Valerio (pictured above, centre) was a young Italo Australian man of 24 whose life ended tragically in a road accident in Malawi while attempting with two friends to break the world record of the longest journey on Quad Bikes. At the same time Valerio and his friends were raising funds for OXFAM Australia, a non-profit organisation, to fight poverty and support the ‘Southern Africa Livelihood Program’. During their trip from Istanbul to Sydney through 34 countries and 3 continents Valerio and his friends were also trying to spread the environmental message: Saving Energy/Saving the Planet.
Valerio and his friends (the ‘Expedition’ team or ‘The Quad Squad’) travelled using solar panels to recharge all their electronic equipment (video camera, digital camera, mobiles etc.), they used eco-friendly tents, sleeping bags and clothes and by the end of their trip the Squad would be carbon neutral.
Australian TV Channel 7 broadcast on air two documents on Valerio’s journey with the Expedition (21/08/11 and 13/11/11)