Earlier this year Chris Tejcek attended a climate change conference with former United States Vice President and climate change campaigner Al Gore in Brisbane.
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It would prove life changing for the geography and marine science teacher at St Columba Anglican School (SCAS) in Port Macquarie.
It made Mr Tejcek determined to drive sustainability within the school.
His determination has seen him develop - along with SCAS Chair of Council Dr Gordon Burch - the first climate change forum at the school which was held on Monday 26 August.
"There are lots of important causes out there but there are very few that you can't link back to climate change whether it be human health or agriculture," he explained.
Mr Tejcek believes we are living in a "climate crisis".
"Looking at the science, the data show 98-99 per cent peer reviewed consensus about this," he said.
Mr Tejcek said the aim of the compulsory forum for year 10 students was to teach them that climate change is not a partisan issue.
"I hope they realise caring for the environment is not a leftist construct, it is simply looking after your home," he said.
From small things big things grow.
- Zali Everden
Fifteen-year-old SCAS student Zali Everden described the statistics on climate change she heard during the forum as "frightening".
She is determined to make even the "smallest change".
"From small things big things grow," she said seriously.
"We need to think about everything from eliminating plastics, more solar panels, different options for sewerage that are cleaner, waste reduction.
"We need to consider this as a school but everyone needs to consider these things individually too."
Her friend Jinuki Senanayake said climate change is "absolutely a priority for her".
"People know about it but they don't really do anything about it without a visual indicator or something happening to them," she said.
The guest speaker at the Climate Change Forum was Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University.