I remember this day, Earth Day, last year with crystalline clarity - a few miles left until the North Pole, a bitter and biting wind, winding our way through moving pans of ice. And this weird combination of fatigue and relief. Awe and fear.

After 51 days of skiing, snow shoeing and sometimes swimming across the Arctic Ocean in temperatures that routinely hovered around minus 30, it felt good to be nearing the end. I was exhausted and wanted to go home.

There was also the usual mix of expedition pragmatism. Since the Arctic Ocean sea ice is constantly moving, I was hoping that the position of the Geographic North Pole was not in the middle of an open water lead or huge pressure ridge. In the end, we got lucky - skiing directly there in a straight line across a huge flat pan of ice. We took a couple of pictures and we climbed into the tent and fell asleep, exhausted.

For the rest of my life now, Earth day will have an extra meaning as the completion of the North Pole leg of the Save the Poles expedition.

But one year later I still find myself asking, 'so what'? Have my efforts made the world a better place? Do the benefits of my expedition out way the costs? Am I a better person because of this journey? With our national government floundering on climate change legislation the success of the Save the Poles expedition seems more elusive than anything.

I have been on the road a lot lately. Taking my polar slide show and extravaganza to pretty much anyone who will listen. It's fun to connect with people on in a more one on one basis and answer an odd assortment of questions.

People always ask what they can do to stop global warming so I thought I would take this day of days to reiterate a few simple things that we can ALL do to help protect our planet for future generations.

1. Have a voice - vote! 2. Continue to support the Clean Air Act - tell your legislators that we need clean air! 3. Mass Transportation! 4. Begin with one step. Check out the 'Resource Use Checklist' on my web site to find out where you can save energy, money and most importantly the planet! http://ericlarsenexplore.com/globalwarming/

One year ago today I wrote... 'There is no question that now, in the 21st century, we need to use resources to ensure our health and survival. But which resources we use, how we use them (and in what quantities) and if they are renewable are cornerstone to preserving our planet for future generations. Ultimately, when we view ourselves part of a whole, we can begin to understand how our actions affect other people and the planet.'

Happy Earth Day!