Vegan MoFo Day 8: A Visit With A Sea Shepherd Cook

I recovered from my birthday sugar coma just in time to make vegan donuts and vegan snicker doodle cookies for tonight's Save-A-Turtle of the Florida Keys monthly meeting. I was beyond excited for this month's meeting, as the guest speakers were Captain Robert Wallace (Captain of the Ocean Alliance's "Odyssey") and Marc Rosenberg, a volunteer with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. There is a joint venture 5-year research project between Ocean Alliance and Sea Shepherd wherein the effects of the oil released in BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout, as well as the effects of the toxic dispersant which was sprayed over the oil (to the tune of 2 million gallons) are being studied in sperm whales. If this doesn't interest you, you really need to revisit your priorities. As was said tonight, a whale doesn't know if they're swimming in the Atlantic or Pacific ocean…. they're simply swimming in THE ocean… one ocean. Our one ocean is dying, and these are some of the people who are working to save it.

Marc Rosenberg is a professional chef for 23 years now, and has been a volunteer with Sea Shepherd for 6 months. Not only has he been the chef on the Odyssey this time around, but he's also been doing some of the work collecting samples from the whales (not an easy thing to do!) After this campaign, he will be traveling for a short time, and then he will head over to the M/V Sam Simon for his next campaign. As a volunteer again.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but in keeping with "short and sweet" themes, I did keep this shoot pretty short. Marc was exceptionally generous with his time tonight. Not only did he and Captain drive up all the way from where the "Odyssey" is moored in Key West to give the guest presentation, but they spent a fair amount of time afterwards speaking to us happy vegans, and as you can see Marc also was game for a MoFo video. As another point of fact, Marc changed his entire travel plans so he could present as a speaker tonight for SAT. He flies out tomorrow for Europe. I'm sure he's tired… last I checked the clock it was close to 10pm as we said our goodbyes. He's got a long ride back to Key West tonight, and then of course an arduous day of travel ahead of him tomorrow.

Again I was able to personally witness the drive and commitment that volunteers with Sea Shepherd have to our planet and life upon it. Marc cuts what I'd consider quite a sharp and somewhat intimating image… if one were to judge on that alone. What I know in the short time we talked is that he is intelligent, humble, passionate, committed to positive change in the world, and a very good advocate for animals and planet.

Thank you Marc! It's people like you who inspire me to be a better person, to be a better advocate, to never give up and to keep forward momentum, no matter what.

Marc said something tonight which echoes in my mind with every piece of trash I collect off the street or beach, with every morsel of plant-based food I eat, and with every choice I make for good over evil… "be the change you wish to see in the world." Marc makes that choice every day too. Thank goodness for the "Marcs" in this world.

See you next time!
www.seashepherd.org/toxic-gulf/