Radu Ciotirca on meeting Robert Swan

The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”
Robert Swan, OBE

Robert is an adventurer and explorer that teaches us that we all have to do something for a better planet and for the future.

I had the honor of meeting Robert Swan, OBE, at the Energy Engineering Congress some years ago, and I was fascinated by the simplicity of words and meanings he laid upon audience. The story of Planet Earth and Nature is simple, but someone has to tell it and tell it well. Robert Swan is that amazing and necessary storyteller.

Robert Swan is the first person to walk to both South and North Poles. He’s done so with care for environment, without energy sources that we’d be afraid not to pack with us, living a sustainable journey and using resources that Sun and Planet Earth still offer and provide.

These journeys gave him a firsthand look at the devastating effects of climate change. Since then, he has made it his mission to protect the Antarctica and our planet in general. He leads expeditions and gives talks to provide others with that same passion for preservation. The hope is that they return revved up to make positive environmental policy changes at work and in their own lives.

Robert Swan, one of history’s greatest explorers, found in his natural habitat

Introducing myself is most definitely easier than walking the poles. I am joining this beautiful community and family at UHN in the Energy & Environment Team after 8.5 years at University of Toronto. The past was great, but the future will be amazing.

I am an environmentalist myself, though at a different scale than great explorers. There is a big contribution that each of us as individuals can bring to Planet Earth in every moment and wherever we are. There is an even larger contribution we can do together: in government, businesses, schools and hospitals like here at UHN.

I have worked in the field of energy and sustainability in almost all provinces in Canada and also UK, traveling to the charming coasts of England, Wales and Scotland.

I do my part of being a green and sustainable person in my daily routines, but also my role in passing the knowledge to younger generations. That and tennis, a game I have played for over 40 years and also pass down to my son.