College freshman leads Antarctica conservation effort

Even as winter starts to thaw in West Philadelphia, Wharton freshman Leah Davidson’s heart lies somewhere much colder.

Davidson is dedicated to fighting for the preservation of at-risk polar regions. A Fisher-Hassenfeld College House Eco-Rep, she has written for the Penn Sustainability Review and “would love to get more people interested in polar research and education on Penn’s campus, for these regions are underrepresented in discussions on sustainability.”

But Davidson’s motivation for this cause has roots in her personal experience.

In 2011, Davidson received a scholarship to partake in a two-week trip to Antarctica from the Leacross Foundation, an organization that funds educational and business opportunities for women and children. Working with a group called Students on Ice, she wrote for literary magazines, spoke for an independently organized youth TEDTalk and delivered roughly 20 presentations about the polar regions at the conclusion of the expedition.

She also raised funds with her fellow students and staff to publish a literary anthology, targeting youth through submissions of poetry, art, stories and photography from the expedition.

“My goal in creating the book was to portray Antarctica in a way that is personal, artistic and emotional instead of based purely on hard data and scientific facts,” Davidson said. All proceeds from sales will go to the Students on Ice Foundation to support polar education.

Davidson returned not only with the cherished memory of one million Adelie penguins nestled safely with their young, but also with a new outlook on the natural world and this particular place.

“Antarctica was so extraordinarily beautiful and pristine. Growing up, I cared a lot about social justice, but I wasn’t into environmentalism or spending time amid nature, except for the occasional family camping trip. Traveling to the polar regions changed my perspective,” she explained.

Today, the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty protects Antarctica from the impending threat of resource exploitation. It is a continent devoted to what Davidson described as “peaceful international use,” a place she now feels a calling to preserve and defend.

“After returning from Antarctica, as one of only a few thousand youth who have seen it in person, I felt a tremendous responsibility to raise awareness about issues affecting the continent,” she said.

Making the dreams of many young environmentalists today a reality, Davidson took action. Her time with Students on Ice may have ended, but she is currently working with several other teenagers to launch an international outreach campaign called “Act for Antarctica.”

“The objective is to educate high school and elementary school students around the world about the polar regions and encourage them to undertake an environmental act, which could be an awareness event, a conservation project or a lifestyle change,” Davidson said.

Back on campus, Davidson has plans to speak about her experiences in several South Philadelphia elementary and high schools in the weeks leading up to Earth Day.

More interested in complementing sustainability with public policy and social entrepreneurship than with science, Davidson’s ambitions for herself and the surrounding world have only just begun.

She will take the next step in her fight for conservation this summer, spending a month doing climate change research with students from countries such as Brazil and Slovenia at the Millennium Youth Camp in Helsinki, Finland.

“I’m really excited to discuss solutions with people from all around the world,” Davidson said.

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