some sort of personal things in my life I've been doing and I've still got a lot more to do and I'm just doing 1 by 1 and. Can be a bit overwhelming trying to strip your life away and do everything at once. So just do 1 do it well then pick up another thing do 1 do it well pick up another thing and then make make it make a better life.

calltoadventure

Yes, great advice and actually 1 that I didn't think about just to kind of not not not to get drawn into the negativity like the kind of wider Meta point. That's even more important. So I thought I think that's a great 1 Um, but alex think you were about to jump in something tactical.

Ale

Um, yeah.

Alex

Yes, tactical cuff a big 1 actually is learning how to cook so when ah when I used to live just with my girlfriend we we didn't hardly ate out because then if you consider the impact of you know, outsourcing your food as well. It's not nothing, especially. If you get it delivered so learning to cook and then you know if you want to move to like a less meat and less fish just less animal in your diet if you learn to cook. There's just so much more you can do because then when the meat or the fish is or the like the animal is in the centerpiece of the meal. Kind of is in ah in our kind of european cultures at least then it forces you to be a bit more creative and there's actually so much online like it's not It's not hard to find recipes right? There's an abundance of recipes. Um out there. That's that's probably the easiest thing to find now and the other thing is to try and buy local. And that and that can be pretty hard like some areas I've lived in it's super easy like right now I'm in France. There's a market just outside where my mum lives every day you can buy local fruit and veg that people themselves you know the farmers grow themselves and come and sell in London it really depends. For example I you know I normally live. Um. In the area you're in but there's a lot of places that deliver these days even local farms like in the borrow I live in Sutton you can get ah the community farm to deliver to um, you know they come by bike things like that. Well like I see they have an electric vehicle as well for for longer trips. Um. Try and try and make that essay as well because the food tastes better anyways. I find when when you buy local you buy from some so crop not from a greenhouse. Basically that that's why it was like you know coming back to france it just a bit tastes a bit nicer than buying from from tescos or any of the other sasburys any of the other big supermarkets. Where it's all kind of dred in greenhouses and it's you know it's so way. All all looks perfect and stuff but nutride wise is actually it could be very poor. It's a lot of lot of water. Basically a lot of filler. So that's what that's that'll be my top tip for for tonight. Yeah, learning learning how to cook and trying to. Source of food locally as well because there's so much in the uk as well. Like we don't have to import as much as we do. There's so many good sources of food. It's a bit more expensive. Sure. But then if you actually look at the price for amount of Nutrient. You actually be quite shocked. It's actually a lot more a lot more reasonable and closer to the. Standard prices. We're used to now. So that's that's what I'd say.

calltoadventure

Okay, awesome. Tip Alex says move to France lucas.

Lukas Haitzmann

It's said fifth.

Alex

Um, at least.

Lukas Haitzmann

Ah, get yeah, get down the Uk No and so myself um, slightly on different different areas. So I study engineering as I said at the start and um I've started to kind of investigate a bit more into the. Into I Guess the projects that we've that we've looked at and but dissertation now is focused on um, on sink very similar. Um, so also trying to be a part of the solution and it's It's a lot easier than you think you know it almost happened by accident I Actually kind of. Shows my dissertation and it happens to be exactly what this project was about um but you know there's also so many not on ah on a like um, educate so not on a level of your degree.? Whatever but there's also so many local projects that. Need support and they just need hands and people to get involved like you know you have the the rewilding projects where they're planting trees or so many other great projects. Um, that's so easy to just like sign up for people like want and need your help and there's. So many other great amazing people. So Even if you don't care about the environment. It's a nice place to meet other people. Um, so kind of yeah, get involved in some projects and meet some new people and and save the world while you're at it.

calltoadventure

Um, awesome. Some love it Some dating tips from Lucas go rewilding and meet some new people. Ah no, it's ah I.

Isaac Kenyon

Here that that need new app isn't it re what rewild with me.

Alex

Um, yeah Adam and eve I have a new style. Yeah, but.

Lukas Haitzmann

Ah.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah, awesome. Very very cool. Great! Great stuff. Um, so switching tack completely. Ah, you managed to get a lot of swans for your trick just having a look at your promo films but things like that I think a lot of people. Love the idea of going on expeditions and and particularly at the intersection of the venture and sustainability. But some people just want to go on big trips and sponsorship can be a really tricky thing to get. Um, any advice on people who are trying to go on any sort of adventure who are looking for for sponsors.

Alex

Are.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, and I think first is being passionate of a cause that the sponsors are also passionate about um aligning is alignment is really key and say if you're really passionate about men's health. Um, and then your sponsors or potential sponsors. They have charity charities for other causes. That's not going to work and they'll be less inclined to support you. So if you've got a cause or a passion or a purpose in your project or something like that where you know even if it's just something as simple as. Just want a challenge to and overcome this big obstacle of adversity and tell other people how they can do the same There might be a lot of companies out there who are into going ah you know above and Beyond adversity and they have like themes in in some of the. Stuff that they're doing um within the company to try and overcome adversity issues. Um, and they have these events that they're trying to do that encourages overcoming adversity and that's where you could tie in or something like this so it doesn't have to be like a big cause like. Climate change or something like this. It could be as simple as just I want to do a challenge and tell all for people. how to do how I did and how I overcome it um other companies align that. But yeah with sponsorship. It's they're investing in your story and they want to be part of your story. So I think the best advice. Simple thing is be really coherent of why you're doing what you're doing and then people will be driven to to support you.

calltoadventure

Yeah, cool think great advice and do you have as pedal for parts any upcoming adventures planned or are you still just hatching a plan.

Alex

The big adventure now is getting the film out there for sure. That's that's it. That's the big focus.

Isaac Kenyon

Hey yeah I'd say a hatching plan.

calltoadventure

Um, so we are cool. When's when's that expected to drop and where can people find it.

Alex

Yeah, it's it's picking up so we had our premiere on Thursday the 20 eighth of October so about a week from when we're recording this podcast week ago so that was in London in Mayfair that was a really really fun event with sponsors family friends. Really good night so that was the first time we publicly showed the film and then on Saturday sixth of November we're presenting it at comp twenty six. So we've been invited into the United nations climate change pavilion and we're hosting a session showing the film and and hosting a panel as well. So that's. Obviously ah amazing because I was always kind of the ultimate goal for the project and that that's become reality now. So we're we're we're busy prepping for that this week and then what is it in a couple weeks 10 door Mountain festival. Yeah yes, exactly? yeah.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, eighteenth to twenty first of November we're at we're at kendall. Yeah.

Lukas Haitzmann

Yeah, yeah.

calltoadventure

Oh nice.

Alex

Have a showing every day we're part of the explore program. Yeah, so so that's going to be pretty wicked. They're showing us once a day so that's going to be a lot of fun and we'll be introing it maybe will take turns introing the film. We'll see we'll see how it goes so that's ah, that's in the immediate and then we all started a showing online.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah.

Alex

Twenty Fourth of november six pm on pause dot tv and that's pause without the e so papa alpha uniform sierra dot tango victor practicing my security staff radiodar alphabet there nas in partnership with ah adventure and covered. Helping us ah out with that which is amazing of them so that'll be live exactly 24 hours until the twenty fifth of november six zero p m well we'll have a roundup or do a live q and a with us with a filmmaker as well with director where people can ask us all sorts of questions.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, he runs on over 24 hours

Alex

And then after that I think the only other confirmed thing for now like as in ah as showing a physical showing will be ah the Royal geographical society forness thirteenth of jam in the lecture theateratre next to the Royal albert hall and then that that sits for now but we need to yet. We're going to start applying to.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah.

Alex

We've got the final film. We'll start applying a lot more to to film festivals touring it online physical face-to-face is starting to come back in Anger now which is amazing. So that's that's where it'll be for the immediate and then eventually putting help on on the streaming service yet. We're still still working on that for sure.

Isaac Kenyon

You know.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah I think Prime Prime is most likely going to happen.

Alex

Um, yeah, but we will keep you guys updates. Yeah.

calltoadventure

Um, very cool, Awesome Well Ah, so yeah, yeah, that'd be great. So lots of screenings scheduled. Ah I'll look forward to catching you guys at Kendall Mountain Festival I'll be there too So that that'll be great. We can say hi catch up have a beer.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, ah you be there? yeah.

Alex

Um, nice, Yes, nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the.

Lukas Haitzmann

3

calltoadventure

Um, it's ah it's ah it's really really cool. It's a great. It's a great festival. There's always lots of weird and wonderful people there and I really enjoy it. It's with the the accommodation situation is the weirdest thing last time I stayed in some ah they were They were kind of like.

Alex

That.

calltoadventure

So it was in the back of a judo hall and there were some shipping containers that had bunk beds in and it kind of looked like a refugee camp type thing but and and there was no. There was no heating and it was freezing like it was November where we're all in this like.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, wow.

Alex

Right.

calltoadventure

Little group together talking about how weird it was that we're all sleeping in this thing with a load of strangers and that it was freezing cold. So I mean it was I remember it being very cheap and I got it last minute. so so yeah we'll we'll see I'll probably end up staying in there again this year because I haven't organized anything yet.

Isaac Kenyon

Ah.

calltoadventure

But I'll look forward to catching you guys there at yeah yeah, so so that that will be really cool. It's always a good event and otherwise we'll post links to everywhere else that the film is coming up and where people can see it I think.

Alex

Oh Wow! yes.

Isaac Kenyon

Awesome.

Lukas Haitzmann

Created it.

calltoadventure

Speaking a cop sounds amazing. That will be an incredible experience. It's like the perfect time to to drop your film as well. So that that will be great I'll look forward to hearing all about that and how that goes so best of luck with it and thanks again for coming on the show Isaac Alex and lucas.

Alex

Thank you.

Isaac Kenyon

Thanks george.

Lukas Haitzmann

Um, thank you very much thanks for having us.

calltoadventure

So if people want to follow your story in midtime. But before the film drops. Where's the best place for them to go and find out a little bit more about you guys.

Alex

Yeah, choose.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, our website our website. Yeah, so we've got and website pedal for parks dot code dot u k that's a number four so pedal for parks dot code dot u k and then the yeah, the social media handles are lu said we're on Instagram facebook twitter and are.

Lukas Haitzmann

Who has follow on Instagram and the website.

calltoadventure

Um, yeah.

Isaac Kenyon

Um, at handle our tag handle is um, pedal four parks and got the number four in the middle. Yeah, follow.

calltoadventure

There We go pedal four box. So yeah, go go and check it out. The trailer's already out for film So have a little look. Um it looks It looks really good I'm looking forward to see it so guys. Thanks again for coming on listeners and watchers. Thanks again for tuning in turning on.

Lukas Haitzmann

A.

Alex

Um, if.

calltoadventure

So until next time. Thanks very much. Okay, awesome. Cheers guys. Thank you? Ah, thank you very much for taking the time and coming on just 1 quick 1 So I'll let you go.

Isaac Kenyon

Thank you tis.

Lukas Haitzmann

Thank you? Yeah, theres but.

Alex

Cheers.

Alex

Um, they have a pleasure.

Isaac Kenyon

Yeah, we learned them all.

Avatar photo
PodCast Host
George Beesley
Adventurer & Founder of Call To Adventure
George just bloody loves a bit of adventure! Imagine someone who not only hikes up mountains for breakfast but also bikes across continents. Got a case of wanderlust? This guy's been to over 50 countries and comes back with stories that'll make your grandma want to go bungee jumping.

From our journal

Every adventure is packed full of great stories, tips/tricks and awesome gear that you wish you knew about before embarking on your adventure. Here is a collection of our favourites that might just become yours.
Real Adventures. Lifelong Memories.
Book unique, hassle free adventure holidays at the best price.
(+44) 207 167 9438
[email protected]
39 Steeple Close, Poole, England, BH17 9BJ
© Copyright 2024 - Call to Adventure - All Rights Reserved
envelopephone-handsetmap-marker