It's easy living green.

When I was a sophomore in high school, my prized possession was a pair of patchwork jeans that belonged to my friend Kalrs father; in his youth, they were his prized possession, too, a piece of artistic expression he created during the summer of '69. They ended up in my hands somehow, and I wore them everywhere. I guess in a way, just by wearing them, I felt connected to that way of life and maybe even a bit rebellious.

After all, in the past, "activism" was thought of as a dirty word, an action performed by angry protestors with banners and picket signs. Environmentalism was a cause left for just those Woodstock attendees to think about. Global warming was something out of a science-fiction novel.

Luckily, we're in a new era now. With the backing of everyone from politicians to authors and celebrities to scientists, the Earth has become something that's okay for everyone to be concerned with, and environmental activism is now an action you can perform from your living room, no clever chant necessary.

We hope our Living Green focus this issue will help you as you work to better the health of our environment, whether you've been composting since the 60's or have just begun to recycle.

For those who need resources and support in living green, check out page eight for our feature Go Green With a Little Help Prom Your Friends to find area nonprofits that can lend a helping hand. If you've started to worry the footprint you've worked so hard to reduce is still a bit too large, check out our features Beyond Green Building on page twelve, to ensure you and your green home are on the right track, and Green to the Extreme on page sixteen, for ideas that may have seemed too crazy to try until now. Also check out our Herbal Healing department for earth-friendly cleaning recipes, our Green Home Resource for ideas on everything from eco-friendly carpet to nontoxic paint, Strong Roots for a look at nature with Robert Bly, and Life's Leaders to meet a leading green local. And, don't forget our other regular departments that can motivate you to relax, support our local economy and get your hands in the Earth.

While checking out the Green Home Resource, you may notice an absence of the Green Home Showcase department. With so much going on pertaining to green building, we wanted to be sure New Life Journal covered all aspects of the field, including ecofriendly development. Enter in our new department Smart Growth, where you'll find information about how we can continue to build, but do so with consciousness. Don't worry, though. The Showcase isn't gone forever. It will be back in October and every other month after that!

You'll also notice that the Green Living Guide has disappeared from Community Roots and is now on page twenty-six. We felt it deserved to be front and center this issue, to put as many resources as possible at your fingertips. It, too, will be hack to its regular location in October (although, I admit it has been fun hearing employees rime through pages mumbling that the Showcase is gone and the Guide missing--ah, coworkers).

Here's to green never going out of style!

Maggie Cramer, Managing Editor