It's Not Easy Being Green

Messy thoughts on growing a carbon conscience

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been spending a lot of time around conservationists and ocean scientists lately. Back in February, it was in French Polynesia with the Mokarran Protection Society studying sharks, then in August I was in Ecuador with the Manta Trust, and last week in France moderating a panel on ocean conservation. This week, I have an overnight trip to New York to attend an event with Carl F. Bucherer, the watch brand that sponsored the Ecuador expedition. One of the researchers in Ecuador asked me if most of my work is around conservation. “No, it’s about watches and diving, but…”

The glaring irony about all of these trips is that I flew thousands of miles to get to these places, and in all cases, it was on first class airline tickets. Believe me, the dichotomy was not lost on me. And if you’ve been reading Swimpruf for a while, or know me at all, you know my fondness for old Land Rovers. I own two of them, one a 30-year old smoke breathing diesel. It’s getting harder and harder for me to reconcile my carbon footprint with my lifelong passion for everything outdoors, especially the underwater world.