I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the team at Beyond the Fog, a local podcast hosted by three San Franciscans who are passionate about everything that makes the Bay Area unique. Their goal is to bring to life the history, art, and culture of the Bay Area—and the people who create it. Their latest series of stories was all about the local environment, and since the Bay Area is a hotbed for environmental activism, I'm honored they chose to include me in this series.
The bayside café where we met was too loud, so we ended up doing the interview on the back of Baykeeper's patrol boat, on a gorgeous, sunny day. As someone who’s done many interviews—and who still gets jitters every time—it was one of the most pleasant interview experiences I’ve had. They asked interesting questions and wove together a story about how I came to be dedicated to environmental justice at an early age, about my twenty-year history with Baykeeper, as well as about what Baykeeper's passionate attorneys and scientists are doing right now to confront polluters and secure a healthy future for the Bay and the people of the Bay Area.
My favorite moment came later, though, as I was listening to the final edited version. In the post-interview commentary, one of the interviewers exclaimed "wow, that interview was probably one of my favorites to date!" They proceeded to describe how impressed they were with Baykeeper's effectiveness protecting the Bay from polluters, and how surprised they were not to have known about Baykeeper before.
"[Sejal] left me with a lot of hope for the Bay,” said Susan Brown. "The word needs to come out," her co-host Michaela Joy O’Shea added: "More people need to help them…do the work."
It was a fun conversation, and certainly one close to my heart. Feel free to give it a listen. More importantly, please share it with friends, family, colleagues around the Bay Area—anyone you know who might not be familiar with Baykeeper and our dynamic style of investigating pollution and holding polluters accountable. You heard Susan and Michaela: The word about Baykeeper needs to come out!
Sejal Choksi-Chugh
Executive Director
Photo: Michaela Joy Photography