Bernice Notenboom (born 1 June 1962, in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
) is a Dutch journalist and film producer, described in several sources as a "professional adventuress" on account of her well publicised expeditions to some of the most environmentally stressed corners of our planet. She has come to wider prominence through her succession of Documentary films, warning against the perils of
Global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
. She is a long-standing contributor to
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
. In January 2008 she hit the headlines in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
as the first Dutch woman to travel to the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
on skis, an enterprise which involved a
ski-trek of several hundred kilometers (>500 miles).
The next year she became only the second Dutch woman to climb to the top of
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
.
Life
Bernice Notenboom was born in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
. As a child she fell in love with the mountains during annual family holidays in the
Swiss Alps
The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...
from which, as she later confessed to an interviewer, she always returned to the flatness of her homeland "with ... a heavy heart".
[ In other respects she was, at least by her own reckoning, an inconspicuous and, for her school teachers, eminently forgettable little girl.][
After leaving school she studied ]Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
at Delft
Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
before moving on to the (original) University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
, emerging in 1988 with a master's degree in Communication studies
Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differen ...
. In 1988 she moved to North America, obtaining in 1990 a Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
degree at the University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
(Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
). Since that time she has made her home alternately in the Netherlands and in North America, most recently on the eastern approaches of the Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...
.[ Press releases make mention of her having "worked pparently brieflyon Wall Street". In 1992 she joined Microsoft, accepting a position as a marketing manager, and remaining with the (at that time) Seattle-based corporation for approximately two years.][ Her responsibilities involved promoting ]Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
internationally.
She would later recall a moment of decision in 1994 which came to her during her fourth business trip from Seattle to Taiwan in a single month. Through the window of the aeroplane she saw Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
, which she had intended to climb for many years: but there had never been time. She resolved to abandon the corporate career ladder in favor of something more congenial. The next ten years were spent setting up and running "Moki Treks" her own "rafting company" in Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, that aimed "to raise awareness of indigenous cultures" and employed "Native Americans as travel guides and cultural emissaries". Working in a seasonal business and being her own boss meant she was able to make plenty of time for "expeditions" to wild places, mostly involving mountains. By 2004, when she sold the business to pursue a life as a full-time "adventuress-writer", she had also become a regular contributor to National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
. During her time in Utah, Bernice Notenboom also acquired a husband: their union broke up in response to her energetic pursuit of her adventurous expeditions (''"... spannende expedities"''), however.[
In 2010 Notenboom wrote her book "Tegenpolen" (''Between Poles'') which concerned expeditions to ]Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
, Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
, the North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
and the South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
. The previous year she had become only the second Dutch woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
.[ (The first, ten years earlier, was Katja Staartjes.]) The Mount Everest expedition provided a basis for her film "Himalaya Alert", directed by Mark Verkerk, which draws attention to the so-called Asian brown cloud
The Indian Ocean brown cloud or Asian brown cloud is a layer of air pollution that recurrently covers parts of South Asia, namely the northern Indian Ocean, India, and Pakistan. Viewed from satellite photos, the cloud appears as a giant brown sta ...
phenomenon, was transmitted by the Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation (''"Boeddhistische Omroep Stichting"'' / BOS). The film won a prize at the Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
Film Festival. Another adventure-expedition around this time involved journeying by Kayak
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...
between Bamako
Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...
and Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
, along the Bani
Bani may refer to:
Places Africa
*Bani Department, a department in the Séno Province of Burkina Faso
*Bani, Bani, Séno, Burkina Faso
* Bani, Bourzanga, Bam, Burkina Faso
*Bani, Gnagna, Burkina Faso
* Bani, The Gambia
*Bani River, a tributary ...
and Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...
s in Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
. She teamed up with the meteorologist-activist Margot Ribberink Margot (; ) is a feminine French given name, a variant of Marguerite. It is also occasionally a surname. Persons named Margot include the following:
People with the given name Margot
* Margot Asquith, countess of Oxford and Asquith
* Marguerite ...
to produce the 2011 film "Desert Alert" in Mali. The film highlights some of the social consequences of climate change
The effects of climate change impact the physical environment, ecosystems and human societies. The environmental effects of climate change are broad and far-reaching. They affect the Effects of climate change on the water cycle, water cycle, ...
in developing countries.
In 2012/2013 she produced and presented the six part television series "Klimaatjagers" (''"Climate Hunters"'') for the VPRO
The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more soc ...
(Netherlands) and Canvas (Belgium)
Canvas is a Belgian television channel of the Flemish public broadcasting organisation Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). Specialising in both original and adaptations from western Europe and North America, the channel offers: i ...
television companies. Notenboom presented and co-produced another six-point series, "Tipping Points", in 2013. The series addressed the issue of ecosystem collapse
An ecosystem is considered collapsed when its unique biotic (characteristic biota) or abiotic features are lost from all previous occurrences. Ecosystem collapse causes ecological collapse within a system; essentially altering its stability, re ...
s being triggered by temperature increases of just a few degrees: it was broadcast on mainstream television channels in a number of European countries and in North America.
In 2014 Notenboom started work on filming "The Arctic March" in the course of another Arctic expedition on skis, traveling from the North Pole to Canada. The film was intended as a co-production with the Canadian academic Sarah Robertson about the fate of the North Pole ice sheet. The intention was to cover a distance of 800 km, but the expedition had to be abandoned after 660 km because melting ice made its continuation too dangerous. Another Arctic Expedition is planned for 2020.
Her 52-minute television documentary film "Sea Blind" was produced – again in partnership with Sarah Robertson – in 2016. It was again broadcast internationally in various countries and has been screened in various cinemas round the world subsequently. Described as an "impact film", the production has been designed to influence public and business opinion, and thereby to influence political decisions.[ The film was shewn during the London meeting of the ]International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...
to influence the decision to reduce the sulphur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
percentages in shipping fuel. "Sea Blind" in some ways represented an international breakthrough. Special versions were produced in Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
and German.
Bernice Notenboom's book "Arctica, mijn biografie van de Noordpool" (''"Arctica: my biography of the North Pole"'') appeared in 2018.
Recognition (not a complete list)
* In 2011 Bernice Notenboom was one of six writers short-listed for the Bob den Uyl travel literature prize for her book "Tegenpolen".
* In 2016 the mayor of Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, Ahmed Aboutaleb
Ahmed Aboutaleb ( ar, أحمد أبو طالب; born 29 August 1961) is a Dutch politician of Moroccan origin, he is of the Labour Party (PvdA) and a journalist. He has been the Mayor of Rotterdam since 5 January 2009.
Early life and career ...
, nominated Bernice Notenboom as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open ...
.
* In 2016 Bernice Notenboom received the Wubbo Ockels
Wubbo Johannes Ockels (28 March 1946 – 18 May 2014) was a Dutch physicist and astronaut with the European Space Agency who, in 1985, became the first Dutch citizen in space when he flew on STS-61-A as a payload specialist. He later becam ...
prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements. from the "Springtij" sustainability forum.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Notenboom, Bernice
Writers from Rotterdam
Dutch women journalists
21st-century Dutch journalists
Environmental journalists
Dutch documentary film directors
Dutch documentary film producers
1962 births
Living people