Expedition Behavior & Exploration
“The most important thing an individual can do is not be such an individual. Join together with others to make change!”
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Embrace the Planet News!
Brought to you by me, Sunniva. A gal who has done things, knows people and wants to figure out how to navigate next steps together. Sheesh we could all use some help eh?
For years, I thought being an explorer meant skiing to the South Pole, overwintering in Svalbard, or crossing Greenland’s ice sheet. I have loved and learned so much from all my sufferings and adventures which are a huge part of any expedition.If you fail to find the meaning in our personal “ into the wild” then it’s rather …pointless, yes? Here’s what those expeditions taught me: the most important exploration isn’t about conquering remote frontiers—it’s about seeing our own world with new eyes. And that’s something every single one of us can do, right where we are.
So let’s dive in and explore content that encourages seeing our world with new eyes.
🌍 Action Items Just for You
Imagine if I told you that right now—wherever you are and I mean wherever YOU ARE —you're already on the greatest expedition of your life. No ice axes, no packed sleds, no faraway mountains required. Because everything you need to navigate this adventure is already inside you, or waiting to be discovered right outside your door.
This is the power of Expedition Behavior—a term coined by wilderness pioneer Paul Petzoldt that has nothing (sort of) to do with glaciers and everything to do with how we show up for each other, especially when things get tough, mentally & physically.
On a real expedition, success depends not on individual strength, but on how the team works together: Who shares their last chocolate bar? Who keeps morale high when the storm hits? Who notices when someone is withdrawing and needs support? Who helps you when your load is too heavy?
That’s Expedition Behavior—the radical idea that our survival, and our thrival, depends on small acts of awareness, generosity, and grit. And here’s the secret: You don’t need the Arctic, Antarctic or Mt Everest to practice this. Your ‘expedition’ might be a science project, a family hardship, or a lonely lunchroom. The same rules apply. Pack your courage. Share your snacks. Watch for heavy loads. Lend a hand.
The wilderness we’re navigating now is WILD with uncertainty!—climate change, inequality, leadership inaction, a world that feels fragile, unbearable suffering—this wilderness we are navigating today demands nothing less than this: All of us, at our best, sharing kindness for each other and just plain showing up.
🌟 🌟🌟Leadership in Action: Pioneers of the Possible
Mark those Calendars. April 24th, at 1:00 PM EST for a Youtube live event with Dr Rachel Graham
Join Pioneers of the Possible to:
🐋 Meet Dr. Graham
♻️ Learn how to turn trash into treasure for the planet.
🌎 Discover your own ‘superpower’ to protect nature!"
Teachers: Register your class for free here: 🔗 Class registration Form
🌟🌟🌟 Leadership in Action: Dr. Jane Goodall’s Unstoppable Legacy!
Can you believe this woman? At 90 years young, Dr. Jane Goodall took the stage in Vancouver with a message that shook the room: “I can’t give up. I won’t give up—and we hope you won’t, either.” When asked by Music Legend Jann Arden how she sustains her grueling 300-day-a-year travel schedule to champion conservation, her answer was pure fire—not fatigue.
It was a call to arms wrapped in quiet determination, a reminder that leadership isn’t about titles; it’s about showing up, day after day, for what you believe in. Jane’s secret? She doesn’t just inspire action—she invites it.
Her Roots & Shoots program proves that every person, from kindergarteners to CEOs, has a role to play in healing our planet. Now, as she steps into her 91st year, her legacy needs more than applause—it needs allies.
Here’s Your Call to Action:
🔹 Join Team Goodall – Become part of the global force driving her mission.
🔹 Start Where You Are – Plant a pollinator garden. Advocate for conservation. Mentor a young changemaker. Join a local project as a Citizen scientist.
🔹 Embrace “Expedition Behavior” – Jane’s life is the ultimate masterclass in perseverance. Pack your grit, share your hope, and watch for others who need a hand.
Why This Matters Now:
The world doesn’t need more spectators. It needs doers—people who, like Jane, refuse to let age, doubt, or the scale of the challenge dictate their effort. Will you be one of them?
Next Steps:
✅ Visit janegoodall.org to join Team Goodall.
✅ Tag someone who embodies Jane’s spirit.
✅ Share this post with #HopeIntoAction.
As Jane says: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world. What will yours be?”
🍃 Fresh Air & Fresh Ideas
Did you know that Phytoplankton are Earth's invisible life-support system? This is proof that the smallest organisms can have the largest impacts. 🌊💙
🔹Phytoplankton are the Earth’s lungs - they generate 50–80% of the planet's oxygen through photosynthesis—more than all rainforests combined.
🔹Just think about this for a second and take a deep breath…now another…Every second breath you take comes from these tiny organisms. Dang that is so hard to believe but true!
🔹They are Base of the Marine Food Web and are primary producers: They convert sunlight and CO₂ into organic matter, feeding: Zooplankton → Small fish → Large predators (whales, sharks) → Humans. ==== WE NEED PHYTOPLANKTON
🔹 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego Masters Student Shailey Heller is currently analyzing phytoplankton samples collected during the Arctic polar night by none other than the team of Hearts in the Ice, who overwintered in a remote trappers hut in Svalbard for 19 months! For Shailey’s capstone project, she will be looking at both the community diversity and gene expression of these microscopic organisms to understand how they function during months of total darkness, a time traditionally assumed to be biologically inactive.
What’s especially meaningful to her about this project is that she’ll be incorporating Sunniva’s- personal journal entries into her final paper. Join the live event to support Hailey June 10th
How cool is this ? My reflections from living through the many polar nights ( dare I count?) will offer a powerful human context to the scientific data, allowing Shailey to connect patterns in gene expression with the lived experience of observing this unique environment in real time bringing these invisible life support systems to a more visible realm. Who says things we cannot see cannot be seen?
Stay tuned! & Thankyou for reading.
We see you, you matter!
with a hug xxx Sunniva Embrace the Planet Ambassador
T.S. Eliot was right.
The greatest exploration ends where we began—but now we see.
The ice, the trees, the soil outside your door—they’re calling.
Not for heroes, but for witnesses.
Not for risk-takers, but for caretakers.
Mother nature needs us -Will you answer?"
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