Education in Conservation and Renewable Energy
Apart from being passionate about nature, I am also passionate about renewable energy and conservation. Using my engineering industry background, I was instrumental in setting up a hybrid wind turbine/photo-voltaic system in a school to educate students about renewable energy, making it the first middle school in the USA to have such a system. Students learn how solar and wind energy complement each other through the hot and cold months of the year and are able to make connections to real-world applications of such systems, from boats and ships in the marine arena to remote off-grid locations on land.
I have spent a considerable amount of time teaching students and empowering them to win multiple awards in wind and solar energy related competitions at the regional and national level. Children need to be educated in wind and solar energy, not only to meet the changing job landscape, but also because they will hopefully be the future drivers of conservation on the planet. Creating a love for nature through photographs is one way to achieve that.
Through my pictures I have educated school-going children in several countries, on various facets of the natural world, e.g. the difference between camouflage, warning coloration and visual mimicry in butterflies etc.