His first video, Claim Your Change, details how money kept in multinational banks is used to finance destructive projects all over the world. One such project, a proposed coal-fired powerplant in Constitucion, Chile, home of a world-class surf spot and indigenous fishing village, is the subject of Claim Your Change.

This video inspired people to move over $340 million dollars of lending power out of centralized banks into local banks and credit unions, and reached people throughout North America, South America, Africa and much of Europe.

Second in his series is Buy Local, Surf Global, where Thiermann and professional photographer Daniel Russo travel to Sri Lanka to track more great waves while exploring clothing manufacturing companies whose conditions are directly impacted by shoppers back home.

Next in Kyle’s Surfing for Change series is a trip to Hawaii in early 2011 documenting plastic pollution. Kyle has surfed his way across Indonesia, Chile, Peru, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Australia, Hawaii and throughout the US.

He is enrolled at Gaia University, earning a BA in Regenerative Entrepreneurship. He uses the support from his sponsors, including Patagonia and Sector 9, to generate publicity that encourages people to take action to transform their communities, and the world.

Kyle’s work has been featured in dozens of media outlets worldwide including Surfer Magazine and The Huffington Post.

Kyle Speaks at Universities and high schools throughout California, he has been the keynote speaker at One World Children’s Fund, won The E-chievement Award from The Bohemian Foundation- Coast to Coast Radio, and was the 2010 recipient of the Peter Benchley Blue Vision Youth Award. In addition he spoke at the 2010 Bioneers Conference.

Kyle lives in Santa Cruz, California and recently built a skate ramp in his backyard with friends