In February of this year, when the Editorial Committee under John Guthrie’s leadership selected Green Business and Sustainability as the theme for this issue, we never suspected how relevant it would be by the time we published. However, with three major hurricanes, an earthquake and devastating forest fires all taking place within the last two months, it has become very evident that our lives and our businesses are greatly impacted by natural catastrophes and climate change. Though we may debate the causes of climate change, we certainly can agree that we must be better prepared for the consequences.

Our feature article, “The Ocean: Our Most Valuable Resource,” focuses on the impact of the ocean on our local economy. The ocean enables almost one out of every ten jobs in Volusia County. We all think of tourism and recreational jobs when we think of the ocean and often neglect the fishing industry. Yet over 2 million pounds of seafood is caught each year in Volusia County. Read the article on page 8 written by Jacqueline Bodnar to learn more about our local ocean.

During our research we found that there are quite a few “green businesses” being launched throughout the country but not so many here in the county. This creates a vacuum that we hope to see more local entrepreneurs step into going forward.

Our compliments to a group called Community Organizations Active in Disaster (C.O.A.D). They are a support group for residents and businesses before, during and after disasters. Learn more about them in the article, “Organization Gives Relief When Disaster Strikes” on page 14 written by Deanie Lowe.

As is always the case, we look to provide tools, identify resources and expand understanding in each issue of Evolve. Hopefully we have continued to live up to your expectations with this “Green Business and Sustainability” issue. We look forward to your feedback and input. Please don’t hesitate to email me at howard@holleygroupllc.com.

Let’s each do our part to be a “green business,” to reduce our carbon footprint and to leave our environment better than we found it. There should be no debate about this!