The newspaper has been my essential reading material since childhood. As I simultaneously flip through its pages and munch on cereal every morning, I am provided with windows into the world, ranging from the latest war to this evening’s weather. As a journalist, though, I have learned that all my years of newspaper reading did not spoon-feed me what is important. Rather, they have made me question and explore the world through my own eyes.

When I was in high school, I started writing about a subject I seldom saw in mainstream newspapers: the environment. Because of my interest in journalism, I started an internship at the Teen Environmental Media Network, based in San Rafael, Calif., in December 2001. I was 16 years old then, and what I knew about the great outdoors was that it was where I roasted my marshmallows. That changed with my first story assignment, which was to write about environmental education in Marin County for a local newspaper column called EarthScope.

Through much research, I met and interviewed 11 students and educators who were full of enormous knowledge and passion about nature. I talked to everyone from a Harvard sophomore who had started his high school’s first garden and was now studying environmental science to my seventh-grade science teacher, whose triumphant tales of creek restoration made me wish I had paid more attention in his class. I was ecstatic about seeing my hard work come alive in a published feature article. I made the voices of people who normally would not be heard appear in print.

I started reading newspapers more closely, and noticed that stories about murder were on the front page every day, while I had to flip to page B12 to find the occasional paragraph about global warming. I began reading newspapers not only to find what they portrayed as significant, but also to ask what vital information they were missing. Through my own writing, I aimed to fill in the gaps. I made an effort to educate my readers about environmental issues they may have not known faced them on a daily basis, such as local water shortages, and to highlight common citizens who are fervent about protecting and creating a better planet for all life.

My interest in my subject matter led me to events such as the Bioneers Conference, the San Francisco Green Festival, protests about issues such as deforestation and city council forums over energy and water usage. I usually went by myself, but felt far from alone among a crowd of friendly people who were willing to passionately pour their thoughts into the recorder I always squeezed into my purse.

My independence and self-confidence soared, giving me the initiative to spread my newfound knowledge in many mediums. I edited and produced a few radio shows about the San Francisco Bay Model for local talk radio, led a workshop for the Bay Area Youth Quest Conference entitled “The Media’s Influence on Youth” and stepped in front of the San Rafael City Council to voice my opinion on water conservation.

My journey of reporting on environmental issues has made me aware of the importance of asking questions, as well as the beauty of that old oak tree in my backyard. Six years and 70-something articles later, I continue to write about the environment and all topics that I feel deserve the spotlight. I have gone on to be an editor at my university newspaper, an intern at large, urban publications and a soon-to-be college grad ready to tackle fundamental questions one interview at a time. As an environmental journalist, I give science and nature the attention I think they deserve, and turn my inquisitiveness into writing.

Rachel Stern has written numerous articles for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Metro Santa Cruz and her university newspaper, City on a Hill Press. She is currently finishing a degree in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Literature, at the University of California-Santa Cruz. To learn more about Rachel and her work, visit her website at www.sternjournalism.com.