from the editor: Dancing in the Kitchen
Photo by David N. Seelig

When Rose entered the world early last year, the increase of our family's footprint put a significant strain on our small Hailey home, in particular on our kitchen counter tops. While we weren't quite ready for a remodel on the scale of those featured in Kitchens for Life, our impetus was the same: a desire for a family-friendly space in the heart of our home. As with the families in our story, we kept the earth in mind.

Our new counter tops are durable, recyclable and used no chemicals or high-energy processing in their production. They were placed on top of the worn-out laminate (so no waste cluttering up the landfill) and we used Hailey-based Valley Paint and Floor, to help keep the local economy percolating.

A focus on local has become the new drumbeat of the sustainability movement, one that separates it from the traditional green movement. Learn more about this important shift in Ketchum: The World's Next Ecovillage?, and discover how one simple change could turn the Wood River Valley into a sustainable community. A family in Hailey has already made an interesting step in this direction; learn about their challenges and successes in Made in America.

In The Not So Forbidden Fruit find the salve for the broken hearts of valley gardeners: an edible crop that will grow anywhere in Idaho. And while the health benefits of food grown in your own backyard are plentiful, the intellectual benefits of knowing where the meat you eat spent its better years are even more so; understand why in The Meat of the Matter.

While local may be the new green, building green is still the crux of the battle against global warming. Educate yourself on the newest development in A Home Without Heat. It's a game-changer.

Jennifer Tuohy, Editor-in -Chief