Not only does October mark the real beginning of Fall in North Texas, but it also brings with it two things that are near and dear to my heart;  the Texas State Fair and our issue on the Environment.  Though I have tried I can’t really think of anything that ties these two things together, but nevertheless, they are my passions – and they both occur in October. I think I am passionate about the Fair because no matter how hot and sweltering it’s been in the last four weeks, North Texans know one thing for sure – the State Fair ushers in the cooler weather that beckons us to get out and enjoy as many of the livestock, creative arts and food exhibitors as we can. Second, it takes me back to a simpler time when my daughter was young and we would go to the Fair every year and we would develop these grand plans for how we were going to keep up with each other.  These “keep-up-with each other” plans morphed over the years, and finally, as she got older the plan evolved into her “parking” me somewhere outside of each ride, where I was not to move until she and her friends came to retrieve me.

My other October passion is so near and dear to me because it is a great determinant of how I came to be publisher of this wonderful magazine.  Growing up in Austin, I think there’s something in the air or water or perhaps it’s being surrounded by all that fertile farmland, eating fresh from my grandparents garden, playing in the natural springs of Zilker Park as a child, or exploring the natural caverns near Georgetown or perhaps as a student at the University of Texas, going to Hippy Hollow and protesting at the Board of Regents meeting to save the trees on campus.  I’m not sure of the exact moment or exact thing, but as far back as I can remember I have always been inquisitive and cared deeply about what’s in or not in the air, water, and earth that surrounds us.  Maturity has caused me to  gravitate toward information and practices that help me to more fully honor and protect that little part of the environment over which I have some control.  This passion about the environment led me to another epiphany that I try very hard to live out and one that I express in this letter every month; that is “green living is healthy and healthy living is green.”  The environment and our health are inextricably tied together.  Now, if we think deeply we can all come to this conclusion; however, it often takes a health crisis, as it did for me, for us to really get it and try to live it.

It has given me such joy to curate the stories and information to share with you this month.  Our feature article about Climate Change and Global Warming is one not to miss. It’s an eye-opener as hurricanes become more ferocious, tornados become more prolific and floods more widespread and deadly.  However, if you really want to help do something about it, our article by Christine McDonald about Shopping with the Planet in Mind will definitely give you some usable strategies that you can implement now.

As I end this letter, the relationship between my two October passions has just come to me – it’s that the climate change aspects of “Fair time”, the opportunity to be outside on the Fair grounds, and the amazing livestock and plant exhibits that I get to enjoy - all are manifestations of the sustainable creation, called the environment, that God has made for us to enjoy – and not destroy.

I hope you enjoy this issue and we look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings,