Teacher among honorees for environmental award
A teacher in San Rafael has won a top regional award for her contributions in environmental education and renewable energy.
Karen Madden, the lead teacher at the Marin School of Environmental Leadership at Terra Linda High School, is one of three Bay Area honorees to receive this year's Charles F. McGlashan Advocacy Award.
The other two awardees are Eden Housing, an organization that promotes affordable homes, and Chris Benz of Napa Climate Now, a nonprofit.
“Our communities are better
prepared to face the biggest challenge of our time because of outstanding partners like these,” said Shanelle Scales-Preston, board chair of MCE, formerly known as Marin Clean Energy. “We thank them for inspiring us all to keep charging ahead.”
MCE sponsors the awards program, which started in 2011. The program commemorates the legacy of McGlashan, the late Marin County supervisor and the founding chair of Marin Clean Energy.
Madden teaches an environmental leadership seminar at Terra Linda in which students collaborate with community partners to create solutions for issues.
In 2023, she and her students
partnered with MCE to develop an awareness campaign sharing the benefits of renewable energy.“Young people are crucial change agents in addressing the issues that our world faces,” Madden said. “I was so thankful to partner with the MCE team who mentored my students about the benefits of renewable energy.”
Madden added her students were inspired to seek change in their communities.
“There is nothing more powerful to a teacher than seeing creative ideas turn into positive action,” she said.
Last spring, some of Madden's students created a model