Matthias Zehner - Teacher, US

My name is Matt Zehner, and I'm a high school history teacher at Branham HS in San Jose, California, in the United States. I specifically teach US History and Advanced Placement US History, and have been doing so in the public school for 18 years now.

Believing in the maxim that "we save what we love; we love what we understand; we understand what we're taught", I have devoted a great deal of time to instituting school recycling programs and organizing student clubs in an effort to "green" our schools. As climate change became a larger and better-understood issue, my student-volunteer group, SPARE, Students Promoting Awareness of Recycling & the Environment. Over the last two years we raised thousands of dollars in an effort to offset our school's carbon footprint.

In the process of finding the best offset program, I came across Cool Earth, and here I am!  It has been an honor to have participated in the Teacher Fellowship program.  I gained a thorough understanding of how Cool Earth interacts with native peoples in an effort to preserve the rainforest.  Living with the Ashaninka left me with a deep sense of humility and appreciation for their delicately balanced lifestyle.  This first-hand knowledge of Cool Earth's projects will help SPARE and me to promote a better understanding of how students can proactively combat climate change.

SPARE has become a resource in my city for providing information to other schools and organizations seeking to combat climate change. Videos and pictures of the trip will be incorporated with "carbon footprint" lessons, so that students can understand how their lives are intertwined with Ashininka.  Since my return, the student-environmental club at De Anza Junior College has committed to raising money for Cool Earth's Ashaninka project as part of their ongoing effort to educate the community.  I anticipate even greater community involvement as the media from the Fellowship program will be made available with educational lessons.

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