Passion Project Archives | Don't Forget Your Boots

Interview with Ben Stone of The Phoenix Conservancy

Often times, the efforts of conservationists and those who rely on the land for farming and ranching are inherently at odds. However, of all the organizations that I have researched and talked to, the objective of The Phoenix Conservancy has seemed to best bridge the needs between the two sides. Their mission clearly states their…

Interview with Craig Sholley of African Wildlife Foundation

Craig Sholley of African Wildlife Foundation sitting with a baby elephant

It’s not every day that you can interview a personal hero, but luckily for me, today is one of those days. Craig Sholley had the life that many wilderness lovers and environmentalists dream of, and throughout his illustrious career, he has had unprecedented exposure with mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo, and has…

Interview With Tim Holbrook of Masonboro Reserve Oyster Co.

Tim Holbrook of Masonboro Oyster Reserve Co

It should be no surprise to any reader that in another life I was most likely destined to be an oyster farmer. Unfortunately, things just didn’t work out that way, and I have begrudgingly accepted my fate to make a living on dry land. However, Tim Holbrook gives me confidence that my dream is still…

Interview with Sam Blount of Frontline Freediving

“It’s all mental, I mean you can totally freedive 100 feet,” Sam told me. “You’re shitting me”, I said, momentarily looking up from my audio recorder. Looking at his warm, genuine smile, I can tell he indeed wasn’t shitting me. “Well, not with that attitude”. I was worried it would be something like that. In…

My Secret Quest To Be An Oyster Farmer

Aquaculture and conservation don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Fish farming, for example, can be quite detrimental to the environment if done improperly. So, when sustainable food and environmentalism meet it’s a big deal, and luckily for us, it’s in the form of something truly delicious—the oyster. Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer at…

Unfinished Business—How I Tried to Rebuild My Life

Looking back on it, I might as well have said “let’s build a rocket ship” I was so out of my element. But now, three months later and after gaining experience with log tongs, ridge poles, and reimagined “non-permitted structure” foundations, I’d compare it more to building a Boeing-787. Still well out of my element,…

Insights from Environmental Science Journalist Mike Gaworecki

Readers of Don’t Forget Your Boots will know that we often struggle with finding positive environmental stories. Recently, I reached out to the most positive-and friendly-man in conservation, Mike Gaworecki, the Staff Writer and Editor at Mongabay.com, with burning questions from “how to get into wildlife conservation writing” to “are we all doomed under Trump”.…

Building a Sustainable Tiny House: Getting the Wood

Building a Sustainable Tiny House: Getting the Wood It was our mission to live out a more sustainable lifestyle that made us decide to build a tiny house, but in our effort to really feel like Pa Ingalls, we decided to harvest our own wood. Generally, we spend a lot of time writing about the…

Volunteer in South Africa with Afri-Campus

Recalling what she learned in her training, Beth’s eyes followed the direction the giraffes were gazing. It didn’t take her long to realize that all of them were being watched by one of Africa’s Big Five. Not too far away, a leopard lay benignly under a bush, casually assessing lunch options. Using her intuition and…