Sobering times. The Gulf oil disaster is gushing ever outward, spreading harm and heartbreak. The economy is still hurting. We’ve seen this as friends have lost jobs and businesses have ... (click for more)

Sobering times. The Gulf oil disaster is gushing ever outward, spreading harm and heartbreak. The economy is still hurting. We’ve seen this as friends have lost jobs and businesses have struggled. It’s hitting home as Andy has been laid off from his job. There’s little comfort knowing that so many other good, honest, talented people are in the same situation. -- including the many dependent on the Gulf for their livelihood. Add to that our June heat wave which has droned on and on... “Africa hot,” my friend Holly calls this late-summer heat that came too soon. Sobering and sweltering.

Yet, as I sit at my computer to write, I watch a storm roll in. It promises to bring some relief – break up the weather pattern. I take heart in this cosmic metaphor. The dark clouds, the lightning strikes promise a cleansing. The darkness of our sobering times and the jolts of life events stir things up, and offer an opportunity for some introspection and clarity.

I’ll look to our contributors this issue for some inspiration. There is lots of good in the world, and lots of work to be done and joy to be had. Mark Steiner of Cultivating Connections has given us a wise piece on the Gulf disaster. If we don’t shut down, he counsels, we can gain “a greater capacity for care and a standing up to help make things right.” We have advice from Terry Edwards, UofL Prof from the Department of Justice Administration/Southern Police Institute. Environmental criminals can be dealt with. Alyson Goldberg of Project Warm tells us of the efforts and amazing results of an army of volunteers whose warm hearts are keeping people cool . Project Warm wants to reach farther and celebrate everyday energy heros with their newest project, The Green Spark Awards and Green Trade Show.

Many of our contributors focus in on the personal. It’s through our own growth and self-care that we are our best selves. Kimberly Hillerich of Skipping Fish Boat School teaches young people and adults to build their own kayaks and to competently navigate the KY waterways. Along with building a boat, Kimberly’s students build character. They learn that “with a little sweat and dedication they can accomplish extraordinary things.” Rae Hatherton ND introduces an ancient system of health care –Tibetan Acupressure – that is pure pleasure to give and to receive. Jenny Boice of Divine Creationz continues our education in using the herbs that grow freely beneath our feet – this time to take care of our children’s everyday ailments. And Maria Whitley of Shine invites us to dance for the joy of it and for the health of it. Ever heard of Nia? I just might run into you in one of Maria’s classes.

Enjoy this newest collection. Our contributors are our neighbors. We’re fortunate to have so much wisdom in our community and I am grateful to have this platform to celebrate it. Sobering times have created for me an appreciation of the good.

Be well and safe.

Nature takes center stage in Spring. The sun on bare skin, fat drops of rain, green leaves alive in an aromatic breeze, birds gone wild. Even the night sky is ... (click for more)

Nature takes center stage in Spring. The sun on bare skin, fat drops of rain, green leaves alive in an aromatic breeze, birds gone wild. Even the night sky is glorious, as our cover artist, Tara Remington reminds us. It just plain feels good to be alive! No wonder we’ve been drawn to explore our connection to the natural world.

Todd Eklof, Minister of Clifton Universalist Unitarian Church, explores his passion for Creation Care. Connection to the wonder of nature can arise from the mists of a rocky seacoast. Or it can come from watching a chicken forage along a Kentucky ridge, as Eva Jean King of Ridge Acres reveals. Amazing what’s out there in the grass!

We can move inside, and keep our connection going. Laila Alizadeh of Bluegrass Green Company has good information on creating healthy indoor air. We can travel the world or the heavens, and spare our Earth a little carbon with the amazing facilities of Rauch Planetarium.

Staying healthy can be as simple as water and wild flowers. We explore high tech Double-Helix Water used homeopathically with Peter Moscow and low tech wild flowers found in the yard with Jenny Boice.

Exploration and fun connect us to nature. Green living festivals are popping up like radishes! Find some in our Green Happenings section. Wonderful summer camp opportunities for children can be found in Green Happenings and on page 5.

When looking for fresh, healthy food, please note the changes we’ve made to our “Sustainable Dining” section. It’s now “Sustainable Dining and Food.” The new section has dining options, and also CSAs, Farmers Markets, Farms and Orchards, Healthy Food (now Food Stores and Purveyors), Food Distributors, and Restaurant Supply – formerly in “Community.” We also added a new heading: Food Links for services connecting farmers and consumers.

Enjoy this lovely season as we dig in the dirt and walk barefoot in grass. The Earth is holding us in her arms. Feel that connection.

Louisville in March and April – that’s when the Earth wakes up after a good, long sleep and demands that we join the song birds and the budding trees and ... (click for more)

Louisville in March and April – that’s when the Earth wakes up after a good, long sleep and demands that we join the song birds and the budding trees and get to work recreating the world! There are endorphins to be had, planting our gardens and sweeping out our living and working spaces. Lily, the family cat, reminds us that scooting outdoors when the door is cracked is what it’s all about.

Spring springs eternal, I’m sure is what the poet meant to say! Our early spring issue of GreenList reflects our desire to get our hands in the dirt. In our January/February issue, we told about 15 Thousand Farmers, then just an idea to grow a movement to empower Louisvillians to change our local food economy. This time we lead with an update: the story of 200+ “farmers” overflowing from a church basement in late February, taking this idea one step forward into the real world. How cool is that?!

We’ve invited local talent to help us begin our urban and rural farms – naturally, sustainably. In these pages, find tips on choosing good seed, nourishing our gardens with compost, and protecting them with beneficial insects. Need materials and tools? Reduce your carbon footprint by reclaiming and reusing – create a garden with a unique story. Find the tools you need at a local store, sourced from a maker only a few miles away.

And just in time for Spring cleaning, we’ve come across some ideas for cleaning up our world. Our carbon footprint isn’t going to go anywhere without our awareness.

• Louisville Grows at UofL reminds us that food travels 1,500 miles on average to the shelves of our large conglomerate stores. Nutrition and oil: we can make healthier choices!

• Net Impact is new to the Bluegrass and it believes in the power of one at work. Read about a challenge that inspires and mentors people to make the little changes that take on the big problems. We’re hoping for 15 thousand new recyclers. We need them, and it’s just not hard!

• This is what democracy looks like! takes a look at Louisville’s presence at the anti-MTR, I Love Mountains Day sponsored by the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. We’re getting the idea! GreenList was there and saw lots of Louisville initiatives represented, lots of passionate people out in the brisk air on the steps of the State Capitol.

This is the busy season ! We’re localizing, simplifying, educating ourselves and acting! As always, our herbalist Jenny Boice brings warm tea and sanity into a too busy life. She offers natural and herbal wisdom for those nights when sleep won’t come.

Happy spring.

Work joyfully and sleep deeply.

Play and laugh.

We’ll be outdoors with Lily.

We were thinking about all those New Year’s Resolutions we could write about when our friend, Maria Whitley at Shine, came up with the idea of a New Year’s Revolution! ... (click for more)

We were thinking about all those New Year’s Resolutions we could write about when our friend, Maria Whitley at Shine, came up with the idea of a New Year’s Revolution! (Thank you, Maria.)

We’d say it’s about time for a revolution. For the New Year, the news from climatologists is pretty dark. Copenhagen has yielded no reason for optimism. Health care? Yet, in spite of it all and because of it all, the beautiful people of Louisville are going about the business of saving the world one step at a time. There’s a quiet revolution going on, and it’s something to celebrate!

So this issue is dedicated to our 2010 Louisville New Year’s Revolution! We know change must come from the top – and to that effort we are happy to announce Jackie Green’s Green Mayoral Platform. Check out our Green Happenings pages for his vision . Best of luck to you, Jackie.

We also know that change too comes swelling up from the bottom – inspired by individuals and groups who understand that gloom and doom can stop people in their tracks, send them off into comfortable denial. But action and optimism can send a wave of energy into the world, sweeping us along in its power to transform.

We need dreams and we need dreamers. But Revolution is a call to awaken. To that end, we feature the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium. The Earth and her inhabitants are hurting. We need to know it and explore what one person can do. The power of one can become the power of one million! Here is a golden opportunity to deepen knowledge of both the disturbing and the inspiring.

Revolution calls us to action. We highlight a slice of that home-grown action with a look at 15,000 Farmers. Gary Heine of Heine Brothers Coffee and Breaking New Grounds isn’t dreaming of a local food economy. He’s planting the seeds for Easy Farms. Kurt Rutkowski offers an insight into easy stewardship . Local food looks good with washable, resuable linen. Local landfills look noticably undernourished.

Youth shows us all that the world is reborn again and again. The Revolution of evolution. Spencer Scruggs founded the Seneca HS Green Club to involve his generation in the environmental community. A dreamer and a doer, he shows us what one young person can do when he steps into the larger world. Anna Roeder, UofL activist shows us the quiet force of modeling. Beyond the scope of verbal messages, living your vision and sharing illuminates what can be.

The Earth gifts us with nutrients and medicine. Revolution requires stamina. We look at ways to care for ourselves while living in tune and perhaps living with less. Simplicity and clarity inspire articles on healthy food choice by Rae Hatherton ND, healthy dental care by Bob Lavely DMD, and healthy first aid with master herbalist, Jenny Boice.

And finally, Revolution requires embodiment. Earth Mamas draw from the music and movement of all cultures of the world to tell the story of Earth and her plight. Dance with them and come to know your place in this glorious and threatened web of life.

We wish a bold New Year to all in 2010.

Let the Revolution rock!