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Mainstream Renewable Power sponsors Irish quest for Arctic Passage world first

Journey Route
Global wind and solar company, Mainstream Renewable Power today announced its sponsorship of a rowing expedition attempting a world first through the infamous Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic this summer. Three experienced Irish adventurers and one Canadian are attempting to become the first ever people to cross the 3,000 km passage by human power alone in a single season – a feat which is only possible due to the melting ice which normally renders it impassable.

Irishmen Paul Gleeson, Denis Barnett and Kevin Vallely along with Canadian Frank Wolf will set off from Inuvik in the North WestTerritories on the first of July in their 25ft long customized rowing boat “The Arctic Joule”. The four men will row in continuous shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week as the route will be in constant daylight for the majority of the journey which is expected to take two to three months, ending at Pond Inlet in Nunavut.

Eddie O’Connor, chief executive of Mainstream Renewable Power, said: “Mainstream is proud to sponsor this expedition because it draws attention to the disasters of global warming. The expedition can only happen because the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. The melting of the permafrost and the release of methane hydrate is perhaps the biggest single calamity that mankind faces and it’s all down to human-induced global warming. This expedition allows us to demonstrate to the world that there is an answer to global warming. We don’t have to do without electricity. We can have our electricity supplied by renewable sources.”