Flying Solo: The Big Island + Its Sacred Mountain

I traveled to this island alone because I wanted to think; to explore a place where the people hold a special, spiritual relationship with their land; where indigenous islanders are keeping their culture intact, and what that looks like as they coexist with people from the mainland who crave a piece of their aloha.

The Spirit of the Sea Turtle

I dipped into a hidden lagoon on the leeward side of Oahu, and right there, one of my dreams came true. Snorkeling in the coral, I felt something graze my leg. I looked over and found a sea turtle the size of Smart Car gliding by and saying “hey.” He had a much smaller friend…

10 Things I Didn’t Know About Being an Omnivore

When I was 18 I started listening to Morrissey and Strike Anywhere—starkly different in their musical styles but similar in their stances on animal welfare—and went vegetarian. I wasn’t really thinking hard about politics or even the environment; I just didn’t want to eat animals because I didn’t support ending their adorable lives in the…

To the End of the World: From Patagonia to Cape Horn

It’s a five-hour ride from Torres del Paine National Park to Punta Arenas, where I will board the Stella Australis cruise ship to Ushuaia, Argentina.  I wander on a street parallel to the Strait of Magellan, looking for the port, and pass a sleeping stray dog; he springs up immediately and starts walking ahead of…

Living La Pura Vida

  BOOM! I wake in the middle of the night to roaring thunder and a vehement downpour through the trees, crashing against the roof of my bungalow. In the pitch-blackest darkness, my eyes never adjust, with minimal city lights permeating the atmosphere in this little coastal town called Tamarindo in the Guanacaste province of Costa…

Survivin’ and Thrivin’

Guess who’s the new Health and Wellness Editor at Thrive Market? It’s your girl (me)! I want to share with you my sustainable seafood cheat sheet that I created for Thrive. But first… In case you didn’t know, Thrive Market is the coolest thing ever. If you’ve ever wanted to shop at Whole Foods for…

Not So Supernatural: How Do Marine Mammals Hydrate?

I didn’t know yesterday was World Oceans Day, but luckily I did spend some time in the ocean. This summer, I have a weekly surf club going on. No, this is not a picture of me, but it could be. I’ll tell you a secret: I’m totally afraid of the ocean. Yes, me, who spent…

Oil, Oil, Everywhere

One of the awesome things I learned in Costa Rica is that there is plenty of oil there . . . yet they banned oil drilling. Why? Because the oil is beneath National Parks, and those are protected, and they intend on keeping them that way. More than 25 percent of the country is protected…

Endangered Baby: Leatherback Sea Turtle

Recently I visited Las Baulas National Marine Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. But I didn’t see a single one of these leatherback turtles that the park is named after (baula is the Spanish word for leatherback sea turtle). It’s because after surviving for more than 100 million years, Pacific leatherbacks are now critically endangered. My…

Seafood Watch

I’m crazy about the fish tacos at El Pescador in Highland Park. But I haven’t been back there in months because I’m afraid to ask the question: where was this fish caught? The last thing I ever wanted was to be one of those people they make fun of in Portlandia! I’m guessing that the…