From Forest Trails to Onchain Climate Action: Drew’s Journey to Founding Klima Protocol

Growing up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, Drew’s earliest memories are of dense forests, crisp mountain air, and the quiet magic of nature. His grandfather, a farmer turned biology teacher, often spoke about the delicate balance between people and the natural world. Those conversations planted seeds of curiosity and responsibility that would shape Drew’s life.

By 7th grade, Drew was already exploring the science of climate change in his first research paper. But it wasn’t until years later, standing in front of a classroom, that this early interest evolved into a calling.

Teaching Urban Ecology: Connecting Cities and Nature

In 2013, Drew joined Teach for America as a science teacher in Philadelphia. Designing an environmental science curriculum for middle schoolers, he faced a critical challenge: making topics like the water cycle and global warming relevant to kids living in an urban landscape.

The answer? Show how nature and cities intertwine. Storm drains and sewage systems replaced rivers and forests in his lessons, highlighting how urban life is deeply connected to planetary systems. For Drew, this was a revelation: climate action is not abstract, it’s about systems we interact with every day.

These classroom conversations sparked a deeper curiosity about sustainable cities and the policies shaping them. One city kept appearing in his research: Freiburg, Germany—a pioneer in urban sustainability. It became the next destination on his journey.

From Education to Global Climate Governance

Determined to scale his impact, Drew pursued a master’s in Environmental Governance at the University of Freiburg in Germany, a program blending science, economics, and policy. It was more than an academic leap; it was his entry into a global network of climate innovators. Here, he met two future co-founders of his first venture, Offsetra.

While in Freiburg, Drew consulted for BioCarbon Engineering (now Dendra Systems), a small but ambitious startup using drones to restore degraded ecosystems. From a CEO’s apartment in Oxford, the team pioneered reforestation techniques that now operate worldwide. Drew’s role in geospatial analysis introduced him to the business side of climate action—and the emerging role of carbon markets.

This was Drew’s first real taste of how innovation and entrepreneurship could accelerate environmental restoration. And it planted another idea: what if technology could make carbon markets more accessible, transparent, and impactful?

Enter Carbon Markets and Blockchain

At BioCarbon Engineering, Drew also explored how drone data could support Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) for carbon projects. This deep dive into carbon markets laid the foundation for Offsetra, a consultancy Drew launched with former classmates Alex (add handler) and Brendan @atmosfearful. Initially focused on carbon accounting for SMEs, Offsetra quickly found a surprising niche: emissions analysis for blockchain.

By 2019, Drew saw what few others did: blockchain wasn’t just about speculation; it could be a tool for environmental accountability. Digital ledgers could solve a long-standing problem in carbon markets: trust.

Founding Klima: Making Climate Action Programmable

This insight led to a bold idea: a decentralized infrastructure that connects carbon markets with blockchain to drive real-world climate impact. In late 2021, KlimaDAO (now Klima Protocol) was born.

The vision was simple yet radical: make carbon a digital commodity, create liquidity, and build tools that make climate action programmable. For Drew, Klima represented the convergence of everything he cared about: science, governance, and technology, into a system designed for global coordination.

Today, Klima is more than a protocol. It’s a movement to scale carbon markets and accelerate climate finance. And it all started with a kid exploring forests, a teacher reimagining science education, and a lifelong belief that innovation can work for the planet.

The Road Ahead

With the upcoming launch of Klima 2.0, Drew remains focused on the vision of blockchain providing neutral, transparent, and traceable infrastructure for facilitating environmental markets. As the CEO of Carbonmark, he’s spent the last two years working with key stakeholders across the carbon space to onboard them into Klima’s ecosystem. 

Whether through the variety of working groups he participates in, organized by the Blockchain x Climate Leadership Network and the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), or through his daily calls with carbon registries, traders, and carbon project developers, he’s witnessed the transformation that has taken place since Klima’s initial launch in 2021. 

“We couldn’t have dreamed of the traction we’re seeing in terms of blockchain adoption over the last 2 years. A massive acceleration has taken place, and we’re now at the stage where major carbon registries run on blockchain rails. Our next charge is to bring the majority of market trading activity into our ecosystem. The work continues!”