Time for another intern profile. This time I asked Danny Kehoe to tell us more about himself. Danny has been working with us for a couple of weeks in the business development department and has been doing really great work on our new Community Supported Agriculture program that we will be starting soon.
My name is Danny Kehoe and I was born and raised in Colorado. I attended the University of Colorado where I studied Environmental Design & City Planning. I currently live in Ft. Collins, CO and am pursuing a Master’s in Business Management. When I’m not studying, I enjoy staying active as much as possible. I will admit that when the weather is nice I become a softball and golf junkie. I am engaged to get married in May. So between school, work, and planning for the wedding I have my hands full.
Q: When did you first become interested in sustainability?
I first became interested in sustainability when I went to college. My degree had a underlying emphasis on sustainable development. I quickly learned how in reality everything is connected and the decisions we make in the built environment can have a tremendous impact on the surrounding environment.
Q: What are the most interesting/important things that you’ve learned since being an intern at Nourish the Planet?
My emphasis for my Master’s is in Healthcare. While sustainable agriculture and health care don’t sound like they belong in the same sentence, what I have seen at NTP has completely changed my way of thinking. When I thought of healthcare, my first thoughts were about medicine and access to treatment. But at its core, healthcare is all about learning to live a healthy lifestyle. For many people in developing countries, and for that matter anyone who is living in poverty, healthcare begins with the essentials; food, water, shelter. While many of us take these resources for granted, these are vital for developing a foundation for a healthy lifestyle.
What I love about aquaponics is that it truly is a system that can provide food to suffering communities in a sustainable way. Additionally, aquaponics also offers a viable solution for economic growth. In a perfect world, this is how I see this working. Insert aquaponics into a community where water and land for agriculture is scarce. The system provides food for the community, creating a healthier lifestyle and thus more productive workforce. A more productive workforce inspires more aquaponics systems and more available food that can be sold to other communities, thus creating income. This income can be taxed by government providing more funds to invest in medicine and infrastructure for the community. While it is always easier said than done, aquaponics is something that can help those that are truly in need of assistance.
Q: How do you incorporate sustainability into your life?
At the ground level, I do what I can to buy products that are made from recycled material and thus recycle as much as I possibly can. In the big picture, just try to lead by example.
Q: What do you want to see change in the world in the next 10 years?
I would just like to see education and awareness for environmental issues continues to grow. I understand that there is a lot of money in say oil and other natural resources, and unfortunately those companies have the ear and pocket of many politicians. However, I see big companies making sustainability a top priority in how they conduct business, and I hope that this continues to spread throughout companies around the world.
Q: What are your goals for the future?
Incorporate more sustainable business practices to insurance companies and health care facilitates. At this point, the United States healthcare system is in the hands of private insurance companies. As for profit companies, their obligations are to make sure the shareholders are happy, thus they need to increase the bottom line. Most of the time this comes at the expense of the individual whose premiums continue to go up or are dropped because the cost too much to insure. A primary cost for insurance companies comes through administration costs and money lost due to inefficiencies. I think by incorporating more efficient procedures and sustainable/ green design aspects into these companies, there can be large amounts of money that can be saved and thus trickle down to the customer. Everybody wins.
Q: If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Hit the weight room and practice your hitting and groundballs. This would lead to a scholarship to play baseball at Stanford, then go pro, and then get to go to work at Coors Field every day. When I’m done playing baseball I can save the world, falling back on my free education at Stanford.
In reality, find your passion and stick with it. Everything else will work itself out.
Q: What is the number one place that you would like to travel to?
New Zealand. I want to visit the Shire and say hi to Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gangy
Q: What do you do to “get away from it all” or what is your passion?
The first tee box at Ute Creek, or any golf course for that matter
Q: What is one sentence that describes the philosophy by which you live your life?
I just try to get a little better every day. If that means reading more to learn new things or other cultures, or simply holding the door for someone at the store to make my community a friendlier place to live. I just try to live from my experiences and try not to make the same mistake twice.
Q: When you are feeling unmotivated, how do inspire yourself?
I ask myself what I really want from life. Do I want my own home, have successful career, or just hit more homeruns in softball. I ask myself ‘how do I reach those goals’ and ultimately the answer is to get up off my a** and get to work. Done.
Q: What do you wish you were better at?
I don’t mind being alone, but I wish I was a little more outgoing in terms of being more social.
Q: Name one thing that you could not live without?
My girl…. Oh and my dog
Thanks Danny. You’ve been doing awesome work for us, and what a sweet guy you are! Congratulations on your engagement!
Recent Comments