News Stories

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has always been environmentally conscious, but this year they are stepping up efforts to reuse and recycle. As highlighted in a front-page story in the November 29 edition of the Monterey Herald, their search for a qualified expert to spearhead those efforts led them to Michael Seaman (MAIEP ’10), a graduate of the Monterey Institute’s International Environmental Policy program.

The Herald’s story, “The Aquarium’s Dumpster Diver,” showcases Michael’s enthusiastic efforts to analyze and “audit” the trash left by more than 1.8 million annual visitors to the Aquarium. By examining what visitors throw away, Michael hopes to improve the cycle of waste disposal. In his new role as environmental and purchasing manager, he is also working with vendors and suppliers to find more environmentally friendly ways to deliver goods to the busy aquarium.

During his time at the Monterey Institute, Michael participated in the Conservation Leadership Practicum and was a leader on the Student Council. You don’t have to spend a lot of time with Michael to be infected by his passion for the environment. As Ken Peterson of the aquarium told the Herald, people have already started to volunteer to go dumpster diving with him. Now that’s what we call conservation leadership!

For More Information

Jason Warburg
jwarburg@middlebury.edu
831.647.3156

Eva Gudbergsdottir
eva@middlebury.edu
831.647.6606