Blog — The Greenest Blue

Eating Vegan in Banff, Canada - Where to Get Your Plant Fix While You Get Your Ski Fix

This post is about the magic of Banff, Canada and the vegan food I experienced while I was there! A few weeks back, my parents were headed up to this haven in the Canadian Rockies and invited me along. Naturally, I said, YEAHS! I remember visiting Banff National Park once before when I was much younger and gazing across the most beautiful glacial lake I’ve ever seen (Lake Louise), and this time around, I was excited to see it all winterized. WHEW, I was not disappointed! We maximized our snow time by cross-country skiing over a few days, hitting the slopes at Lake Louise Ski Resort, and simple jolling around the downtown Banff area.

But all those adventures certainly made me hungry, and a vegan girl gotta eat! I was pleasantly surprised with the plant-based options Banff provided. And to make things simple for my fellow vegan travelers, I wanted to let you know where I imbibed:

A 2020 Resolution You Can Achieve by Staying in Bed: Detoxing Your Digital Space in Two Easy Steps

Whether or not you’re a fan of new year’s resolutions, 2020 is rapidly approaching and provides the perfect opportunity for a fresh start and a blank slate in all areas of your life. Many of us tackle the challenges of physical health, joining gyms and yoga studios or opting to hold ourselves more accountable for our daily runs or CrossFit classes. Others of us make goals about how to grow in our careers, aiming for a new promotion or a switch to a more fulfilling job. Some of us look for ways to become more mindful, adopting a new meditation practice or simply allowing ourselves more “me-time.”

These are all, beautiful, worthy resolutions, but there’s another realm I’d like to explore for my own 2020 goals: detoxing my digital space.

Keeping NZ Reef-Safe and Sun-Protected: Founder Natalie of the New Seasick Sunscreen Co. Shares Her Story

I love when I meet a new eco-entrepreneur who is starting a business that’s more focused on showing love for the planet than earning profits. Throughout my travels, I’ve realized that you can find like-minded people all over the world who aren’t afraid to get out there and make things happen. It truly is an inspiration when you see these people using their creativity and innovation to promote change! That’s why I was so excited to come across Seasick Sunscreen Co., a boutique eco-friendly sunscreen start-up based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Give Love, Not Stuff - Making New Holiday Traditions for a Greener World

With Thanksgiving fast approaching and Christmas and New Year’s not far off on the horizon, my life vibes are shifting quickly into holiday mode. I’m basically starting to think about how to let people in my life know how much I appreciate them, and although I shouldn’t need the holiday season around to remind me to do this, it’s a nice nudge.

Preppin' My Sea Legs for a Voyage to New Zealand from Tonga

The Tongans have it figured out when it comes to pace of life. This whole island time mentality is pure magic. I first experienced it in Hawaii, but since coming to the South Pacific, I’m watching life unfold on a whole new level of CHILL.

Pace. Pace is everything. Specifically, a slow pace. This is coming from a notorious over-thinker and activity-addict, so my acceptance of this is saying a lot. I’ve long been addicted to productivity and the ability to have tangible accomplishments to show that can vouch for my work ethic, but this mindset of constant doing really gets kicked to the curb once one decides to go full-immersion into the dreamy, technicolor, supercharged, yet peaceful world of island life.

Turning Into Tigers - Keeping the "Anything is Possible" Mindset in a Challenging World

I feel like I’ve been swirling along a figurative river this entire year, flowing with the currents and enjoying that whole damn wild ride. I reckon it’d be the type of river that you’d find in North Idaho, with some solid rapids and adrenaline-pumping obstacles but nothing too worrisome. Enough to take you by surprise but not throw you out of your seat. The best kind of river.

There was a lot of personal growth this year. A lot of learning about how to relinquish control and leave the planning to the Universe. Life is way less stressful that way, I’ve come to realize. Even in the moments where I recognize anxiety’s clenching pulse in my veins and my mind, I know that it’s temporary and I can let that shit go.

Yes or No on the Ethics of Whale Swimming? - My Reflections on Tonga & Guide Life

Remember, my goal - peaceful coexistence. To have a relaxed mindset as we enter into the world of these whales. To be open to learning from them, and unoffended if the whale does not seem accepting of us at any particular moment. We inhabit this planet together. Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate each other’s beauty, while respecting the other species’ own lifestyle and needs?

The Importance of Imagery in Conservation Activism

Media serves a lot of different purposes in today’s society, and can invoke a huge range of emotions. For those of us with a passion for imagery, audio, and other types of creative outlets, there is an immense responsibility to ensure we’re spreading the right messages to our audience. In the marine conservation world, my cohorts and I have taken on the rather large task of illuminating the problems and threats faced by our ocean and its inhabitants.

Why Do Whales Do That? Humpback Whale Behavior in Tonga

Because Tonga is one of the breeding grounds of the South Pacific humpback whales, we see an extensive range of behaviors that are focused around accomplishing one of two goals: 1) you’re either here to give birth and raise a calf or 2) you’re here to get pregnant or impregnate another whale.

Sometimes I make jokes that whales are the “original tropical island honeymooners”and that Tonga is the bedroom and Antarctica is the kitchen, connected by the world’s longest hallway, but these expressions are a bit of a euphemism. It’s definitely not all chillaxing and playful getting it on for the whales here. Breeding season is hard work.

A Love Letter to my Future Sailboat - Week 5 in Tonga

One of my big goals is to sail as much as possible, in the very near future. I’m trying to manifest that with positive thinking and affirmative action. I took a sailing course in the San Juan Islands in June with my family (photos below) and fell even more in love with the concept of harnessing the wind’s energy to spend time on the best thing in the world (the ocean).

Respecting the Locals: How the Cultural View of Whales in Tonga Has Shifted - Week 4 in Tonga

Another busy week is whirling by, filled with bouts of spitting rain and random bursts of sunshine. The sun is always teasing us, staying out just long enough to dry our towels and our salt-stained clothing before it ducks behind a cloud and we have to run around frantically collecting our laundry before the next downpour.

Island weather, it turns out, is a fickle friend. And I love it! Some nights it’s a bit chilly and we are bundled up in blankets, drinking mulled wine and nibbling on our sacred stashes of dark chocolate while watching movies. Other nights, we’re sweating and draped on top of our bedsheets, wishing for the soft whir of a fan next to our ears and some sort of reprieve from the hypnotic buzzing of the mozzies.

If You See a Flipper, Tell the Skipper - Week 3 in Tonga

You’re looking at a brand new Master/Engineer Class 6! A.k.a. I’ve obtained my basic skipper’s ticket. I just finished the last stage of my skipper’s course, which consisted of a fifteen minute verbal exam with an officer from Tonga’s Marine and Ports Division. This whole process has been going on since May - I took a three week course in Nuku’alofa on the main island of Tonga with 25 other skippers-to-be. My friend Thom and I were the only two palangis (Caucasians) in the class, and I was also one of two females (REPRESENT). I really enjoyed learning with and being around my Tongan classmates. Everyone was welcoming and very kind!

Getting our Feet Wet for Whale Swims - Week 2 in Tonga

Things have gotten busier around Sea Change this week! More and more guests are arriving, and a somewhat spontaneous wedding ceremony was held last Saturday alongside a Tongan feast. It’s nice to see some new faces around the property, and with each new group comes more bubbling enthusiasm, different stories, and fresh conversations to be had. I’m excited to meet and chat with a lot of these people out on the whale swims this season. It’ll be interesting to see what their experiences with whales have been prior to this visit. I imagine a lot of them might be seeing whales for the first time? Who knows!

The Storm Before the Cyclone - Wild Weather in Tonga Pre-Whale Season!

Island life - a perfect paradise all to ourselves, crystal clear water steps from our bedrooms, falling asleep and waking up to a light breeze rustling through vibrant green ferns. The sun shimmering through coconut trees that are positively loaded down with sweet young cocos, just waiting for us to crack them open and indulge in their sweet, sweet liquid. Morning coffee sipped with your toes in the sand, watching whales blow in the distance. Every single day like this….right?

Haha! Island life is amazing, but there are definitely little quirks that you don’t immediately think about when you envision what it’s like living tropically. Yes, there are the bright white beaches and beautiful blue waters. But there is also a constant onslaught of mosquitos and flies, along with some very large arachnids that can somehow conjure new webs in what appears to be minutes, right across your normal path to the bathroom.

Old Threads, New Life - An Eco-Friendly Approach to Fashion with Thrift Store Finds

My friend Fi and I had some fun creating this blog post on eco-friendly fashion, the thrift-store way. Thrift shopping is an awesome way to share some love with the planet and refresh your wardrobe. Fast fashion is straining our planet’s resources - read more about what you can do to ditch this approach to shopping and adopt a more sustainable attitude.

Lemons, Heart Rate, Stillness, and Writing - My Morning Ritual & Self-Care for a Better Planet

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about routines and rituals. Specifically, I’ve been contemplating how important they can be for our mental and emotional health, and how sometimes, even maintaining a semblance of ordinary or familiarity can help you adjust to challenging new situations that would otherwise be rather anxiety-inducing. I’ve started keeping a few different routines over the past several months. Right now, in hindsight, I find this interesting, as my mantras used to be evolve or be left behind, accept change, adapt constantly, don’t get attached to things that you attribute to your identity, you are constantly in metamorphosis… I never liked the idea of a routine. I thought I would be wasting opportunities to try something new if I kept repeating old habits.

But maybe the real beauty lies in the fact that you can enjoy self-transformation while staying consistent and true to actions that are serving you - i.e. some sort of routine

A Reading List for Planet, Plant, and Inner Peace Lovers - Six Powerful Books that Changed My Life

Lately I’ve been on a kick discussing motivation, self-exploration, and mindfulness. Most of this probably stems from the changes I’m going through right now, moving to a new island and testing the waters of a new job; I find change sparks quite a bit of internal reflection. I think it’s appropriate to mention some of the books that have changed my way of thinking and played an influential role in helping me develop new perspectives and trains of thought. I’ve always been a total book nerd. Every single time I go visit home, I go to the library and 1) spend a couple hours just devouring book covers and sleeves and then 2) checking out more books than I could possibly hope to read in a year, with the ambition of finishing all of them in the few weeks I am spending at home. I just love that the entire world is at your fingertips in a library! You can learn literally anything. You pick your lesson. Does it get better than that? Life is one big classroom; you might as well show up having devoured as many books as you can.

Moving Off the Grid - Packing Green for a New Adventure in Tonga

There is a crazy new adventure on the horizon! One of my best friends and flatmates, Fi, and I are heading up to Tonga to work with humpback whales for the austral winter. I’m so thankful that for the last four years, I’ve been able to spend at least one season with my favorite cetacean species. Humpbacks are such incredible, majestic creatures to encounter on the water. With their extra-long pectoral flippers, inquisitive eyes, and acrobatic nature, they never cease to delight guests on a whale watch (or make me scream).

Five Fun Facts About Dusky Dolphins & Why I Think Swimming With Them is Ethically A-OK

I haven’t written in a while and I feel like I want to share what’s going on in the marine world of dusky dolphins! I’d never really heard much about the species before I moved down to Kaikoura (they’re just found in the southern hemisphere) and I thought all my bros and ladies up in the northern hemisphere might be a bit curious about the dolphins that have been an almost-daily part of my life since moving down to New Zealand.

First off, here’s why marine mammals rock: they live in the ocean full-time but they have to BREATH AIR. Do you know how inconvenient that must be? These animals have risen to the challenge with the help of evolution and they are rocking those blowholes and myoglobin-rich muscles like nobody’s business. Eight minute dive for a dolphin? No problem. Me? Dead.

Five Crazy Fun Facts About Dusky Dolphins

1) They are part of the genus Lagenorhynchus, which contains six species total. They all share the characteristics of a relatively short rostrum, stocky body shape, and a schnazzy body coloration made up of bands and stripes in multiple hues. Like rainbow dolphins. Magic.

With No "Quick Fixes" in Conservation, How Do Environmentalists Find Balance Between Happiness and Meaning?

I’ve been feeling the need lately to share the confusion that’s been going on in my head, so this post is a bit more of a journal entry, with plenty of relevance to eco-living and the challenges we “green dreamers” face. I hope that by elaborating on my own thoughts, I might reach someone else who needs to hear that there is another human being experiencing the same emotions. The world is encountering a new level of challenging times right now, and I personally recognize and feel this more and more as I get older, experience the world further through travel, and engage in more and more inspiring conversations with people from across the globe. We are all handling the challenges (whether they involve social injustice, climate change, pollution, food shortages, and other sticky issues) differently, because we are all unique individuals with our own brains and different wiring systems. I tend to feel most strongly and passionately about the “eco” side of things; that’s just where my heart lies. I still get angry and flustered and hurt when hearing about other issues - but one girl would go crazy if she poured all of herself into too many concerns.

Marine mammals inspired me to seek a greener lifestyle. What inspires you?

Five Crazy Fun Facts About Dusky Dolphins