Current Green Fetaured Community Member: Jefftego

Last week, Stopnoise recommended jefftego for his great and tireless environmental work. Jeff is known for his keen interested and dedication to ocean conservation, without further adieu…Jefftego. (PLEASE NOTE: to get the links to everything Jefftego mentions, click over to the blog post)


Current Green: What environmental topics are close to your heart?

jefftego: Climate change is probably the issue I think about the most. It absolutely amazes me that with all of the scientific data, climate models and visual evidence it is still an uphill battle to lower GHG emissions and there are skeptics around every corner. And I think this is more true in the US than any other developed country in the world, although I think we are starting to make some progress. Five years ago this issue wasn’t discussed in the public space at all, now it is out there every day. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a volunteer presenter with the Climate Project and I really enjoy spending time reading all I can on the issue and giving climate change presentations to community organizations, businesses and any other group that will listen to me for an hour. I have seen a shift in the people at my presentations over the last two years. There are fewer and fewer skeptics out there. I think instead of coming to my presentations they are posting their opinions on current.com.

Another topic that is close to my heart is the oceans. I’m happy this is starting to get more attention but it is such a tragedy what we are doing to the oceans from pollution, overfishing, factory fish farming, shark finning, noise and sonar pollution, whaling, etc. And this may come back on us faster than climate change. We are killing our oceans in an unbelievably short period of time and our species cannot survive without a healthy ocean ecosystem.

Current Green: What are your go-to environmental websites and blogs?

jefftego: Current is definitely right up there. I really like reading about issues that here that I wasn’t aware of before, even issues that aren’t a passion for me. There is so much diverse information here.

Dot Earth

Environmental News Network

Real Climate

The Daily Climate

Current Green: What’s the most recent green thing you learned about that “wowed” you?

jefftego: I am always wowed by people who happily take extraordinary risks to do something for the environment, whether that is direct action or raising awareness. I was just at a Climate Project summit in Nashville and was wowed by one of the speakers there, Roz Savage. I was fortunate enough to meet her and she is incredible inspiring. She is an ocean rower and uses her rowing for environmental education and advocacy. In a few days she will be starting her next journey, rowing solo from Hawaii to Australia. Yes, you read that right. Rowing solo from Hawaii to Australia. She has already gone from Europe to the Caribbean and from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Go read Roz Savage’s story, its way inspiring

Current Green: Who do you recommend should be featured next week?

jefftego: julesrs007. She always posts and raises awareness about animal welfare and animal rights. I think this is an issue that doesn’t get enough weight in Western society and I think Gandhi had it right when he said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. I appreciate that julesrs007 keeps putting this out there.

Current Green: If there was no other sound left in the world other than a jet engine, a dragster, or a sports stadium filled with crying babies, which would you choose to live next to and why?

jefftego: Do I get ear plugs? I don’t know how to answer this. Maybe the babies because you’ve got to think at some point they are going to cry themselves to sleep. Or just grow up and move out.

Check out the rest of the interview on the current green blog: http://blogs.current.com/green