Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Jake, I have been working for Living Oceans Society for about a month, and I am an environmentalist. This last point might not be such a surprise, considering the context in which you're reading it, but it isn't a word with which I have always been that comfortable. For many, environmentalism conjures up images of people who have long hair, live in trees, and listen to whale music. And while I admit that these may all have been accurate descriptions at various times in my life (especially during university), they are not the basis I use for applying the term to myself.
Let me back up a bit. To start with, my parents are lighthouse keepers, and I spent most of my childhood here:
Okay, so perhaps I was doomed to be an environmentalist from the start. But let me explain...
