LOUIS TRICHARDT - The historical Earthship Mission Possible Yacht 2041, transported on a huge trailer, visited Louis Trichardt on Tuesday (18th) on which occasion the mayor of Makhado signed a pledge to keep the town waste free.

The mayor, Cllr Brighton Tlakula, signed the Earthship's logbook as a commitment to "Clean up and live better". The book was also signed by Minister Vali Musa as well as the mayors of all the cities and towns visited by the Earthship.

Cllr Tlakula received an official letter from the mayor of Cape Town explaining the Waste Wise Campaigns of the mother city. The official handover and pledging was held on the premises of Ridgeway College where the ship lodged for the night. The ceremony was attended by scholars from Ridgeway College, Ridgeway Independent School, Emmanuel Christian School and others.

The children were told that the Earthship Yacht 2041 was used by the legendary Prof Robert Swan who was the first person to walk to both to the South and the North Pole. In the course of his South Pole expedition, the expanding hole in the ozone layer affected his skin and seared his eyeballs. He the realised that the world is not doing enough for its environment. That was the message he conveyed at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 where he was given five minutes to speak. He was then invited to come back in a decade's time with a decisive environmental action involving industry, business and the youth.

Prof. Swan took immediate action by taking a team of young people from different nations on Yacht 2041 on Mission Antarctica. They removed over 1 000 tons of waste spread over seven kilometres at the Russian Scientific Antarctic base.

The children of Louis Trichardt learnt that waste did not deteriorate at all in the Antarctic where temperatures could drop to minus 65ºC. They especially liked the part where it was told that Prof. Swan found biscuits left by the legendary explorer Scott in 1910 that were still edible ninety years later.

When Yacht 2041 returned to Cape Town from Antarctica, it embarked on probably the most extraordinary journey of its life. The yacht travels overland on a purpose-built trailer from Cape Town via a circuitous route, including Louis Trichardt, Messina and Thohoyandou on its way to deliver a message to the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg during August 2002. The youth of Louis Trichardt will be part of the representation at the World Summit in the form of a separate information booklet for the town containing inter alia photos of the children and their letters.

The children had the opportunity to take a pledge to keep their environment clean. Mary Murphy, environmental consultant accompanying the Earthship, said that it is important to connect with children because they are the future custodians of the environment. The mayor addressed the children and announced Mission Louis Trichardt/Makhado. Cllr Tlakula motivated the children to volunteer to clean their schools and homes.

Earthship Mission Possible is in partnership with the loveLife organisation that promotes informed choices, responsible sexuality and a healthy lifestyle. The team travelling with the ship are role models and ambassadors for the fight against HIV/Aids and for the responsible management of the environment. Their message is "Clean up your act" whether it pertains to the environment or to a healthy lifestyle. Their strategy is "Think globally, act locally."

Yacht 2041 is twenty metres long and weighs fifty tons. It was built in England and to date seventy young people from 23 nations have joined Yacht 2041 on its sea journey. Five were from South Africa. The ship has travelled 40,000 nautical miles and will travel 12,000 kilometres by land to the World Summit.

Due to logistic problems the Earthship didn't arrive in Louis Trichardt on 17 June as publicised, but on 18 June. On 19 June the Earthship and its transport fleet left for Messina.

For more information Mary Murphy may be contacted at 082 782 9959.