As I was putting this issue of the Gazette together, I noticed that we had two front page stories dedicated to environmental causes and I began to think back to when the idea of being "green" began.

I'll be honest. I try my best to do this whole "green" thing. When I moved into my new house I installed energy efficient compact fluorescent (CFLs) bulbs into all of our lights. I started recycling (I admit, I am not too good-hence, I often forget) and when I have the money, I buy organic. I also refuse to shop at Wal-Mart (maybe that's not environmental. . . Maybe that's just being economically sensible?). I drive a small Honda Civic, ride my bike places when the weather (and cough time) permits. I also refuse to eat meat, which has been brought to my attention time after time as one of the main sources of carbon emitted into the air via cattle.

Am I doing as much as I can? Absolutely not. Far from it. I haven't yet once sat down to write my legislator or any other politician about the impact that we as human beings are having on the earth and I honestly (I cannot believe I am admitting this) just found out EXACTLY what global warming is when I attended Step it Up Day at Broad Ripple Park.

I always had an idea. I knew it was bad and I never denied it was happening. But I never really understood exactly WHY it was happening or what the underlying causes were (I knew that driving my car places had an impact).

I won't explain it here because I do that in the front page article. However, I want to take this section of the paper to thank all of the people out there who DO know what global farming is and DO know how to live green properly. I am happy you are here to set examples for people like me-who want to help, but often need to be nudged in the right direction.

I am talking about the Citizen's Action Coalition, the Hoosier Environmental Council and even local organizations like Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc.

I am also talking about specific people. I have attended enough BRVA meetings to know that one of their main wishes is to acquire a "Green Machine," which will clean the village streets in a "green way" (hence the name, I assume).

I am talking about people like Cortellini, who writes his bi-weekly columns on ways in which people, buildings and the economy are changing to live in the green way and what we can do to help.

People like Van Kirby and Dan J. Detrick , who attempted to build a condominium project that would have been built "only in the green way."

These are the people and organizations that put the green way first (or at least very near the top of their lists) in life.

I'd also like to acknowledge those who don't even consider the green way or who attempt to argue that global warming is not happening. I learned this past week that global warming is NOT hard to understand and a very real truth that is backed by scientific evidence.

What's the harm in switching out your light bulbs? What's the harm in recycling? And what would it take to drive a car that doesn't take up the entire street? Maybe you and I will never be the Cortellinis of the world, but, hey, we can at least help.

Have a nice Thanksgiving, don't eat turkey and be sure to buy a real Christmas tree and turn it into its own natural habitat when the holidays are over.