By the age of 33, Sir Robert Swan had become the first person to walk to both the North and South poles. His 900-mile journey across the Antarctic ice cap to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted walk ever made. On both expeditions, he experienced firsthand the effects of environmental damage on the polar icecaps. In Antarctica, his eyes were affected and the skin peeled from his face after walking for weeks under the hole in the ozone layer. In the Arctic, the team almost drowned because of melting ice caused by global warming. These experiences shaped his lifetime goal—to work for the preservation of the Antarctic as the last great wilderness on earth. In 2003, he circumnavigated Africa inspiring —and being inspired by—communities and young people on the issues of HIV/AIDS, sustainability and the environment.