"Kyle, did you just put a recyclable bottle in the trash?" I asked my oldest son. He just looked at me with his "I’m busted" expression. I directed him to pull it out and place it in the recycle bin. I followed it up with "I didn’t raise you to trash our planet one recyclable at a time!" which garnered a teenage eye roll in response. I am discovering that training my kids is a lot like training my cats. We recently installed a cat flap in our kitchen window. It has been four weeks and my ‘most advanced’ cat-in-training still needs a nudge to go through it. I only have to slightly push her hind quarters but she hasn’t figured out yet she can do it on her own. I suspect, however, I will still be pulling recyclables from the trash long after my cat discovers freedom.

As the publisher of a planet-friendly magazine, I am immersed in information for green living. We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and improve our green practices. Recently we launched our digital version of this magazine – a green way to read. Our digital subscribers receive notice in their email inbox each month with a link to the interactive version. This complimentary service allows us to expand our digital readership reducing our carbon footprint. Our green version of Natural Awakenings doesn’t require paper, nor does it need gas to transport it. As a reader, you can immediately click on a website link, bookmark a page, and even send your favorite article to a friend. Plus, from the digital version you can link to even more great articles on our website that are not included in our print version. All you have to do is visit myNaturalAwakenings.com to sign up.

This edition boasts a new cover design featuring this month’s focus on clean energy. In our clean energy article on page 28, you’ll find out which states rank the highest with energy initiatives and how you can do your own energy makeover at home. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you can discover nutrition for breast health on page 24. Then in our green living column, learn to differentiate between the good guys wearing green hats and those stretching the eco-truth. This month let’s all find one thing we can improve in our daily routine that will nurture our planet, together we can make a big difference.

Here’s to green living!

Kris Urquhart, Editor