The Spirit of Being Bold Interview with Tobias Aguirre (’94) by Haley Campbell (’02) f you take care of the present, the future will to his role as Ravana. His powerful performance “Itake care of itself.” This is one of the many remains a highlight for long-time community positive beliefs that guides Tobias Aguirre’s life. members (including this author). Like today, many Tobias is the Chief Executive Officer of FishWise, a high school students played volleyball back then. nonprofit sustainable seafood consultancy dedicated In 1992, the very first year that MMS joined the to improving the health of ocean ecosystems. league, it was the league champion, a streak Tobias Tobias is helping individual companies integrate and his team held onto throughout high school. sustainable practices, but more importantly, he Tobias and several of his teammates went on to play is working to influence the global industry by in the Junior Olympics where he, PK Diffenbaugh building impactful collaborations and resources (’95), and Jagadish Cheney (‘92) were named that empower the industry to take responsibility All-Americans. for itself, thus benefiting the environment and After graduating in 1994, Tobias attended possibly in the world at that time.” He remained human welfare. Stanford and studied 20th century protest move- at Wildwood for three years, which afforded him Tobias’s journey has been fueled by a strong work ments, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the freedom to explore his next steps. ethic, deep passion, and inherent trust in himself anti-colonialism in Africa. He was fascinated by Tobias attended graduate school at the University and in life. He began his education at a Waldorf the ways that generations can clash as young of California San Diego’s (UCSD) School of school in Sacramento, and in 1987, when Tobias people seek to throw off the old order and International Relations and Pacific Studies. During was 11, he moved with his father and two of his four determine their own destinies through the pursuit the summer between his first and second year, of greater equality and he interned at FishWise. The organization was new societal design. brand new and had just received its first grant To complete his senior of $75,000 from the David and Lucile Packard thesis, Tobias attended Foundation, which was funding organizations to the Plum Village help develop sustainable seafood strategies as a Summer Opening in means to improve the overall health of the oceans. southwest France where Tobias participated in a pilot program with New he studied under the Leaf Community Markets wherein FishWise applied Zen Buddhist master the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch science Thich Nhat Hanh, and sustainability recommendations to the point who was nominated by of sale, so that customers could be more informed Martin Luther King Jr. about their seafood choices and help the ocean in 1963 for the Nobel environment. New Leaf made more money overall Peace Prize for his when offering sustainable choices. This success work in the Vietnamese motivated Tobias to focus his second year of Peace Movement. graduate school on building towards a career in this Tobias spent five field, and upon graduation, he convinced FishWise weeks at Plum Village, to hire him as a project manager. He was their Tobias evaluating the sustainability of a salmon farm in British Columbia gaining a deeper fourth employee. A few years later he was promoted brothers to Mount Madonna Center (MMC). They understanding of the history and circumstances to his current role. lived briefly in a tiny room below the farmhouse of the Vietnam War, which inspired Thich Nhat “Dreams come true,” is a platitude that Tobias and then moved into an old goat shed across from Hanh’s teachings of Engaged Buddhism, a practice and his wife Jessica, a teacher and counselor the lake where the Conference Center now stands. that moves meditation to action. Tobias was very at Salud Para La Gente, often say to each other. This was a fun time to be a kid at MMC – there were moved by the experience and teachings, which built Tobias first met Jessica at a youth retreat at MMC many resident children and the Mount Madonna upon an aphorism he had learned from Baba Hari when he was sixteen. Fifteen years later in 2007 they School (MMS) boarding school was a lively place. Dass (Babaji) at MMC: “Motivation to bring peace met again at Carbys Zimmerman’s (’92) wedding Then, as now, theater was central to school to others is the cause of peace within.” This has in Corralitos. “It was love at second sight,” Tobias life. Tobias played Ravana in the ! all remained a central theme in Tobias’s life and work. said of Jessica. By living with gratitude, positive four years in high school. His senior year director After graduation, Tobias returned to Santa intentions, and a strong work ethic, they have Sampad Kachuck asked if he would like to be Cruz and worked at Wildwood Natural Foods. “I created their dream life. They married in 2011 instead, but Tobias was too attached was the only Stanford-educated tofu delivery guy and have two sons, Arias Moon (four and a half) 26 and Finnegan Star (two and a half). They recently stration (NOAA), the State Department and Tobias is excited to see where his work will go bought a beautiful home in the Aptos hills. “I’ve leading foundations to increase the adoption of and what his talented staff at FishWise can achieve. never had a grand plan for myself, but if I live life electronic traceability. He hopes that we will soon see a seafood industry well day to day, life seems to be taking care of itself With every project and collaboration, Tobias sets that respects and values the people who are and taking care of me. You can turn your passions out to help people become leaders in the industry. responsible for bringing our food to us, and he and dreams into a vocation.” His core organizational philosophy is that, “We’re works for a demonstrable change in the health More than a billion people rely on seafood as all leaders and we’re all more ready than we think. of fisheries and oceans. “That spirit of being bold their primary source of protein. With such power, the I want to empower people to live and embody that.” and trying to improve society has never been more industry can be a force for good or bad. By engaging His work revolves around building a community of important. So my advice to fellow alumni and in conversations and collaborations around the practice, which he carries from his Mount Madonna current students of Mount Madonna is to aspire to world, FishWise helps to create systems and resources days. “There is no better description for MMC make a difference in the world; there’s no greater for an incredibly complex industry. “If your seafood than a community of practice.” Drawing from journey. As Paul Hawken said, ‘you are brilliant is environmentally sustainable, but is connected those early experiences has allowed him to live and the Earth is hiring’.” with modern day slavery, you’ve only solved part a life where he can create environments where of the problem,” Tobias said. Recent investigative everyone’s voice is heard and respected and journalism uncovered labor abuses and human everyone contributes in their own way. “This has trafficking in . Vulnerable populations of become my way of life professionally.” What can consumers migrants were promised jobs at resorts, but were He credits Mount Madonna for launching him do to support the then shipped out to sea for three years where they into a successful life. “Going to MMS makes health of the ocean were forced to work around the clock and were you realize that people are trying to live with and the seafood threatened with violence or death. FishWise does meaning, not materialistic pursuits.” He kept that outreach to labor and environmental groups to mindset as he transitioned to Stanford, UCSD, and industry? integrate the conversation and act as a liaison FishWise. Every time he is on a panel or speaking • Find a grocery store that has a to address the human rights and labor issues. at a conference, he thinks about being onstage and publically available sustainable Through collaboration they create resources to remembers that he’s been doing this since he was in seafood policy (usually on their understand the complexities of the problems and seventh grade, in performing arts classes. “In that website) that explains what they’re its potential solutions. sense, Sampad is always with me.” He often reflects doing and what credible programs FishWise is working with the World Wildlife Fund, on former teacher Sadanand Mailliard’s consistent guide their choices Future of Fish, and the Global Food Traceability inquiry of what it means to live a meaningful life. Center to change traceability practices. President Teacher Premdas Rohan taught him that having • Buy local seafood. California and Obama initiated a Presidential Task Force that fun and playing is just as important as learning the U.S. in general have some of resulted in a seafood import-monitoring program and studying. the best fishery management, so wherein suppliers are required to provide traceability Mount Madonna remains a community farmers markets are good places information in order to export products into the touchstone and foundation in Tobias’s life. “All to shop U.S. market. Starting in October 2017, Tobias will of the family and friends that I have there…that • Download the Seafood Watch app for be working more directly with the U.S. government will always be a grounding force. It will always decision-making at your fingertips through a collaboration with the United States be a home to go back to.” Someday he hopes his • The lower on the food chain the sea Agency for International Development (USAID), two boys will help put more champion volleyball creature is, the more sustainable National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admini- banners on the gym walls. they tend to be because they repro-

Tobias at Mount Madonna in 1992 Tobias with his family in Fiji in 2016 duce quicker to be more abundant. For example, farmed shellfish is generally very sustainable • Throw out the myth of only buying “wild-caught.” Done responsibly, aquaculture fills the gap for production that wild fisheries cannot keep up with, and it often offers more sustainable options. Catfish, trout, and shellfish are often good farmed options

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