Rob Nixon

Chairman, Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter

I live blue™ because…
My life revolves around the ocean form surfing to fishing.

Why do you care about the environment?
Simple.  Without a healthy ocean, we as a species don’t survive.  It gives us 70% of the air we breathe, sustains us with its pelagic bounty, entertains us with its wind and waves and scares us with its immense power of influence over the Earth’s weather

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
My career and education decisions were made early before I became so involved in trying to make our oceans and beaches a better place.  I continue to self educate myself by reading anything I can get my hands on and talk to anyone who will meet me to find out as much as I can about the ocean and beach processes that affect our world and how WE affect them.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
I volunteer my time with the Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter and Friends of Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island, Texas.  My wife and I recycle and have cut most single-use plastics out of our lives.  I also have visited schools to talk with students about our watershed and am continually “unlittering” our beaches by picking up trash every day on our beaches.

Read Rob’s blog here.
Visit Surfrider South Texas here.
See Rob’s plot of ocean here.

Peter J. Etnoyer

Marine Biologist, NOAA Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR)

I live blue™ because…
The oceans sustain me, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.

Why do you care about the environment?
I care about the environment because my idea of a good time is to go bodysurfing, to walk in the woods, or paddle on a river. I want to share the joy with my kids. I see pollution and say we can do better, but first we must care. A healthy environment is a choice.

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
I decided to drop out of the film business because I felt like Earth was being destroyed by mundane and irresponsible behavior. The hole in the ozone layer frightened me. Dynamite fishing disturbed me. Nature was vanishing before my eyes. I felt a sense of immediacy, and returned to school.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
I use canvas bags when I go shopping, avoid plastic containers and blog about ocean conservation issues at Deep Sea News. In my career, I work to support our national marine sanctuaries, and I write scientific papers that help to improve management of oceanic resources.

Visit Peter’s NOAA profile here.
See Peter’s plot of ocean here.

Zoe Fahy

Teen Intern at the New England Aquarium

I live blue™ because…
I want my generation to fully comprehend that water will be the determining factor in our planet’s future and as a global community we cannot afford to take it for granted. 

Why do you care about the environment?
I care about the environment because it is my home.  In fact, as humans we are just one species and we share this home with millions of other species. I believe that we have a shared responsibility to every living thing to treat our environment with respect. 

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
It is hard not to care deeply about the environment once you learn about it.  My world opened up once I started working at the Aquarium, and now I want to study biology, anthropology and environmental studies so I can work to strengthen our relationship with the environment that sustains us. 

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?

The past three years of my life have been dedicated to my school’s climate change group, which educates youth about the key role that earth’s water plays in climate change and the social justice issues that spring from it.  Personally, I conserve water and use my own reusable water bottle.

Learn more about Zoe’s youth organization here.

Matt Thompson

Senior Conservation Associate/Aquaculture Specialist

I live blue™ because…
The ocean presents us with the opportunity for earth-friendly food production.

Why do you care about the environment?
I’m an outdoors kind of person, I have always enjoyed walking in woods, investigating tidepools and breathing fresh air. I’ve spent a lot of free time out in nature and it has made me conscious of the challenges our environment faces and actions I can take to protect it.

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
My grandmother introduced me to the term “oceanographer” before I was 10 and I aimed to work in marine science from then on. I prioritized math and science in school and oceanography at University. Now in my current field, and area of professional expertise at the Aquarium, I focus on environmentally responsible aquaculture – the farming of aquatic plants and animals.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
I ride the commuter rail to work everyday, why sit in traffic when you can read a book? I recycle what I can. I minimize my heating/cooling costs with a programmable thermostat. I use reusable bedding rather than disposable for my pet guinea pig, saving money and helping the environment. Oh, and I also buy environmentally responsible seafood, ask questions and generally hold up the seafood line.

Learn more about the Aquairum’s sustainable seafood programs here.

See Matt’s plot of ocean here.

Keith Ellenbogen

Underwater Photographer

I live blue™ because…
I believe under the clear blue seas there are many stories to share about the marine environment.  Our oceans are not an endless resource, but rather a delicate global ecosystem that is currently being over exploited. As an underwater photographer and artist traveling on expeditions around the world I have seen and learned first hand about the role the oceans play within our global marine environment as well as some of the environmental challenges we are facing for the future.  My goal is to create images that captivate our imagination and inspire conservation.  

Why do you care about the environment?
On a personal note the ocean has given me many hours of pure enjoyment as well as inspiration for artistic expression. Given the current environmental challenges my hope is that future generations will also be able to experience the thrill of being surrounded by water.  

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
Pursuing the visual arts has enabled me to combine my aesthetic skills as a photographer and my passion for the marine environment.  It all began with curiosity about life beneath the sea and a big start as a high-school volunteer at the New England Aquarium — Fast-forward — a Masters in Fine Arts, US Fulbright Fellowship, and currently an educator in the Photography Department at Parsons School of Design, New York.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
As an underwater photographer on expeditions with environmental organizations, I slowly approach the marine animals by focusing my underwater lens on their elaborate patterns, shapes, textures, and behaviors to create an emotional connection that will inspire social change towards protecting our marine environment.

Read Keith’s posts from the field on the Aquarium’s Global Explorer’s Blog here.

Keith Ellenbogen online:
www.bluereef.com

See Keith’s plot of ocean in Fiji here.

Rick MacPherson

Director, Conservation Programs
Coral Reef Alliance

I live blue™ because…
is there any other way to live?

Why do you care about the environment?
I look at ocean conservation and environmentalism as a symbiotic relationship: I do my part to protect and support the environment because it protects and supports us.  Healthy ocean ecosystems feed us and protect our coasts from storm damage, ensure economic livelihood through tourism, are a source for promising medical research, control and moderate global weather, and provide cultural identity to coastal and island communities world-wide.  Protecting the environment makes sense.  It’s the ultimate quid pro quo!

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
I’ve had a life long fascination with the natural world that has evolved into a lifelong commitment to its conservation.  The ocean captivated my imagination and interest even before I’d visited it in person. I didn’t see the ocean for the first time until I was perhaps 15 years old, yet I knew that I wanted to devote my life to learning everything I could about it.  The ocean has been at the center of my life as a student, scientist, educator, and now coral reef conservationist.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
In my work with the Coral Reef Alliance, I’m on a mission to save coral reefs, the oldest biological communities on the planet. Reefs are dying, every day. They are being overheated by the rising temperatures of climate change, overfished by commercial fisherman, and overlooked by ambitious developers and tourism operators.  But while people are the problem, they can also be the solution.   My work is to leverage the power of people, communities, to save coral reefs.

Read Rick’s personal blog here.
Check out Rick’s posts on the ocean blog Deep Sea News here.
Visit the Coral Reef Alliance here.
See Rick’s plot of ocean here.

Jason Clermont

Conservation Assoc. / Wild fisheries specialist

I live blue™ because…
The marine environment is a wonderfully fascinating place and the oceans are my church.

Why do you care about the environment?
As humans, we have developed the ability to manipulate our environment for our gain. Unfortunately, this has led to the collapse and alteration of ecosystems worldwide. I feel it imperative that, as caretakers of this planet, we strive to conserve and restore these fragile ecosystems, and prevent this from occurring in future generations.

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
While in college (as a business major) I went on a whale watch out of Rye Harbor, NH. As I stepped off the boat that afternoon, I knew that understanding and conserving the marine environment was what I wanted to do with my life. I changed the focus of my studies to environmental biology and marine science and the rest is history! 

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
I work in the area of ocean conservation, providing education and outreach to the public and advising corporations on current issues. I participate in beach clean-ups, recycle avidly, take public transportation to and from work, and use reusable bags to bag my groceries. I also always take a bag with me to the beach to pick up trash others have left behind.

Learn more about the Aquarium’s conservation department here.

See Jason’s plot of ocean here.

Joe Beckmann

Consultant to the Somerville Schools, Hispanic Office of Planning & Evaluation, My-Turn, and other agencies

I live blue™ because…
I’m cheap and appreciate the efficiency of doing many things with a few simple changes. Among those things are saving lots of time and money by avoiding capital intensive projects, most of which are also energy intensive and cash intensive. Much done with less work is my motto.

Why do you care about the environment?
I always appreciate getting much done with few steps, few resources, and little time, and think we spend entirely too much money and energy (in all its forms) generating work when we ought to generate the freedom work should provide. I like that “efficiency” in politics, economics, and daily living: build friends like we build neighborhoods.

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
These old cities – like Somerville – have a density that can’t be matched. They require that we acknowledge and accommodate people very unlike us, and they reward that accommodation with friends as varied as the world can make. That is glorious. My career – in education – is to make that happen more, more easily, for more people, in more places.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
Reuse as much as we can as long as we can, and then put it gently to rest while it recovers: Whether that’s blue, green or a house, a car, a train, or a fish.

See Joe’s plot of ocean here.

Mark Myles

Sustainability consultant

I live blue™ because…
The oceans sustain us and all the species on earth.

Why do you care about the environment?
It started in childhood: The old-growth forest where I explored and played is long gone; the lake where I spent every summer day is polluted.  I see a society that doesn’t value our earth nearly enough.  We need to change our thinking, our philosophy, and our values.

How has your environment affected your career/education decisions?
I’m an engineer by training, and environmentalism had little to do with my education.  But I realize that technology can be used to benefit our earth, as can some ideas from the corporate world - like quality improvement.  I’ve used what I’ve learned from my corporate background and applied it to reducing our environmental impact and am now a sustainability professional.

What are some things you do in your life to protect the environment?
We’ve cut our carbon footprint by nearly  two-thirds in the past couple years.  After our kids left the house, we subdivided it to add a rentable living unit without increasing material or energy use.  We now heat with wood.  We travel much more by bike, train and foot, and almost never by air.  We’re preparing for solar and wind energy.

Learn more about Mark’s sustainability efforts here and here.
See Mark’s plot of ocean here.