“I expect to come back from this a changed man and I hope I can inspire others from this experience,” said James Bray 40, of Daleville as he embarked on the adventure of a lifetime to Antarctica. He is a member of an extraordinary group selected for “Leadership on the Edge.” An ensemble of 70 participants from around the world and all walks of life, it is called “IAE 6,” which is short for Inspire Antarctica Expedition Number 6.

On March 11, Bray left the comfort of his Ashley Plantation home and flew to South America to Buenos Aires then on to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. From there Bray will take an ice strengthened vessel through some of the roughest seas on earth and sail six hundred miles south through the Drake Straight.

Some 48-60 hours later, depending on the weather conditions during crossing, Bray will step on St. George’s Island, the northernmost point of the Antarctic continent, at a spot called Bellingshausen. His first visit will be the E-Base or Education Base -- the starting point for the IAE 6 in Antarctica.

How did the seemingly mild-mannered manager of one of Dutch paint and finishes giant Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc. manufacturing plants get to this point? Five months ago in his office on Roanoke Avenue S.W. in Roanoke, Bray found out he would be going on what he termed “a life changing experience.” For more than two years the company had negotiated with British explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan, the first man to walk to both the north and south poles unassisted, to send 12 of their top managers to participate in the IAE.

Swan's dream is to promote E-Base or Education Base for renewable energy to educate the world’s children about Antarctica via the Internet. Using completely renewable energy sources to power and send messages, Swan hopes to connect with young people around the world.

In 1991 Antarctica, which belongs to no one, was set off in a treaty session held in Madrid, Spain, to keep mining and drilling from the continent for fifty years until 2041. Thus www.2041.com has become one of the Web site names for Swan’s team and for their environmental activities.

Bray and his wife, Kimberely, who live in Ashley Plantation, are excited about the trip. “They haven’t lost anyone yet.” said Kimberely calmly of the five previous expeditions and her husband's departure. Daughters Rachel, 9 and Olivia, 6 are both students at Troutville Elementary School. Rachel said, “I think that Dad going to Antarctica with Robert Swan for “Leadership on the Edge” will be fantastic. I just hope he doesn’t get too cold.”

“Leadership on the Edge” has a standard that says, "Independent thought makes better, more effective people managers." By dealing with the Antarctic harshness, the managers learn how to see the world in a different way and thus can inspire with leadership and act as ambassadors for a sustainable environment.

“Antarctica has some of the most hostile conditions on earth.” Said Bray, “It is the windiest, coldest, driest place on earth.” Nominated by his boss, Doug Gilliam, the manager of the United States region for Akzo Nobel, Bray said he kept thinking it was a dream even to the hours before departure. He will be spending 12 days in Antarctica with Leadership on the Edge.

“It’s all about sustainability,” Bray noted. Akzo Nobel is ranked number one on the Dow Jones industrials for sustainability (using renewable and energy savings as part of best business practice) he mentioned and they want to stay that way. The company has developed a coating for ships and tankers that keeps barnacles from growing on the hull and thus makes the ship more energy efficient as it slices through the water. They have made special fire retardant coatings for buildings and superstructures in the wake of 9/11 and they have a special coating for the new Air Bus airplane that makes the plane more energy efficient.

Bray has a business case he must complete while in the Antarctic and he has chosen to help businesses learn to lessen the carbon footprint they leave behind in order to curtail emissions and green house gases. He will blog daily during his trip at www.missionantarctica.com.

The next step to prepare for the trip included four pages of materials he had to take with him and could fit the items into a suitcase. He had to familiarize himself with the project and the conditions in the continent down under the earth where summer time temperatures are waning into winter and that included watching "March of the Penguins" he said with a laugh.

In Antarctica on March 10, it was a balmy 32 degrees with high winds and the daylight lasted twenty hours.

Next:
Preparing for the trip and some of the activities Bray anticipates.

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