I was lucky enough to be involved in a career that mattered to children (I was teacher of Spanish, Sign Language and Environmental Studies for 12 years), and it was through the eyes of my students that I learned about my own inadequacies in the area of meaningful environmental stewardship. In plain English: I gave lip service about the environment, but in reality I lived a wasteful life.

By the third year of my teaching career, thanks to a wonderful set of coincidences and opportunities, my school - a private school in Central Florida, had the only interspecies communications exchange in the world between hearing children and Koko, the signing gorilla. I had the opportunity to meet with Koko on location, and Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson, the dedicated scientist whose life mission is to save both gorillas and their natural environment.

Dr. Patterson , indeed , became my mentor and guide in this field. Our correspondence in the years between 1999 and 2002 opened my eyes and fueled my interest in going green. I learned that I could make a difference, even if only in my own household (but that is how revolutions start, right?)