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February, 2008

Welcome

Thank You for choosing Easy to be Green for your research assistant. As an interior designer myself, I know the challenges of the profession; including the challenge of staying up to date with new concepts and product offerings. Sustainability presents a unique set of challenges. It is a broad reaching concept that impacts product selection and the design process at every stage. Supporting designers in their understanding of sustainable practices and concepts is our mission at Easy to be Green.

Each of us is in our own unique place on our sustainability journey. For some people, sustainablity is the latest thing that seems necessary to maintain a viable position in the marketplace. Others have been weaving sustainability into their personal and professional lives for years. Easy to be Green is here to support and strengthen the resolve dedicated practitioners already possess while fostering a committment among all designers to embrace sustainability in their practices.

My sustainability journey has always included an environmental sensitivity; taking part in simple acts of recycling and supporting basic environmental legislation. About nine years ago I became actively involved in my local Sierra Club chapter. I bought a Toyota Prius and have become a vegetarian. It was exciting to find a growing sustainability movement within the design community. I joined in the organizing of our local chapter of the US Green Building Council and worked on the board of directors. I easily and happily began bridging my personal and professional lives. Still, I realized that gathering the sustainability information needed, organizing it into a useful format, and staying current with the ever growing volume was a daunting task. As I began creating spreadsheets and thinking about how I needed information organized, I realized that if I needed this, then so must other designers. This was the beginning of Easy to be Green.

Now, we can travel the sustainability journey together. Our job will be an ever evolving one. We're dedicated to listening first to your needs and responding with the information you need most. We'll listen to professionals from varied fields to keep pace with the "pulse" of the sustainability movement taking place within individuals and within all types of communities. Yet, our focus will be on information especially important to you as an interior design professional. Maintaining a balance between design specific information and interrlated concepts will be an on going challenge for us. Our ultimate goal is to keep you well informed but not overwhelmed. We want to help you sustain a personal sense of balance while on your journey.

Easy to be Green launches with a great many decisions behind me: decisions about content and format, choosing between products to first include and others to add as we grow, concepts to include as "fundamental", books to read and review, and topics to highlight. Still, I have a long list of products I know will be added and concepts I want to research. But, it is a totally flexible list, waiting for input from you. So, please e-mail or call and let me know your priorities. Remember, Easy to be Green is your research assistant.

Joyfully, Sue Norman
Sue Norman, Managing Editor,
Associate IIDA
Allied Member ASID
LEED AP