This Earth Day was a special one for Houston’s environmental community. Besides stating what has been so eloquently stated elsewhere in this newsletter and in the Chronicle and the Press, it was successful because we had a team of people working together to make it happen. We had board members, who, in addition to their regular monthly commitment, spent huge amounts of time organizing and executing this event. We had numerous volunteers, who believe so strongly in this event that they gave up their time to be part of it. We had businesses, who jumped in with both feet to help make this event possible, supplying everything from solar panels to bananas.

The realization that it takes many diverse interests to pull off an event of this nature reminds me that it also takes many diverse interests to make the world in which we live a little cleaner, a little better. The environmental community can’t do it alone. Just as our Earth Day event brought together leaders in business, industry, education, government, and the non-profit worlds, so too must we be inclusive in our effort to make our air a little more breathable, water a little more drinkable, and food a little more edible.

What does this mean? I see the future of our success hinging on our ability to bring everyone along on the ride with us, leaving no one segment of the community behind. It means working together with business, government, and industry to find a common place to begin and then working toward a set of common goals, together.

Now, I realize that what I’m saying may seem blasphemous in some camps, but until we can focus on addressing our common problems instead of attacking each other, we’ll never make any real progress toward a more livable Houston.

As the new President of CEC, I come to the position with some very large shoes to fill. I have been witness to a lot of wonderful things we have done in the past decade, including the Houston Environmental Center, the Synergy Awards, constant improvement each year with Earth Day, and many more accomplish ments than this small space allows. Each President since I have been involved with the organization has left his own, distinct mark: George Farenthold, David Crossley, and Justus Baird. I want to thank every President, Trustee and Advisory board member who has come before me for making CEC what it is today. Now we turn the page and begin a new chapter.