Dear Friends,

Happy October! It seems most of us think about pumpkins when October rolls around but there is so much more happening this month. Of course, at the top of the list we have National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hail to everyone who has beaten the breast cancer beast. We have so many holistic ways to fight breast cancer these days. As you know, Natural Awakenings is a wonderful place to go for all things holistic. It’s a good idea to keep your copy for future reference and share it with your friends.

In addition to breast cancer awareness, you might be interested to know there are quite a few other October celebrations in the U.S. I Googled it and found this list just for October 1!

National Homemade Cookies Day  

National Hair Day

International Day of Older Persons (okay, where do we draw that line?)

International Coffee Day              

World Vegetarian Day                

International Music Day

There you go. Lots of reasons to celebrate. One more reason is Natural Awakenings’ October special edition: Healthy Planet. What would the world be like if every one of us took it upon ourselves to create and keep a healthy planet? This month’s feature article, “Sustainable Sanctuaries, Supporting Humans and Planetary Health at Home” tells us how to do that. Imagine living in a sanctuary that gives back more to the world than it takes. Your home could essentially produce more energy than it consumes, according to the article. Oh, if I knew then what I know now I would truly be living in a renewable sanctuary; a worthy goal for everyone. Read on page 14 if you are inspired like I am by the goal of using eco-responsible materials and water and energy conservation.

Along these lines, I want to introduce to you a new department in our publication, “Gulf Coast Green Living.” We live in coastal communities from Mobile to Gulfport and every city in between and they care deeply about saving our planet. The stories are all around us. This year Natural Awakenings published articles about Airbus using sustainable aviation fuel, Clean Water Alabama’s mission to ensure our water resources are clean and protected and, in August, we learned about Hatch Fairhope, a sustainable business incubator. Read on in the pages ahead to hear about Fairhope and Foley’s solar powered research project for EV charging.

I am passionate about the health and wellness of our Gulf Coast people who are the friendliest and most genuine people I know. And I am passionate about our beautiful Gulf Coast environment and waters. So, I want to do my part in contributing to the wellness of all the above. If you are passionate about these same things, please email me your community’s green-living story or post on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/NaturalAwakeningsMag. We will respond!

God bless you and keep you until we meet,

Michelle Smith, Publisher