The importance of conserving our land and resources is less controversial than it once was—what remains a conundrum is how we go about doing so. Today we discuss possible solutions with Sean Mahoney of the Conservation Law Foundation and chef Barton Seaver, advocate for ‘restorative’ seafood practices.
Maine Conservation & Restorative Seafood #257
Guests
Barton Seaver
Barton Seaver is on a mission to restore our relationship with the ocean, the land, and with each other—through dinner. Barton is a firm believer that human health depends on the health of the ocean and that the best way to connect the two is at the dinner table. Highlights of his culinary career include three Rising Culinary Star awards, twice earning Best New Restaurant awards, and being honored in 2009 by Esquire magazine as Chef of the Year. Since leaving the restaurant world, Barton has become involved with a number of local and international initiatives. In 2012, he was named by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the United States Culinary Ambassador Corp. He uses this designation to curate international conversations on sustainability and the role of food in resource management and public health. He is the Director of the Sustainable Seafood and Health Initiative at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. An internationally recognized speaker, Barton has delivered lectures, seminars, and demos to a multitude of audiences. His 2010 Mission Blue Voyage TED Talk entitled “Sustainable Seafood? Let’s Get Smart” garnered over 400,000 views. Barton currently resides in coastal Maine, a stone’s throw away from a working waterfront, with his wife and their 10 heritage chickens. For more information on Barton’s work go to” of
Sean Mahoney
Sean Mahoney serves as the Executive Vice President, Director of Programs and Director of CLF’s Maine Advocacy Center. Prior to joining CLF in 2007, Sean practiced environmental law in San Francisco and Portland, ME for 15 years, where he represented a variety of commercial and non-governmental entities in all aspects of state and federal environmental litigation and permitting.
At CLF, Mahoney focuses on marine conservation and sustainability, climate change, transportation and energy infrastructure, and restoring and protecting Maine’s rivers and coastal watersheds.
Mahoney, a resident of Falmouth, received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College. He was a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Fred I. Parker, U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sri Lanka. Mahoney has been recognized as a leading lawyer in his field by a number of organizations, including the respected legal research and publishing firm, Chamber & Partners. He has served on a number of boards, including GrowSmart Maine (chair), Gulf of Maine Research Insitute, Konbit Sante and the Falmouth Land Trust, and currently serves as a Town Councilor in Falmouth.