Editor’s notes April 2018

Create a new green habit with us this month.

I’m committing to creating a new green habit this month, and I hope you will, too.

Let me explain: I feel so guilty driving my car to work every day, especially now, after working on our annual green-themed issue, including a bonus 32-page edition of Green Hawaii.

I live almost 3 miles from our office, which takes me about 15 minutes to drive to and from during traffic, and another 5 to walk between the parking garage and our office. I could probably bike or take the bus in the same amount of time, or less. 

I suppose I’ve become comfortable driving my car. I can leave straight from the office to scout homes around the island for possible publication in the magazine, and visit retail showrooms to browse the newest home products and furnishings. But … I could probably hop on a bus to get my car and then go scouting and browsing, which would tack on only a few additional minutes to my workday. 

Working on this issue has inspired me to have a greener home and lifestyle, and I hope it does the same for you. We can all play a role in protecting and preserving Hawaii’s natural resources, and every little positive change we can make collectively really does make a difference. We may not all have a 15-foot-tall ficus tree growing in the center of our home, but we can introduce a small potted ficus plant, or opt for the Song of India, to clean the air we breathe. And, speaking of clean, we can all swap out chemical cleaners for eco-friendly alternatives for the maintenance and upkeep of our homes. 

Hopefully one day I’ll be driving an electric vehicle. But for this month, I’m trading my parking pass for a bus pass. They say it only takes 30 days to create a habit. For our environment, I hope it’s true,
and for my punctuality, I hope it’s even faster than driving!

Aloha,

Stephanie Silverstein, Editor

stephanies@hawaiihomemag.com