Environmentalist

‘‘In 2004 I was in Sydney doing an MBAand to finish the degree you had to write a 20,000-word project on anything you wanted that had an economic or business impact. So I wrote about alternative fuels for road transport. And through it I became a convert to biodiesel. So this is kind of the start of my environmentalism.’’

The result was Earthrace, a futuristiclooking biofuel-powered vessel launched in 2006 to promote the then-novel concept as a realistic alternative to fossil fuels.

After two attempts stricken with rough weather and breakdowns, Bethune completed a circumnavigation. He eventually sold the boat to an American investor and captained it on behalf of activist group Sea Shepherd during its anti-whaling expeditions in the Southern Ocean.

It was there in 2010 that Earthrace collided with a Japanese vessel and sank in controversial circumstances. It was his boarding of a Japanese vessel later that season that led to his time in a Japanese jail.

An acrimonious row between Bethune and Sea Shepherd over the collision and its aftermath saw Bethune dissociate himself from the group upon his release.

Despite this, Bethune’s passion for conservation has never waned.

‘‘I’m blessed to do what I do. I get to work on stuff that I believe in. The world is a fraction of a better place with what I do. I don’t claim to do amazing stuff but there is no doubt that I’ve saved a lot of animals and there is a lot of what I call environmental criminals in prison