Inside the Station: Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Exhibition for Tour & Taxis
Brussels, December 3rd 2012 - Opening on December 22nd, Inside the Station takes visitors on an interactive journey inside Belgium’s legendary Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. People of all ages will experience daily life in the frozen south, the importance of polar science, and the continuing evolution of the world’s first zero emission polar research station.
In just four days in 2007, 35,000 people flocked to celebrate the launch of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica at Tour & Taxis, before it was shipped south for deployment as a landmark wind and solar-powered centre for international polar scientific research.
Five years later, station operator the International Polar Foundation, welcomes the public to once again share in the Belgian success story that is Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. Inside the Station opens at Tour & Taxis, Brussels, on December 22, and runs until May 31, and features amazing reconstructions of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, which give visitors the opportunity to experience first hand:
- The technologies used at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica– the smart grid, the renewable energy systems, and more
- The incredible Antarctic environment - including glaciers and wildlife
- Logistics – getting arduous journey to the Antarctic – using satellites, aircraft, ships, and tractors
- The Science – the scientific programmes at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, which help us to learn more about our planet’s mechanisms
- Daily Life – Working, eating, sleeping and managing energy in the frozen south
- Princess Elisabeth Antarctica is an example of how we can deal with climate change – and the actions we can take at a personal and community level to respond to this challenge.
Inside the Station coincides with Belgium’s Antarctic Research mission (BELARE 2012-2013) Antarctic season, during which some 30 scientists from Belgium and other countries will live and work at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.
For more information, including detailed information on ticketing, opening hours and directions, please visit www.insidethestation.be
Family and group rates are available.
More information about Princess Elisabeth Antarctica
Press Contact
+32 (2) 543 06 98
info@insidethestation.be
Princess Elisabeth Antarctica
As an Antarctic legacy project of the 2007-2009 International Polar Year, Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station was designed and built to respect the letter and spirit of the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. But the project went a step further: Princess Elisabeth is the world’s first Zero Emission polar research station.
Located in East Antarctica’s Sør Rondane Mountains, Princess Elisabeth Antarctica welcomes scientists from around the world to conduct research in this little-studied and pristine environment.
Operated by the International Polar Foundation, in partnership with the Belgian Polar Secretariat, the station is an evolving technical prototype and a strong expression of Belgian ingenuity and innovation. Princess Elisabeth Antarctica’s design and construction seamlessly integrates passive building technologies, renewable wind and solar energy, water treatment facilities, continuously monitored power demand and a smart grid for maximising energy efficiency.
Princess Elisabeth Antarctic was launched at Brussels venue Tour & Taxis in 2007, drawing 35,000 visitors in just four days, before it was shipped to Antarctica for deployment.
The success of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica marks an important development in the philosophy of sustainable development, demonstrating how the climate challenge can be met through goodwill and collaboration between civil society, business and governments. The project proves how readily accessible technology can be harnessed to achieve a low carbon society, without compromising our collective or individual wellbeing.
The energy solutions perfected at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica are already being successfully commercialised by the project’s technical partners for use in mainstream applications.
The International Polar Foundation
Based in Brussels, Belgium, the International Polar Foundation recently celebrated 10 years of achievement. The Foundation communicates and educates on polar science and polar research as a way to understand key environmental and climate mechanisms, and is the operator of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica polar research station.
Created with the objective of providing a novel interface between science and society, it was recognised by Belgian Royal Statute as a foundation for the public good in 2002. The foundation seeks to bring about a keener appreciation of the role of science, particularly research in the Polar Regions, through a re-examination of the planet’s interconnections, its fragility, the impact of human actions on the environment, and the evolution of millennial climate cycles.
The International Polar Foundation supports polar scientific research for the advancement of knowledge, the promotion of informed action on climate change, and the development of a sustainable society.