The Space for Life Key Partner of the Sedna IV 1000 Days for the Planet Mission

MONTREAL, Feb. 22, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Space for Life is once again confirming its commitment to preserving and safeguarding biodiversity, by supporting the Sedna IV mission. Starting on June 22 and for 1000 days, the Montréal Botanical Garden will host the 1000 Days for the Planet Base Camp. The Camp, the land-based "anchor" for the mission, will let members of the public follow the ship's adventures every day and chat live with the Sedna IV's crew.

For three years, a number of nature interpreters from the Space for Life will be actively involved in shipboard life. Our correspondents will maintain this special link with the Base Camp, keeping us abreast of happenings on this exciting expedition and sharing their observations.

"For 1000 days, our visitors will be able to share in Sedna IV's mission and take the pulse of our planet. We are inviting them on a voyage to the heart of life itself, an adventure full of courage and hope, and one we are very proud to be associated with. Our Base Camp promises to be an extraordinary blend of science and emotion, combining interactive equipment, videos, artifacts and very up-to-date scientific content," explains Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Executive Director of the Space for Life.

1000 Days for the Planet / Base Camp
In a special setting designed to be both moving and somewhat unsettling, created by the designers of Vous êtes ici, headed by "K" (Karine Lanoie), 1000 Days for the Planet / Base Camp will offer an original, immersive and evolving experience, looking at the state of our planet's biodiversity. At the Biodiversity Centre, visitors will be able to watch Space for Life researchers at work, share their experiences and learn more about their personalities, passions and goals. To increase their awareness and encourage them to take action, the Base Camp will be set up like a stroll through nature, exposing them to biodiversity through unusual, yet concrete examples.

Day 1 of the 1000 Days for the Planet mission
In the coming weeks, at the Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre, where the Base Camp will be established, the countdown will officially begin! Day 1 of the 1000 days of this adventure at sea - and on land - will be marked by the first live communication with the Sedna IV crew, once they have reached their first stop.

Long-standing collaboration
The Biodôme and Jean Lemire have been working together for many years now. The adventure started with the Biodôme's participation in his film Meetings with Whales of the St. Lawrence, in the mid 1990s. It continued in 2006, as Antarctic Mission, Live at the Biodôme allowed thousands of our visitors to speak directly with the ship's crew. Some of our staff also visited schools to help teachers explain the mission to students. In 2007 and 2008, a Biodôme team set up shop in the Old Port of Montréal, aboard the Sedna IV when it was moored there. They offered educational activities for the general public and students, to make them aware of climate change through videos shot during Sedna IV's Antarctic Mission, an exhibition on ecological footprints at the Sedna-Cascades-Rebut global Space and guided tours of the Sedna IV.

The Biodôme, Insectarium, Botanical Garden and Planetarium are launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the bonds between humankind and nature.

The Space for Life is also a place where people come together to create and to cultivate a new way of living, shaped by Montrealers and people from around the world. 

For further information:

Nadine Fortin, Communications Co-ordinator
514 868-3053/514 250-7753
[email protected] 

Anik Robichaud-Gauvin, Marketing Representative
514 868-3123
[email protected]