How it Began:

Raised and born in the urban setting of San Jose, CA to a family whose idea of camping was a five star hotel, JJ Yoshihara, first received his call to nature through his underwater garden aquariums.
When he turned 15, his mother bought him a fish aquarium with live aquatic plants. Within a week, the plants started to die. Frustrated and confused, JJ launched into a learning frenzy, seeking advice from the local library, fish store, hydroponics store, and internet to understand how to cultivate aquatic plants.
His quest proved to be so successful that he started a company, called AquaUtopia, where he sold aquatic plants through EBAY.
His new found love for nature and thirst for water chemistry pushed him to pursue chemical engineering at UC Santa Barbara. Why Chemical Engineering: JJ reasoned that this field would lend him expertise in the chemical industry to discover more pro-active solutions to environmental challenges laden in oil refineries, chemical plants, and the general manufacturing industry.
Channeling His Passion Into Others

While at UCSB, JJ established an organization, called The Excursion Club (The Excursion Club, an outdoor student lead organization, fosters environmental stewardship through participation in outdoor activities to this day).
With a flourishing organization, it was no surprise to often find JJ leading a group of students in the mountains instead of attending class. His raging obsession for the outdoors and educating others about the environment, brought JJ to a discover a new career shift. Upon graduation, he found himself struggling with the idea of diving into an Env. Chemical Specialist career. Last minute, a different and more favorable path opened up, which he jumped on, to create the Excursion Club Network, a social networking gateway to connect other university outdoor organizations as a way to strengthen student organized environmental efforts.


The Creation of a Environmental Non Profit 
 

In 2006, he partnered with Brandi Bennitt, CEO of Aria Global, an independent music company, to bring music, art, film, and the outdoors together. JJ and Brandi worked their summer creating the “Change Your Way Tour,”to bring outdoor clubs and music venues to fourteen universities across the west coast. While the tour itself failed to meet their immediate goals, it did attract motivated students to assist the Excursion Club Network.
In December 2006, JJ facilitated an outdoor retreat with university students to strengthen their environmental mission. The retreat resulted with the conception of JuntoVenture, a non profit organization, utilizing media to inspire, educate, and empower people to live more eco-friendly lifestyles.

JJ and the JuntoVenture team organized their first multimedia project, “The North American Sustainable Journey,”a 60 day journey from Death Valley to Mt. Mckinley, where all clothing, food, hygiene products, and gear must retain a sustainable theme.
On return from the N.A. expedition, JJ was inspired to create the web series called, “Flat Broke and Green.”In June 2008, he moved to Los Angeles to secure distribution outlets. Since his short stay in Los Angeles, JJ has hosted “Green This!,” “Flat Broke and Green,” and now the “Bolivia EcoVenture.”
JJ is now getting ready to host the “Bolivia EcoVenture documentary series,” based on the web-series, “Flat Broke and Green,” a series about living green at all extremes, whether it be urban living, the rugged outdoors, on the road, on a mountain, or flat broke and green. During the expedition, JJ will join 8000 meter climber, Nick Rice to feature green travel at a staggering 21,000 ft, and will later join host, Daniella Martin to distribute eco-toys to an eco-orphanage. The expedition is set to begin on June 2009, and the climbing traverse is scheduled for June 28th, 2009. Daily dispatches and podcasts are set to air on www.juntoventure.org and quantumshift.tv in June 2009.
JJ is also hosting the TV-Web series, “Flat Broke and Green,”an adventure show where high class green meets flat broke and green. Its a show that gives audience watchers ideas on how to be eco-friendly at all financial levels from the bustling city to the great outdoors.
When JJ isn’t on screen hosting, you can find him atop a beautiful mountain peak, scribbling down thousands of new, green, and exciting ideas to implement next into his life. Along with the environment, JJ also enjoys the finer things in life, such as, Blue Grass Concerts, Exotic Foods, Adventure Racing, listening to audio book tapes, and of course the Great Outdoors!



What JJ has to say about his passions

The environment is huge for me in my life. I am very fascinated with educating myself about various environmental issues, and I am even more passionate about how I can convey these issues to others. 
I just want to make it easy and fun for people to be green. And I feel media is a really good tool to attract many more people to the outdoors and to living more green.