Expedition Copenhagen educated and empowered youth to influence national climate policy and international climate negotiations through an interdisciplinary curriculum, delegation and grassroots advocacy, culminating at the Copenhagen convention (COP15).

The Will Steger Foundation launched Expedition Copenhagen, a Midwest youth delegation to the international climate negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 5-19, 2009, led by internationally renowned polar explorer Will Steger. Delegates assumed a leadership role in a regional climate campaign to pass strong climate legislation leading up to the international negotiations, and also supported the Will Steger Foundation Citizen Climate curriculum in schools across the United States.

The expedition goals were to:

1. Build U.S. awareness of climate policy and investment in strong participation in the confer- ence.
2. Highlight the unique role of the Midwest re- gion since the Midwest is a key player in driving national climate policy, public opinion, and the renewable energy revolution.
3. Bring the U.S. youth voice to the negotiations whose future is at stake.

Download the Expedition Copenhagen Final Report (PDF 2.9 MB)

With generous support from the US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Toyota City and over 40 organizations, the Will Steger Foundation was able to execute a 10-day Tour of the Upper Midwest, across four states and seven cities from October 13-22, 2008.

The “Longest Summer Tour” (Tour) provided an opportunity to highlight and elevate the great resources and efforts on climate change already underway in the Upper Midwest. Since there is already significant progress in this region on clean energy and climate change solutions, the Tour highlighted regional leadership from a cross-generational perspective and the strategies and policies already in place at the regional, state, and local level that reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the Tour provided vivid accounts of the impacts of global warming to the Arctic and the Great Lakes, and examples of citizen solutions. Ultimately, the Tour aimed to introduce climate change solution strategies geared towards individuals, communities, campuses and faith-based organizations.

Download the Longest Summer Tour Program Recap 10 MB

On March 29, 2008, the Will Steger Foundation launched its second Global Warming 101 Expedition, a 62-day, 1,400-mile dogsled expedition across Ellesmere Island. Renowned explorer Will Steger selected six young adventurers, ages 21–28, to join him in an effort to educate youth, inspire international coopera- tion and empower the next generation of leaders to advocate for the environment.

Steger and his teammates traveled in Canada’s High Arctic where the last remaining ice shelves in North America exist – to capture disintegrating ice caps, re- treating glaciers and the destruction of wildlife habitat.

From the adventures of dog-sledding across exception- al stretches of Arctic Ocean ruins, to the unexpected challenges of a refashioned topography, to surprising polar bear encounters, Steger and his team bore wit- ness to an inimitable firsthand account of the effects of global warming.

Download the complete Ellesmere Island Program Recap 2.7 MB