FEATURES -
| 2013-07-26Lewis Pugh The One Man Enviro Task Force
Yochanaan Coetzee
Lewis Pugh paddles a double kayak in Namibia. Photo: Creative Commons
Nicknamed the Human Polar Bear by the Icelandic media, Briton Lewis Gordon Pugh is the embodiment of mind conquering matter.
Nicknamed the Human Polar Bear by the Icelandic media, Briton Lewis Gordon Pugh is the embodiment of mind conquering matter.
The former Special Air Service (SAS) member and maritime lawyer is the only person to have swum long distances in all five oceans, most noteably the Arctic and even a lake more than half way up Mount Everest, in a speedo. All this to raise awareness on climate change.
Pugh is a leading figure in efforts to protect the world’s oceans. In 2010, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader for his “potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.” In 2013 the United Nations Environment Programme appointed him ‘Patron of the Oceans’.
On Thursday 18 July, He was back in Namibia to speak at the Team Namibia AGM at the Windhoek Country Club and Resort.
The event drew an excited crowd, not only to celebrate the successes of the organisation and its a high profile guest, but to gain insight into the exciting developments to come.
The day was filled with news of shake-ups within Team Namibia. On the agenda was the introduction of three new members to the board of Directors. These are Gideon Shilongo, Chief Corporate Relations Officer of O&L Group, Henry Feris, MD of Pick n Pay and Namdeb Brand Manager Pauline Thomas, who each bring valuable skills to the organisation.
Launching their new corporate vision, ‘Making Namibian products and services part of everyday life’, Team Namibia intends to pursue a fresh course with their new mission statement, ‘facilitating the increased consumption of Namibian products and services locally and abroad by inspiring competitive standards, stimulating consumer confidence and impacting economic sustainability.’
The theme ‘Increased Competitiveness for Namibian Products and Services’ was well received by those in attendance. Minister of Trade and Industry Calle Schlettwein, in his key note address spoke of the immense human capital and natural resources Namibia boasts and how all sectors could benefit from better utilisation of these resources.
Motivational speaker and advocate for the wellbeing of the oceans, Pugh gave a rousing speech, encouraging Namibians to take advantage of this wonderfully unique country we live in.
No stranger to our shores, he has been coming to Namibia as much as twice a year to train along the Skeleton Coast, rating our country as one of his top three most beautiful places in the world.
“Namibia is incredibly breathtaking, such diverse and unforgiving terrain that changes dramatically as you travel from one part of the country to the next. It is stunningly beautiful here, you really have something special,” he said.
A keen swimmer since a young age, at 14 his family moved from Britain to South Africa. This is where at 17 years old, Pugh undertook his first long distance swim, the seven kilometres from Robben Island to the mainland.
Throughout his adventurous career he has pushed the envelope of what was thought to be possible for any human to endure. These environmental crusades have seen him swim in predator infested waters, arctic conditions and even the entire length (346 km) of the Thames River in Britain.
All this in an effort to raise awareness on the devastating effects of global warming. He even remarked that his swim in the Artic Ocean would not have been possible six years ago, because it would have been completely frozen and the water significantly colder.
He swam at lake Pumori, a glacial lake on Mount Everest, the highest swim any person has ever undertaken, to highlight the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace.
“Glaciers are not just ice: they are a lifeline, they provide water to two billion people, and we need to protect them,” he says.
After completing his Arctic swim, Pugh said: “In many respects the swim was the ultimate experience of my life because it brought together my two greatest passions: my desire to see the world’s most spectacular places and my aim to help protect them.”
He has developed the curious ability to raise his body temperature by as much as 2°C, through a method called Anticipatory Thermo Genesis. Lewis Pugh is the only person in which this phenomena has been recorded.
When asked what his motivational advice to Namibia would be, he remembered something his commanding officer told him once he’d completed the grueling SAS training programme, “do the basics best”.
The former Special Air Service (SAS) member and maritime lawyer is the only person to have swum long distances in all five oceans, most noteably the Arctic and even a lake more than half way up Mount Everest, in a speedo. All this to raise awareness on climate change.
Pugh is a leading figure in efforts to protect the world’s oceans. In 2010, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader for his “potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.” In 2013 the United Nations Environment Programme appointed him ‘Patron of the Oceans’.
On Thursday 18 July, He was back in Namibia to speak at the Team Namibia AGM at the Windhoek Country Club and Resort.
The event drew an excited crowd, not only to celebrate the successes of the organisation and its a high profile guest, but to gain insight into the exciting developments to come.
The day was filled with news of shake-ups within Team Namibia. On the agenda was the introduction of three new members to the board of Directors. These are Gideon Shilongo, Chief Corporate Relations Officer of O&L Group, Henry Feris, MD of Pick n Pay and Namdeb Brand Manager Pauline Thomas, who each bring valuable skills to the organisation.
Launching their new corporate vision, ‘Making Namibian products and services part of everyday life’, Team Namibia intends to pursue a fresh course with their new mission statement, ‘facilitating the increased consumption of Namibian products and services locally and abroad by inspiring competitive standards, stimulating consumer confidence and impacting economic sustainability.’
The theme ‘Increased Competitiveness for Namibian Products and Services’ was well received by those in attendance. Minister of Trade and Industry Calle Schlettwein, in his key note address spoke of the immense human capital and natural resources Namibia boasts and how all sectors could benefit from better utilisation of these resources.
Motivational speaker and advocate for the wellbeing of the oceans, Pugh gave a rousing speech, encouraging Namibians to take advantage of this wonderfully unique country we live in.
No stranger to our shores, he has been coming to Namibia as much as twice a year to train along the Skeleton Coast, rating our country as one of his top three most beautiful places in the world.
“Namibia is incredibly breathtaking, such diverse and unforgiving terrain that changes dramatically as you travel from one part of the country to the next. It is stunningly beautiful here, you really have something special,” he said.
A keen swimmer since a young age, at 14 his family moved from Britain to South Africa. This is where at 17 years old, Pugh undertook his first long distance swim, the seven kilometres from Robben Island to the mainland.
Throughout his adventurous career he has pushed the envelope of what was thought to be possible for any human to endure. These environmental crusades have seen him swim in predator infested waters, arctic conditions and even the entire length (346 km) of the Thames River in Britain.
All this in an effort to raise awareness on the devastating effects of global warming. He even remarked that his swim in the Artic Ocean would not have been possible six years ago, because it would have been completely frozen and the water significantly colder.
He swam at lake Pumori, a glacial lake on Mount Everest, the highest swim any person has ever undertaken, to highlight the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace.
“Glaciers are not just ice: they are a lifeline, they provide water to two billion people, and we need to protect them,” he says.
After completing his Arctic swim, Pugh said: “In many respects the swim was the ultimate experience of my life because it brought together my two greatest passions: my desire to see the world’s most spectacular places and my aim to help protect them.”
He has developed the curious ability to raise his body temperature by as much as 2°C, through a method called Anticipatory Thermo Genesis. Lewis Pugh is the only person in which this phenomena has been recorded.
When asked what his motivational advice to Namibia would be, he remembered something his commanding officer told him once he’d completed the grueling SAS training programme, “do the basics best”.
