What do you think about when you think about a healthy planet? Most of us would think about reducing pollution, recycling, and minimizing our use on fossil fuels. I, too, think of those aspects when I think about a healthy planet. There’s nothing more magical than visiting a piece of our planet that has not yet been impacted by pollution in a visible, or really any way.

Similar to the articles and focus we bring to the many aspects of healthy living - nutrition, fitness, communication and relationships among many more, having a healthy planet to me, means balance. How can we minimize our impact on our world through our daily living? There are numerous ways to do that. And although my first thoughts are toward recycling and other activities in which I participate regularly, I discovered yet another activity that can be beneficial: hydroponic farming.

I was familiar with at least the term and the 30,000 foot view of hydroponic farming but that was the extent of it before we started working on this issue. Part of why I love what I do is because I get to continually discover just how much more I need to learn. Sue Smith, our feature columnist this month, taught me a lot about hydroponic farming and I think you’ll be fascinated by her article. She has a wealth of wisdom and my experiences with Sue and her staff brought me closer to the benefits of this approach, as well as to some of the challenges for their industry.

Although my knowledge is new, increasing my awareness is the first step toward becoming more empowered. In my belief, the more awareness we have, the more empowered we are, and the more consciously we can move within the world to make more impactful changes. Now you can see why I love this job!

I’m also so pleased to be able to include an article that discusses a topic of which I became aware last year when I was in Asia. Sometimes you run across issues that you kind of wish you didn’t know, but for as much as that may be true, we can’t begin to identify solutions and work toward them without first becoming aware. Whether our issues are in our own backyards or across the world, the beauty of this time in our world is that we can help from wherever we are. So I hope this article helps to shine the light on an issue of which you may be unaware - the plight of the moon bears.

The health of our planet is intricately tied to our health, and ours to hers. It’s easy to feel separate and isolated by our own physical limitations, beliefs, and locations, as we move through our lives. In reality, however, what impacts our world, impacts each of us on some level, and the same can be said for our effect on the world. Our beliefs and our actions make a difference, both in our lives and in our world.

As we become more informed, we feel more connected. The bonds of those connections can spur within us a desire for change and action. What started as simple awareness blossoms into a belief or even activity that initiates and expands change. For me, participating in the health of our planet is something we all have the power to do!