can do for the
environment
Alex Honnold
Born in 1985 in Sacrament, California. His free solo numerous achievement that he only uses climbing shoes and chalks to keep their fingers dry made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. While he challenges various expeditions as The North Face athlete, Alex founded the Honnold Foundation that aims to reduce environmental impact and address inequality by supporting solar energy initiatives worldwide.
Summary
“Free Solo” is a form of climbing where the climbers climb hundreds of meters of walls alone without ropes nor other safety equipment. Alex Honnold is the world-renowned athlete who keeps archived unprecedented climbing and raised the limit of humanity in this ultimate climbing style. He told about the environmental changes that he encountered while traveling the world, his practice for human development and environmental issues triggered by the experience, and his vision of a sustainable society.
climbing - the feeling of using my body
to ascend.
I just love the motion. ”
Please tell us what made you start climbing?
I always loved climbing on things, so as a child that meant climbing trees and buildings. An indoor climbing gym opened in my hometown when I was around 10 years old and my parents took me in to try it out. I loved it immediately and have been rock climbing ever since. I’ve always loved the movement of climbing - the feeling of using my body to ascend. It’s elemental in a way, like running or swimming. I just love the motion.
What led you to start a free solo?
There’s a rich history of free solo climbing in California, where I grew up. So I was always aware of it as a style of climbing and I was always somewhat interested. As I got older I realized that it was also an incredibly easy way to climb - no need for a partner or gear. I could go out any time and do whatever I wanted. And the sensations of free soloing are much more powerful than roped climbing, just because there are such higher consequences.
live
without access to power and it made
a lasting impression. ”
Please share with us the story of why you
founded the Honnold foundation
and get interested in solar power.
The Honnold Foundation promotes solar energy for a more equitable world - so basically we support solar energy access projects that help communities in need.
When I first started the Foundation I was interested in any projects that helped the environment and also improved the lives of human communities. SolarAid(*1) was one of the first organizations that I found which seemed to be doing obviously win-win kind of work - they helped people with no access to power transition from kerosene lamps to solar lanterns, which has a tremendous impact on both users’ health and the environment. Over the years we consistently supported other kinds of solar projects until we eventually just changed the mission statement to support solar specifically. Part of my initial interest in groups like SolarAid was the result of a The North Face expedition to Chad in which we climbed new routes on sandstone towers in a remote corner of the country. It was my first time really being exposed to the fact that a billion people on earth live without access to power and it made a lasting impression.
(*1)
SolarAid is an international charity, founded in 2006 by Jeremy Leggett who is featured on time magazine as “the young leader promoting renewable energy”. They provide access to solar lights in East Africa to help catalyse solar markets and eradicate the kerosene lamp.
Please tell us the reason why the Honnold Foundation focuses on
supporting
community-scale especially in the developing countries?
We actually support a lot of projects domestically as well, so it’s not just work abroad.
But basically we support projects that make the most sense, and often times money has a bigger impact abroad.
Some of the projects that we’ve supported in East Africa, such as SolarAid, are able to have a much bigger human impact per dollar spent than a similar project in the US.
But human development and environmental issues are global - we will always work where we can have the most meaningful impact.
we’re
on a tiny space ship together.”
Have you noticed any changes or
environmental pollution while you climb walls?
The biggest environmental changes that I’ve seen through my climbing are all in bigger mountains such as Patagonia or Alaska - I’ve seen glaciers receding year over year and seen routes that used to be considered stable ice climbs no longer firm. Those are the kinds of changes that I worry the most about - seeing litter on a trail is unfortunate, but it’s not nearly as consequential as melting glaciers. Glaciers provide drinking water for hundreds of millions of humans, not to mention the billions more who live near coast lines. Seeing our glaciers melt is probably the most alarming thing I’ve experienced as a climber.
In order to realize a sustainable future,
what kind of awareness we
need to act with?
This is a huge question, but sometimes I wish that we could all imagine that we’re on a tiny space ship together. The earth is a closed system, and a relatively small one in the grand scheme of the universe. I wish that we could treat it accordingly. When you live in a van or in a small space you have
What is the ideal future landscape that you
want to leave
for the future generation?
I’m not totally sure, but ideally one that still has wild nature intact.
Personally, I fantasize about a more futuristic, ultra modern society that leaves more land wild for nature.
Urbanization is continuing, and as more humans live in cities it leaves land available for other uses - I hope that much of that land will someday revert to a state of wilderness.
If humans were more efficient with our use of energy and land we could have a much lower impact on the world around us - we just haven’t chosen that path yet because we haven’t been forced to.
Please tell us your future plan.
I’ve been focused on the climbing around my home in Las Vegas. No specific plan, just trying to climb my best and continue to improve. The Honnold Foundation is supporting a bunch of exciting new projects this year, so I’ve been working on those. But basically I’m just continuing to climb my best - we’ll see what happens…