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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?)