Interview with Alain Hubert about Oxfam Trailwalker
Posted on the 20.03.2010 by Michel Brent
Belgiam journalist Grégory Laermans has interviewed Alain Hubert about his support of the 2010 edition of the well known event 'Oxfam Trailwalker' due to take place this summer in Les Fagnes (Ardennes). This interview has been published in the belgian newsspapers 'De Morgen' and 'Le Soir' on February 22nd.
Posted in
Question : Why did you agree to sponsor the 2010 edition of Oxfam Trailwalker?
Answer : Simply because I share the aims that OXFAM seeks to achieve and I believe it is important to remind people that regardless of the various commitments that we all have, only by having solidarity between everyone can our societies hope to advance.
Question : For the public, you are best known for your involvement in the fight against climate warming. Do you believe that poverty and the injustice of the relationship between countries in the North and South also need to undergo changes as significant as the ones happening to the climate?
Answer : I’d say that’s pretty obvious. Today, with a constantly growing world population on an available surface area of the Earth that cannot be expanded, it’s the complexity of the various systems in the world that is making it increasingly difficult to manage this planet properly. There are so many other issues at stake: water, overpopulation, poverty, injustice, climate change, the disruption of ecosystems, and so on.
It’s against this background of turmoil that the climate sciences – and especially the research carried out in our polar regions – have enabled us to understand the causes behind these increasingly rapid changes that we are seeing at the present time. Yes, science teaches us that we have an influence over the natural evolution of the ecosystems on Earth. Our Ecological footprint is a reality and it is our species, the human race, that is responsible for some of the major climate imbalances, including the increase in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, etc.
And if we are the cause of this phenomenon, we can also be the solution.
So, for the first time in the history of human society, we have good reasons for taking another look at the issue of solidarity – not just for humanistic reasons, but particularly in terms of survival. This is an area in which our species has shown itself to be efficient in the past and hence it can do so again in the decades to come… This is the reason why we have to take the big stick to the issue of reducing CO2 emissions. By forcing us to take a fresh look at our relationship with energy, we will have to seek out a new economic and social dynamic. And to be effective, this new dynamic needs to examine and review human relationships, both inside and outside our various societies.
Question : As a modern-day adventurer, your professional commitment involves you fully as an individual. Over the course of a weekend in August, men and women alike will be walking 100 km in 30 hours to support the ideas put forward by Oxfam. What advice can you give those teams of walkers in terms of how they should train for this event?
Answer : Walking is a physical exercise that requires training for the body to be able to do it properly – and hence walking needs to become a habit. Taking time out a minimum of three times a week to go walking and gradually increasing (once a week) the distance you walk is the best way to prepare. Drinking water while on these training walks is also essential for anyone not used to the exercise to keep properly hydrated and allow the muscles to work better.
Training is all about being a little tough on yourself, too, and having discipline…
Question : Do you have any personal techniques for overcoming the effort required by what you do, such as trekking to the North Pole?
Answer : Just keep focused the moment!
Question : Over the course of an exceptional weekend, Oxfam Trailwalker will be working to support solidarity. How do you view “ordinary” solidarity as a daily activity?
Answer : By questioning what I do on a daily basis, listening to the world I live in. By asserting the essential side of solidarity and recognising the different values of the various societies we have in the world today. Because the only pathway to developing our societies lies in the diversity that they can bring one another. I believe that this is more important than ever in a western society where turning in on oneself seems to be becoming a sort of refuge, whereas in fact it is nothing but a trap that society may well become locked inside.
By Grégory Laermans
What is Oxfam Trailwalker all about?
Oxfam Trailwalker is a unique walking challenge taken up in teams. The aim is to help conquer poverty and injustice in the world. With Trailwalker, teams of four people are required to cover a distance of 100 km in a maximum of 30 hours in the Hautes Fagnes region, to raise money for the benefit of Oxfam Solidarity projects.
The first Trailwalker event was held in Hong Kong over 25 years ago. Since then, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and Japan have held their own successful editions of Trailwalker each year.
This team challenge will take place in Belgium over the last weekend in August (28th and 29th) in the magnificent natural setting of the Hautes Fagnes. Both the start and finish line will be in Eupen. In addition to its physical preparation for this unique 100 km walk, each team also undertakes to raise a minimum of 1,500 EUR for Oxfam Solidarity projects.
For many of the participants, Oxfam Trailwalker is all about achieving an exceptional sporting feat with family, friends or workmates. For others, Trailwalker gives them an opportunity to exercise and live healthily, while others still simply enjoy being part of fundraising events during the year.
Each team has to be accompanied by a team of supporters to provide emotional sustenance and keep up the supplies to participants during the event.
Teamwork
A successful Trailwalker is the result of good teamwork. Each team consists of 4 people who together walk for the 100 km. Anyone can be part of a team. The only condition is that each member must be at least 18 years old at the time the Trailwalker event takes place (28th and 29th August 2010).
Each team is accompanied by supporters who can look after the participants in various ways, both during their preparations and at the event itself. This includes helping them physically and raising funds. And the team of supporters is also an essential part of the Trailwalker event itself, providing plenty of applause and encouragement for their team at the start and finish – and anywhere between the two! This psychological support is very important, particularly during the night-time hours. So if you are torn between giving up and making it to the end, it’s your supporters who will make all the difference! They will provide vital logistical support by keeping the walkers well supplied with food, soft drinks and clean clothes. etc. They also prepare the way for comfortable breaks by supplying chairs and folding beds. And when it’s all over, they have one more important task to fulfil: to take the weary walkers back home, safe and sound!
Oxfam Trailwalker : 100 km within 30 hours
© Oxfam
