In lieu of gifts, 13-year-old Roots & Shoots group leader Peter A. asked guests at his "GREEN Bar Mitzvah" to donate to Roots & Shoots and the Jane Goodall Institute, an organization he says is "near and dear to his heart." So far, his guests have donated over $1,000 (USD), and the donations are still coming in!

A resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, Peter started his Roots & Shoots group, the Green Eagles, after he learned about Roots & Shoots while writing a research paper on Dr. Jane. The Green Eagles held their first meeting in February, and they started off strong with 15 members. They have been able to participate in several projects, including gardening in the school's sustainable rain garden and creating a compost pile.

Peter has a lot of plans for the group when school starts again. The first order of business will be lobbying for healthier, natural school lunches, which are more appealing to the students. He is also planning to fundraise for chimpanzees by selling plant seeds and energy-efficient light bulbs.

Peter has been interested in primates since a young age, and he was excited to have the opportunity to research Dr. Jane for a paper in his English and World Studies classes. His paper focused on the challenges Dr. Jane faced when she first began her research in the 1960s.

For National History Day, Peter turned his paper into an individual performance, in which he portrayed four people who have significantly impacted Dr. Jane's life:

1. Adriaan Kortlandt, a Dutch ethologist who studied chimpanzees
2. Louis Leakey, the famous archaeologist and paleoanthropologist who first sent Dr. Jane to study chimps at Gombe National Park
3. David Greybeard, one of the most important chimpanzees in Dr. Jane's research
4. A young Roots & Shoots member

Peter won first place at the Maryland state level for his performance and had a lot of fun performing at the National Contest.

In addition to helping to protect the environment, Peter also enjoys playing the clarinet, reading and writing. He wants to be a writer, playwright and actor in the future, and we are all excited to see how he continues to merge his passion for the environment with his interest in performing.

Are you passionate about the environment? Start your own Roots & Shoots group!