A couple of years ago I was reading Douglas Adams Last chance to see and I was touched by the beautiful and funny storytelling… but I was also deeply shocked. The idea was initiated by a radio show. The author travels around the globe together with Mark Carwadine, a British zoologist, to find animals that are nearly extinguished and to see them probably for the last time.

The world changes rapidly through technologial progress and globalization. While we are sitting in our offices and in front of TV every single day 150-200 species on this planet disappear. We will never see them again! (-> WWF). Coral reefs are dying and the rainforests burning. The calculation of extinction rate doesn’t even include the rapid increase caused by climate change.

Not only nature disappears. Beautiful little fishing villages give place to large hotel chains. Traditions get lost, because young people move away from their families to live in the cities where they find better jobs. People developed their cultures over the past 500,000 years (Lind, J.; Lindenfors, P.; Ghirlanda, S.; Lidén, K.; Enquist, M. (May 7, 2013)

“Dating human cultural capacity using phylogenetic principles”, Scientific Reports. 3 (1): 1785), but due to globalization and the large expanse of modern culture ancient traditions, languages and civilizations are going to be forgotten and going to dust.

Today is not only the first day of the rest of our lives, but also the last day for many representantives of nature and culture. Exactly 30 years after the publication of the book we decided to quit our jobs, to cancel our apartments, to say goodbye to our friends and families and to go out to this world and to take a closer look at it.

I will be taking ships, backpacking, hitchhiking and driving. On my way we will collect the Dust of the World. It is my Last chance to see, share our observations of nature and culture with you, before these animals, plants or traditions might be lost tomorrow. Even more, I try to make our contribution to projects, that help to preserve nature, culture and people in need.

I am involved in the NGO Avicenna, which helps refugees and disadvantaged people in general. On my way I try to support them on site. I would be happy if you could help us, too. In our videos you can see how our donations are used.

This world will change and nature and people will suffer. But don’t just sit there and do nothing! There is always a way to help people and to protect the environent. Contribute to delay the process of change and let our children see more of the beauty of ths planet.