Swimming With the Fishes

I'm the director of Reef Protection International.

RPI contributes to coral-reef conservation by educating the public about the marine aquarium trade and helping consumers make responsible, "reef-safe" buying choices.

We are putting the finishing touches on our Reef Fish Guide, a pocket-sized buying guide for the home aquarium hobbyist. It provides clear advice on recommended saltwater fish for the home aquarium and specifies those that are best to admire on the reefs or at the public aquariums.

I work mostly from home and travel via public transit and my motorcycle for meetings around town. When I need to drive outside of San Francisco, I use Flexcar, a car-sharing service.

Oh boy! The short version is that I spent 13 years in corporate sales/marketing, was one of the early dot.bomb victims here in Silicon Valley, took a year off to travel and write about international environmental projects, went back to get my master's in my mid-30s, and then began my second career by doing marine conservation work in the Galapagos.

Born in Santa Monica, Calif., I moved to San Francisco in 1995 and have called this city home ever since.

When I traveled around the world as a photojournalist for an online magazine called Eco-Odyssey (now offline). I met amazing people who, in the face of abject poverty and societal scrutiny, were still making a stand for nature. They inspired me to join them in this work and changed my life forever.

Well, we're in the middle of it right now. Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) wants to gut the Endangered Species Act. The ESA is arguably the most important contribution the United States has made to the conservation of endangered species worldwide.

Her name is Sangduen (Lek) Chailert and she runs Elephant Nature Park outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. She is the strongest voice for nature that I've ever met.

My motorcycle. As much as I'd like to sever myself from the petroleum teat, I still am connected, though ever so slightly. The other is that I still eat dairy products -- I just can't get enough of cheese.

I like to SCUBA dive, play softball, hike, catch live music around town, travel, and spend time with friends and family.

Coral reefs, of course. Second to that are kelp forests ... a very close second.

In 1984, U2. Now, Ben Harper.

The Daily Show.

Pulp Fiction.

Every time you think of buying something, ask yourself, "Do I really and truly need this?" If the answer is no, then don't buy it. Simply put -- consume less!