Colin Angus and Julie Wafaei after their human powered trip around the world

Ray Smith / Victoria Times Colonist

Angus and Wafaei, who completed the first known human-powered circumnavigation of the globe in 2006 by rowing, skiing, cycling and walking around the world, are in the midst of planning their next emissions-free expedition.
Nine months from now, the couple will attempt a human-powered 6,500-kilometre trek from Angus' ancestral homeland of Scotland to Syria where Wafaei's family has roots.
The trip is meant not only to celebrate their upcoming marriage but to raise awareness of environmentally friendly travel alternatives.
"These years we've spent going out there and spending time in the wilderness has really helped instill a sense of environmental stewardship," Angus said in an interview from the home he shares with Wafaei near Courtenay, B.C.
"It's very important to get people to care more for the environment and to get them out there in the first place."
Wafaei and Angus are already hard at work building the rowboats they will use to travel across the English Channel, up the Rhine and Danube rivers and across the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
The boats will have the capacity to store bikes and a trailer unit that the couple will use when they choose to travel on land.
The couple is also focusing on preparing themselves both physically and mentally for the gruelling six-month trip.
Wafaei said they have made a habit of doing all their errands on foot, or on their bikes, to keep themselves in shape and maintain their goal of carbon-neutral living.
Angus said the circumnavigation left them well aware of the perils of human-powered travel.
During the five months the couple spent crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 2006, they faced two hurricanes and nearly had their bathtub-sized boat crushed by an oncoming freighter.
"It was a direct collision course. It was actually a big cresting wave off the front of the boat that pushed us off to the side like a cork," said Angus. "We missed (the freighter) by maybe a foot. It was just such a scary incident to see this wall of steel looming out of the sea at you."
The need to get mentally and physically prepared is as crucial to the upcoming project as the need to ensure the trip leaves minimal impact on the environment, he added.
While their trip will be entirely human-powered after they reach Scotland, Wafaei and Angus will be forced to take flights at the start and finish of the expedition.
To compensate for the inevitable carbon emissions the plane trips will produce, the couple is taking part in a carbon offset program - a trend which is growing in popularity with eco-friendly travellers.
Nick Garrison, Director of Communications with the carbon offset provider Zerofootprint, explains travellers can use carbon calculators to determine exactly how much they will be emitting over the course of their trip.
At a ratio of $10 per tonne of carbon emissions, travellers can then invest in offset projects such as clean energy initiatives or reforestation efforts to counteract their personal carbon output.
Garrison said that those travelling by plane are often interested in carbon offset measures, since air travel is responsible for a rising percentage of greenhouse gases.
"At present, flying accounts for between two and three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but that doesn't tell the whole story because it's the fastest-growing source of carbon dioxide emissions. The number of flights are expected to double by 2030," Garrison said.
"It's also disproportionately damaging to the environment because the CO2 is emitted at a higher atmosphere, where it has a much more damaging effect than it would at ground level."
Brian Mullis, president of Sustainable Travel International, said carbon offset projects experienced a serge in popularity in the tourism industry after the release of Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."
His organization, which promotes eco-friendly tourism and responsible travel, has helped cruise ship companies, scuba diving operators, adventure tour operators, and hotel chains to become carbon neutral through the use of offset ventures.
Mullis praised efforts such as those undertaken by Angus and Wafaei, saying environmental reforms are particularly necessary in the expanding travel and tourism industry.
According to the World Tourism Organization, there were 808-million international tourism arrivals in 2005 with the number set to reach one billion by 2010.
Although their human-powered honeymoon is still nine months away, Angus and Wafaei are occupied promoting their brand of environmentally friendly adventure and firming up wedding plans.
The couple plan to get married on Vancouver Island on Aug. 11.

© Canadian Press