Chattanooga featured on CBS

Hello, blog readers. We've been in a bit of a whirlwind since Will and Kim returned from Ecuador and haven't had much time to post. More on that in a future post (sorry). First, I wanted to share a link that came across my email this morning:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3846807n

Somehow CBS News' Early Show got ahold of a magazine that features our lovely Chattanooga as a top destination for eco-friendly "green" travel, right up there with the Galapagos Islands, the Dry Tortugas, and Burlington, VT (what a sample). The show's host's response was, "Who knew?" Check out the video. It's always interesting to me to see what other people find interesting about the place where I live.

It makes me glad that our city is making a name for itself in this way. A couple weeks ago, Jency and I wrote an article for Natural Awakenings Magazine that discussed our perception of a rising level of global consciousness among Chattanoogans (I think it will appear in the March issue). Based on some events we've been a part of, and on comments we've overheard by customers in the store doing their Christmas shopping, we really think this is true. Seeing the CBS clip makes me wonder if it might have been good to talk about Chattanooga's environmental sensitivity as another aspect of this global consciousness. The clip mentions the waterfront renovation and the electric shuttle, but of course those of us who live here know that the list of Chattanooga's "green" institutions goes on and on. I think it indicates that Chattanooga as a city is positioning itself toward development along sustainable lines. That's a big part of what does it for me, why I like living here. At first glance, Chattanooga is just a beautiful place. But when you spend a little time here, you find a large contingent of people that think on a scale that encompasses more than their immediate surroundings -- it's one that encompasses global awareness as represented by environmental and social responsibility. I know that Chattanooga the city and Chattanooga the people do things that contradict those ideals, but overall I think we're headed in a positive direction. As a fair-trade business, we're all about sustainability. Seeing this attitude reflected in our community is a cool thing.