Stop Star Wars Greenland tour 2002: Biographies
Mads Flarup Christensen
Danish campaigner
Age 29
Mads' love of, and interest in, Greenland goes back to the early 1990's when he and his family lived in the Greenland village Kangaamiut.
Today Mads is based in Copenhagen. He has worked for Greenpeace for eight years and his current focus is Greenpeace Nordic's campaign against the Star Wars missile defence system. And last year he joined the ship MV Arctic Sunrise on the Greenpeace Stop Star Wars tour of Greenland, taking direct action to the Thule Air Base.
For Mads, it is not sleeping in a tent in minus 35 degrees Celsius, or skiing nearly 600 kilometres in harsh weather conditions, which will be the biggest challenge of this expedition. It is meeting the people of Greenland and talking to them about Star Wars and how the missile shield will affect both normal life in Greenland and world security in the future. He wants to talk to as many people as possible during the tour.
Andreas Rydbacken
Swedish video and stills photographer
Age 28
Andreas is a TV and stills photographer. When not freelancing for Greenpeace, he works on a current affairs programme for TV4 in Stockholm.
Andreas was also on board the MV Arctic Sunrise during the Greenpeace visit to Greenland in August last year. He became fascinated with the culture and nature of Greenland. And although his work for Greenpeace has taken Andreas around the world - Thailand, Svalbard, Antarctica and the USA - it is Greenland that retains a very special place in his heart.
Ulvar Arnkvaern
Norwegian dog-sled driver
Age 36
Ulvar has been active in Greenpeace for over 10 years. Using his skills as a specialised industrial climber, he has participated in over a hundred Greenpeace Direct Actions around the world. He has also spent several years campaigning in Norway, travelling along the coast talking to the small communities about several issues.
In 2000, his extensive arctic experience was a great asset to the Greenpeace team that camped in North Alaska for several months on the sea-ice. They protested against BP's Northstar project that involved exploring for oil in the pristine and sensitive Arctic environment.
This is his first visit to Greenland. He knows how important it is to talk to people about issues such as Star Wars, therefore he is looking forward to meeting people in the DiskoBay area, sharing opinions and hearing arguments for and against the system.
At the end of the day it is the people of Greenland who will have to make the decision whether or not they want Star Wars in their country, even if on paper the decision may be made elsewhere.
Thomas Neumann
Danish campaigner and activist
Age 37
Long-time Greenpeace climbing instructor and team builder, Thomas has endured a number of hardships with Greenpeace for the sake of the environment.
He's spent three weeks occupying the isolated miniscule island of Rockall, in the middle of the north east Atlantic, in a yellow solar survival capsule. And he's spent a week 100 metres above ground, in the freezing cold, blocking a dirty incinerator stack in the north of Sweden.
When not working with Greenpeace, Thomas works as a schoolteacher in Copenhagen.
Katinka Mossin
Norwegian dog-sled driver
Age 42
Katinka has many years' experience breeding and training Greenland dogs, or huskies, as they are more commonly known. She first developed an interest in dog sled driving at the age of 16, when she moved to a hut in the Norwegian woods!
Katinka was in charge of the first female expedition that crossed the ice cap of Greenland in 1990. Katinka and her 10-year old daughter, Milka, live in Norway together with 40 Greenland dogs.
