Need your help...

[Polly]

Ooh, lots of good ideas thank you! Keep them coming!

I've looked into having a theme like maybe a different animal for each book, or perhaps even trying to find an issue in each of the different continents.
I've also considered whether I can make direct links to how we live in the UK today...and the knock-on effect that this has on other places in the world.
It's all a very big thing to look at and I'm quite excited about the prospect of maybe being able to do this project after all. I often have these 'wouldn't it be cool if...' kind of ideas but funding is always the problem.

And obviously I'm going to have to work quite hard at disguising the fact that I'm secretly hoping for a free round-the-world diving trip! ;-)

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A new idea I've just had, which will probably help me to get the cash as it's more appropriate to what schools are doing at the moment, is 'Small Footprints, Big Ideas'. Looking at reasons behind trying to reduce carbon footprints and the direct impact it could have on people in different parts of the world...

Pfft....my brain hurts.

[frogman@614]

Are your conservation issues pertaining to marine wildlife only or would you be interested in land dwelling creatures too? If so, why not head out to Kenya. Apart from everything else that is endangered out there (land and sea based) the coral reefs are being trodden to death by tourist and locals alike. There may be an angle on the affect it is having on the local marine eco systems. If you need contacts out there I have the details of a really friendly couple who run a centre on Tiwi beach, south of Mombassa.

[PeterT]

(09-09-2008 07:02 PM)frogman@614 Wrote:  I have the details of a really friendly couple who run a centre on Tiwi beach, south of Mombassa.

That would'nt be Mike and Sonja would it? Barracuda Diving.

[Polly]

I'm happy to write stories about any issues, as long as I feel that they're appropriate for the age group to be able to understand. The marine thing is only because if I'm clever about designing the project then I can get plenty of diving in without having to pay for the travel.

And I know I should be more concerned with saving the world and all that but....you know...I like my holidays so I'm just trying to combine work and pleasure if I can. I've never understood why some people seem to think that's a bad thing?!

[Polly]

Update:

I have been shortlisted to receive the grant which would pay my travel and expenses for up to 3 months - about £5000, I think.

I now have a week to finalise my plans for the project to present to them and then hope to get to interview stage!

The project is now called 'Little Footprints' and will be a series of children's books - ideally one written in each continent. The stories all feature a problem that is causing or has been caused by global warming and the characters in the story will solve it in some story-style magical way. The back of the book will then feature 3 simple steps that people can take to reduce their own carbon-footprints so it becomes educational for little ones, as well as a good story, showing how they could really help to solve the problem.

I think I can only travel for 3 months so won't be able to get to every place in one go. I'm going to write one in the UK before I go, hopefully one in the Caribbean while I'm there in April and then another one on Gili T about turtles next summer.

So that leaves a few other places to look at now - Africa, South America, Oceania and Antarctica!

I think I could just about squeeze those 4 into 3 months but I need to link it to the project as well as the diving! I can't quite get away with making every book based on marine life but reckon I could get some bloody good diving in alongside whatever else I'm doing. South America would probably be a good place to be looking into rainforests... any ideas about the others?? It really needs to be something that the children can understand as a direct link to carbon footprints / global warming etc but bear in mind they're only about 6 years old!

This is one of the links I'm using as a starting point but I'm still no nearer to deciding how to organise something so big!
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherew...index.html

Actually, this list gives me more ideas...and look at the diving opportunities on this one! Also, if I was to go to Tanzania and investigate the shrinking snowy top of Kilimanjaro...then I could maybe get to climb it after all!

http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/climatecha...lAodXHU8YA

[ScubaDiva]

Hi Polly,

this project sounds amazing (diving apart) - if you need anyone to carry bags . . .

Anyway how about Costa Rica in South America for the rainforest/cloud forest then a quick nip to the coast for a plunge?

Penguins in Antartica and how climate change is affecting their habitat?

What are you thinking for Oceanis - Oz, NZ, or more remote Pacific atolls?

Lol.

[Polly]

I'm very confused about it all! Too much choice! And it's also quite difficult to know where would be the best place for me to go without doing months of research...I only have a few days.

Costa Rica is a definite possibility and as for Oceania? I've always wanted to see New Zealand but there's some fab diving to be had in parts of Oz that I've not visited yet. Obviously I'm drawn to the Pacific Atolls... and I would LOVE to go to Antarctica.

I'll combine it with as much as diving as I can but it might also be a good way for me to see a few parts of the world that I wouldn't normally pay to go to as I know I'll always spend my money on diving destinations anyway.

Just off to the shop to buy myself an atlas and hopefully a book entitled "How to Save the World and Bag Some Great Diving While You're At It"...

[bottlefish]

Antartica is going to take a huge chunk out of your funding (congratulations, by the way!)....

NZ, I'm not sure that you'll find many obvious affects of GW, so may be a bit hard to tie in with the project...

South Pacific/Atolls, I can suggest a number of beautiful places that you could go to, with world class diving, water levels and fish depletion are big issues.....but it's going to be expensive. Saying that, a friend of mine is doing marine research off a yacht in Vanuatu at the mo, I believe she's heading out again next year as well.... I could put you in touch, although she would probably want you on board for more then just a few weeks?

Australia could be a good choice, declination of the reef and fish stocks across the years, in GBR and Ningaloo, also the huge droughts they face on a continual basis and their effect on the environment and wildlife, the rise in sun associated skin cancer... and awareness in Oz is good, so you should get plenty of help.

[ScubaDiva]

Check out this - http://www.tribewanted.com/

You couldn't dive here but it is pretty cool what they are doing.

As for the Pacific atolls - like a trip to antartica they are also expensive to get. Have you got co-funding to go along with the £5000 if you get it?

[PeteStewart]

Ho Polly,

Well done & good luck with the project.

As far as S America goes, what about Belize, great diving, rain forest & issues.

Have you looked at http://marinebio.org/ for ideas?

Pete