EDITOR'S NOTE: In honor of Earth Day and as part of our ongoing Purple Acts of Kindness program, we surprised a green-minded teacher at a Title 1 school near our Hillsboro, Oregon, customer care center by awarding her an eco-tourism trip. She just returned, and here's her report:

Having been heralded by the daily late afternoon thunder and lightning storm, the clouds rolled in to create a dark and moonless humid night. There were 18 of us on our nightly turtle watch. Without our flashlights — or as our British friends would say, “torches” — it was nearly impossible for me to see more then a few feet away.

Pulga (that’s flea in Spanish), the neighborhood dog, started barking and howling. Despite our leader’s no light rule (“don’t scare the turtles”), the flashlights came on to reveal the oddest creature any of us had ever seen. It was about three feet long, mostly white with a black saddle. But it had no visible face — just a long skinny snout. Startled by Pulga, it stood on its hind legs and began a funny kung-fu-like dance while making a kind of eerie screeching-howling sound. Fortunately for all involved, it quickly decided flight was better than fight and scampered off into the jungle.

We all stood there amazed and then laughing at what we had just seen, not knowing for sure if it was for real or some sort of live Muppet show. We found out later we had just had the rare privilege of seeing a Tamandua (banded or lesser anteater).

Our Tamandua sighting was just one of many different and wonderful experiences we enjoyed during our nearly two-week tour of Costa Rica, thanks to Yahoo!. I'm a second-grade teacher from Butler Creek Elementary school, located in Gresham, Oregon, and I had the privilege of being chosen by Yahoo! to participate in a free eco-trip with G.A.P Adventures. I was nominated by my school because of my work with our environmental club. Choosing a trip from the menu of fantastic adventures G.A.P offers was difficult, but my husband Tom and I decided on Costa Rica because this particular tour included a week of volunteering at a sea turtle protection project. We both prefer experiencing the local culture first-hand rather than spending our time at a resort. This also seemed to fit the eco theme. Did we get it right!

Our group of 17 strangers from England, Canada, and different parts of the U.S. went on an incredible journey that included a sloth rescue, monkey sightings, an up-close-and-personal sea turtle egg-laying experience, horseback riding, volcano viewing, a jungle cruise, white water rafting, zip-lining, and much more.

As I think about how this trip will affect me as a teacher and what I'll bring back to my students, I remember the day we visited the local elementary school at Playa Matapalo. I was able to sit with a small group of children, about the same age that I teach, and despite the language barrier, it quickly became apparent to me that I was talking to the same kids I see every day. There was the jokester, the shy one, the thoughtful one — the same mix that is in my class. It truly is a small world. A world we all must appreciate more before there is nothing left to appreciate. Whether we are protecting sea turtles or salmon, pine trees or palm trees, we must leave for our children the wonders that we enjoy today.

I am very grateful to Yahoo! for their commitment to our environment and to the next generation. Through campaigns like Be a Better Planet or product efforts like your Autos Green Center, you are helping us all be more aware of alternatives to our more destructive habits. The Internet can be a powerful tool that can help us all appreciate the world we have and environmentally responsible companies like Yahoo! are at the forefront of that effort. I truly appreciate the opportunity that Yahoo! gave me to explore just a tiny but important part of our world.

Mary Nemmert
2nd Grade Teacher
Butler Creek Elementary School
Gresham, Oregon