Margo Pellegrino is a 41-year-old mother of two from Medford Lakes, New Jersey who cares about the health of the world's oceans-a lot. Last year she paddled her canoe from Miami to Maine in an attempt to get a little attention for her cause. It worked, so she's done it again, this time with a more specific purpose in mind. In July, she teamed up with NRDC, the Surfrider Foundation, and other advocacy groups to paddle from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., in support of OCEANS-21, a bill sponsored by Representative Sam Farr (D-CA) that would unify national oceans policy under a single regulatory framework. I decided to catch up with her on day two at her press conference Atlantic Highlands with Benson, my four-year-old nephew, in tow. While Benson gave her oar a close inspection, I asked her a few questions (that's me on the right, asking Margo questions).

MK: So last time you paddled from Miami to Maine. That was 2,000 miles. This time it's only 500 miles. Why so lazy? Has the crisis subsided?

MP: (Laughs.) I was only asked to go to D.C. And you know what? Given my level of fitness right now, I think that's about all I can do.

MK: Day one was really tough?

MP: Getting out of the Manasquan inlet was tough. It's nerve wracking, you know, being out in the ocean. Even when it's calm and flat you're still in the ocean. There's nowhere to land for an emergency bailout. Last year, when I left from Florida, I staggered my trip because I wasn't sure how my training would hold up. I had trained so much that the actual trip was more like a vacation. (She laughs.) It was like, 'Margo drinks her way up the coast. My reputation was for having two double-salty margaritas each night.' But there were big swells of up to 7 to 10 feet in Rhode Island, and I'd never paddled in that before.

MK: Is this is the first time you've paddled with the support of NRDC and other big advocacy groups?

MP: Yes, but last year Surfrider was a partner. They sponsored events through local chapters along the way. Hey - I like your shirt. (My shirt reads: "Cool it. Help Stop global warming") I want one that says "I'm offsetting your carbon."

MK: Why is the ocean so important to you?

MP: Well it's a symbolic thing. It's an aesthetic thing. It's just everything. It's one of the places where I'm most happy. It makes me think of my Dad. My Dad was always an ocean-loving person. The undulating waves are like the heartbeat of the planet. Life started in the ocean. It's just a special place. Not to mention an amazing resource, and one that we have to maintain if we want to keep reaping its benefits.

MK: What is it that appeals to you about this OCEANS-21 legislation?

MP: Well I think the whole thing revolves around systems-based management. It stresses the importance of that. Everything is connected, and I think that this legislation provides the framework to make sure that everything stays in balance. Right now, everything has been done in response to a crisis. It's crisis-response. We need some coherency to our national oceans policy so we can continue to reap the benefits. You don't want to spend all the money in your bank, and you don't want to use up all the resources of the ocean.

MK: You are pretty impressively aggressive in your activism. Why is activism important and how do you think we can tap into it, especially in younger generations with less experience with mobilization?

MP: Slackers! (Laughs) I'm Generation X. We are the original slackers. (Laughs again.) It took me until I was 40 years old to do something. And I think that one key - a really big part of it - is getting people out there, outside, having fun. I think activist groups do a good job of getting people out-Surfrider does an amazing job. I think getting people outside... you want them to enjoy and learn about what they need to protect. The only way you can get them to want to protect it is to make them care about it and the only way you can get them to care about it is to expose them to it, you know what I mean. I think the problem is right now virtual reality is winning out over the real reality and I think that is a big problem. You can't take it all for granted.