It was this time last year that I began to formulate the idea of The Ecolocal Guide.  I have been on a personal journey of re-localization, trying to integrate more local food and redirect my commerce to local businesses wherever possible.  Along the way, some amazing things have happened.  I’ve been to farms and seen the animals that are raised with care and compassion.  I’ve come to know the farmers at our local markets and have enjoyed not only the fruits of their labor – fresh veggies and hand made cheeses, but also cherish the relationships that we are building.  The same goes for the small business people who are revitalizing our fabulous downtown corridors.  These merchants work hard everyday to provide service and value that you just can’t get at the corporate big-box-o-rama plexes that you’ll find at the exit ramp along the Northway. 

The common chord amongst all these diverse entrepreneurs is passion.  These are the people who are living the dream of doing what they love, and loving what they do.  I’ve found their passion is infectious, and it inspired me to startup this little magazine that you hold in your hands right now.  Out in the back roads of Warren County, in the Town of Thurman, you’ll find some of these passionate people.  Some may call them mad, as they are afflicted with Maple Fever, which occurs every year about this time. Persis Granger invites us all up to see first-hand this crazed bunch turn Maple sap into sweet gold. 

We are fortunate to have these people in our communities. They are what make our region a vibrant and exciting place to live.  With that in mind, I am introducing a new feature called “Eco-Localizer” - someone in our community who is shaking things up, going against the grain and leading by example.  In this issue, you will meet Kathleen Quartararo of Virgil’s House in Saratoga Springs.  She has taken the concept of the coffee joint and tuned it on it’s head, with a rather refreshing result.   Kathleen shares with us that we each can make a difference in our community – every little bit helps.

Also in this issue, Mary Beth McCue gives us an insight into the future of health care – and that future lies in our own hands.  We must take personal responsible for our own health, and Mary Beth outlines some simple steps that we all need to take to optimize our lives.  But what of our financial health? That too, is a personal responsibility, as Harry Moran discusses in his Sustainable Investing column. While fast profits may have come and gone, Harry outlines a strategy for success in the new sustainability paradigm that is unfolding before us.  We have before us, an opportunity for a new way of life – where we become more integrated with nature and our neighbors.  We explore this potential with Robert Blanchard, local architect and designer of an intentional community that he is planning to build. It is a new form of localism, one in which we are responsible for ourselves, for each other, and for the community in which we live.  Because local is where we live.  Eco-local is what we can be!

IN THIS ISSUE

Spring eco-localizer: Kathleen Quartararo of Virgil's House

MARCH MAPLE MADNESS

SUSTAINABLE INVESTING: Crisis Creates Opportunity

THE DESTINY O YOUR HEALTH

Intentional Living in a New Kind of Neighborhood

Articles can be viewed at Saratoga.com/ecolocal

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