It’s the holiday season and there’s no better place to enjoy the holidays than New York.  The city is crowded, noisy and bright with activity. And this is maybe the one time of year no one seems to mind (much). One of the attractions offered here is the New York Botanical Garden’s Annual Holiday Train Show. It’s a great treat for both children and adults.

This month’s inspirational Natural Heroes  are the students, teachers and administrators of The George Jackson Academy. This empowering private Middle School for boys, offers students from less-advantaged economic backgrounds, educational opportunities that are fast-tracking them to successful academic futures.

In Be Inspired…Give From the Heart This Season , shows how we can hit the “restart” button on all the pressures surrounding holiday presents and bring sense and significance back into the season. Children are an important part of this runaway-present equation that threatens to takeover the holidays in many homes. Gifts for Good, Instilling Generosity and Joy in Children , discusses ideas for introducing your child to alternative gift giving.

Many people plan to entertain family and friends this month. Maybe this is the year you Throw a Green Holiday Party. Green Living contributing writers, Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell, have some great ideas. For many, the holidays can be a time of great stress. In Emotional Fitness, Kathleen Noone offers suggestions on ways to trade that stress for an opportunity of introspection and growth.

If you’re tired of talking about the health care controversy, this month’s Natural Pet  offers another heavy topic of almost equal controversy…“Should Fido and Fluffy share your bed?” In this month’s Local Greens Robin Mattson temporarily puts down her heavy load of C.S.A. vegetables and shares her family’s favorite Christmas cookie recipe, Pecan Puff Balls. Go ahead and enjoy the cookies. You can always work off some of the extra calories ice skating in Central Park.

And speaking of calories, the fun doesn’t stop with Robin’s beloved Pecan Puff Balls. Conscious Eating includes a half-dozen additional holiday favorites with a healthy slate of ingredients. And if the ice skating doesn’t keep you ahead of the calorie count, supplement with cross-country skiing in the park, or power-shopping on Madison Avenue.

No matter what you’re celebrating this month, enjoy the holidays! New York is an incredibly diverse city. There is arguably something here for everyone. In this month’s Calendar of Events  we’re featuring a special holiday calendar, chock full of special events and things to do during this special time in our city. So find something to celebrate and make a holiday of it.

Tom Citrano
Publisher

Like leaving our cars at home and taking public transportation. The truth is that most of us don’t have cars to leave at home, but almost everyone in our city takes public transportation every day. And what about Metrocard? Could anything be simpler? Eating healthy is also easier here than practically anyplace in the country.  There’s literally dozens of greenmarkets in locations all over Manhattan.

Thankfully, it’s still a lot easier to find a vegetable here than a Shake Shack burger. And in New York it’s almost as easy to find a gym as a Starbucks. Our parks are world-famous and well integrated into the urban landscape, for those who consider communing with nature to be a “simple living” deal-breaker. New York is a complicated and sometimes chaotic city, but it can also be a refuge of simple living. Simple living in New York is a state of mind, relatively easy to achieve, if you’re a believer.

This month’s cover story  is an interview with actor, John Stamos. John is in New York starring in the Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie. This is the first time the show has been produced since its debut, almost fifty years ago. That takes recycling to a whole new level.

And read about the new (and now green!) Henry Miller Theatre  that’s re-launched with the run of Bye Bye Birdie. The Henry Miller has repurposed architectural elements and rebuilt the theatre from the ground up, to attain the stringent and eco-desirable, LEED certification. The new Henry Miller is simple, chic and green.

Our November Natural Hero is Debbe Magnusen . Read about how Debbe saw a need and found a simple grassroots solution, through her creation of Project Cuddle.  Project Cuddle’s mission is to stop the ever growing epidemic of baby abandonment and neonaticide. Along with emotional support, they aim to find confidential, safe and legal options to give to each girl or woman in crisis.

In Local Greens, Robin Mattson writes about her plans for Thanksgiving with her family in Northern California, and shares a recipe for squash soup that is a “simple living” addition to anyone’s holiday dinner plans.

Kathleen Noone shares techniques for “mastering the madness in honor of the simple life,” in this month’s Emotional Fitness . In Copenhagen, Denmark they have a saying, “Less Space, less things, more life.” Sounds like life in most NY apartments. In this month we’re dedicating to “Simple Living,” it’s something to think about. Or maybe it’s something you’re already doing. Either way, give yourself a break and keep it simple (and green) as we slide into this holiday season.

Tom Citrano
Publisher

And looking at the brilliant autumn leaves in Central Park through the open window of a crosstown cab, can still take your breath away, like you’re seeing it for the first time. But who takes cabs in this economy? Those fall colors look just as breathtaking from the windows of a crosstown bus.

Our October cover features Montego Glover, currently starring on Broadway in Memphis, opening October 19th at the Shubert Theatre. Montego may be familiar to audiences for her work in The Color Purple. In our cover story Montego shares her passion for all things healthy and green in NYC.

This month’s Natural Heroes  are Yusuf Myers and Goldin Martinez. Martinez and Myers are the brains (and the brawn) behind Get Focused Fitness. Read about how they are helping Washington Heights kids get fit and focused in a very special after-school program they’ve created.

There’s exciting news for consumers on the environmental front in Bright Green Future . Read how despite economic setbacks, consumers are driving shopping carts toward more green and environmentally friendly products. Local Greens  is all about the pumpkins this month.

Put down the jack-o-lanterns and reach for the sugar pumpkins. Robin Mattson has a great recipe for a sweet pumpkin pudding.

In Emotional Fitness , Kathleen Noone encourages us to pay more attention to our surroundings and shares a list of questions that will help us focus and enhance what our environment brings to our lives.

Healing Ways, “Healthy Back, Healthy Body,” features five ways to a healthy spine.
This month in Conscious Eating read why you should incorporate winter squash into your diet, well before the first snow even hits the ground.

Teens Turning Green is a California-based organization that educates teens and adults about products that won’t harm their bodies or the environment. Read how teens are leading the drive to more discriminating and eco-friendly products.

You may not be able to compete on “Dancing With the Stars” and you might not be ready for “So You Think You Can Dance,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t tango your way into increased bone health, flexibility and core strength. Take a look at this month’s Fit Body entry (Shall We Dance?) on.

October is all about appreciating the color in your life. And New York is full of it…color I mean. But we all know when it comes to nature, nothing is forever. So look around and enjoy the art exhibit nature has curated for us this month, right here in New York City.

Tom Citrano
Publisher

Now we wait for Congress to return from their inflexible August break, in hopes this respite from the exhausting and endless rounds of partisan politics, will clear the way for an effective and equitable solution to the health care crisis, that one way or another, faces every American in this country. In the meantime, take a look at some of the children’s health issues we can address, without an act of Congress.

Our cover this month features three of New York’s healthiest children. Kiril Kulish, David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik are the Tony-Award-winning stars of Broadway’s Billy Elliot. In this month’s cover stories, learn more about NYC’s “Three Billys” and Gregory Jbara, the Tony-winning actor who plays their onstage Dad, and offstage is the real-life father of his own two sons.

In August’s Emotional Fitness, Kathleen Noone encourages readers to honor the children in our lives, by rediscovering the spontaneity and joy that we see in the children around us.

Even Green Girl has children on her mind, as she takes her new boyfriend, Mike from Indiana, on a weekend babysitting jaunt with her suburban nephews. The experience turns Green Girl a deeper shade of green, but not necessarily an eco-friendly hue.
In this month’s Local Greens, Robin Mattson takes the ingredients from her CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery and puts it all together into a summer recipe that is sure to become a favorite for the children and adults in your life.

And in these last dog days of summer, take a look at this month’s Pets In The City by Gini Sikes. This month Gini interviews Sharon Sakson about her book, Paws and Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs.” This insightful and inspiring book reminds us of the intuitive connection between dogs and their owners that can save lives.

So in this last month before the kids go back to school, take a deep breath and do something nice for the children in your life. Take a walk to the Central Park Zoo to see the new snow leopard. On a hot summer’s afternoon, treat the kids in your neighborhood to some frozen fruit bars from the corner bodega.  And perhaps most importantly, take a moment to write your congressional representative and tell them how much affordable health care means to you and your family. Remind them that if children are our future, there’s no future unless those children are healthy.

Tom Citrano
Publisher

This month’s cover story  is an interview with Will Swenson, the Tony-nominated pulse of the American tribal love-rock musical. He tells us what the Tony nomination means to him and shares his healthy-living secrets for life in the big city. In Postcards From The Edge Will’s cast mates tell us what they’re planning to do in New York this summer, when they’re not onstage doing eight shows a week, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

Check out the list  Cool Things To Do In A Hot City, featuring the endless activities you can do outdoors in New York City, to celebrate your own summer of love.

Read about High Line Park  New York City’s newest and hippest, about-to-open park. The High Line is nestled between the trendy Meatpacking District and the Hudson River. It’s built on an old, deserted section of elevated freight railway, on 6.7 acres of prime real estate and promises to be the latest standing room only addition to the neighborhood.

Catch-up with Green Girl as she continues to juggle her new green life with her new romance.

You can keep the oven turned off for this month’s Local Greens and see what Robin Mattson has put together from her CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery.

Take a few moments to read Emotional Fitness Kathleen Noone advises readers to set their intentions for having fun this summer.

Pets In The City is a touching reminder of how our pets can also be victims of the punishing effects of the economy and what one rescue group is doing to help pets and their owners in crisis.

Meet June’s Natural Hero, Blake Mycoskie . He started out almost winning the 2001 season of The Amazing Race, which lead him to create TOMS Shoes. At last count Blake’s company has donated over 140,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world.

This summer you clearly don’t have to leave the city to have a great vacation. Grab a free bike, have a drink at a rooftop bar, go to the beach, go to a baseball game, outdoor movies, concerts, plays, outdoor yoga classes, free fireworks…There are a million ways to have a great summer in New York. So don’t waste any opportunity to enjoy summer in the city.

Tom Citrano, 
                       Publisher

Tom Citrano’s Summer in the City
Shakespeare in the Park, Yankee Games,
The Fourth of July fireworks (this year over the Hudson River).

April is here and everyone’s talking about the economy. But this year, it isn’t Tax Day they’re talking about. Current economic challenges trump any usual discussions of April 15th tax woes. If you’ve been dreaming about your own personal bailout pulling up in front of your apartment, with a Smart car full of cash, wake up and smell the trade-free coffee.

You might want to start dreaming about an economic possibility more rooted in practical sustainability…Welcome to the new Green Economy. It’s full of promise on many levels and looks to be an essential part of our future. Read about the many new job possibilities in Welcome to Green Collar America, on page 18.

Chef and Food Network star, Tyler Florence, is featured on our cover this month. Learn how Tyler insists on using organic and local-sourced foods to feed his own family (page 12).

Now that the weather is warming up, many of us will turn to getting back in shape after the long winter. Functional Fitness (page 14) promotes a new way of looking at exercise that enhances our everyday lives.

Natural Heroes, on page 26, profiles Scott Harrison, a New Yorker whose work in creating charity: water is bringing relief to water-challenged people around the world.

Also get a preview of the informative and entertaining exhibit, Climate Change, at the American Museum of Natural History (page 24).

This month Green Girl (page 17) adjusts to a new downsized but green life, taking a spring walk in Central Park that sends her directly to The Plaza for organic vodka. Emotional Fitness (page 16) is a personal journey that points to the winding tracks many of us travel in our emotional growth and development.

For those who have tired of spending quality time watching Animal Planet with your pets, check out Pets in the City, on page 8. This month features alternative activities you can do right along with your pets, including a yoga class for dogs and a “Barking Beauty Pageant.”

Local Greens, on page 28, introduces many of us to Community Shared Agriculture (CSA). It’s a great way to support local farmers and own a piece of the farm’s best summer crops, without having to pull any weeds or spread any manure.

All of which still sounds like more fun than talking about Tax Day. April marks the beginning of baseball season. This year, New Yorkers have two new stadiums to sample. I vote for the Mets. Their Citi Field is green!

Tom Citrano, Publisher

And could there be a better time to launch a magazine about living a healthier and greener life? After what seemed to be an endless winter, spring is almost here. Even as winter chills us with its final cold gasps, we all know spring is coming. It’s in the air. We’re all sustained by the promise of that change. But this long winter of our economic discontent has taught us that change doesn’t happen overnight. It comes in small glimpses, increments that eventually become undeniable…the beginning of daffodils shoot through the winter-weary planters on Park Avenue. Forsythia bushes ready for their annual showcase in Central Park. The hot chestnut carts have all but disap-peared. And finally, less puffy coats means more elbow room on the subways.

As we hover between winter and spring, now with the occasional warm after-noon and longer days…the promise of change is enough to get us by in these last dreary days of winter.

Here’s a preview of our first Natural Awakenings NYC!

The March cover story features the city’s largest and greenest new resident. You’ve probably seen him in the movies, and this year he’s the star of one of Broad-way’s biggest hits of the season, “Shrek The Musical.” Read about how Shrek’s arrival in NYC has coincided with the “greening” of Broadway, and learn how actress, Sutton Foster (Shrek’s Princess Fiona), has incorporated healthy, green living into her life.

This month we bring you recipes from Food Network Chef and Author,  Giada De Laurentis on page 10, to make your spring holidays bloom for family and friends. Check out a craft project you can do with your kids, that uses those lonely gloves and mittens that have lost their mates on page 8.

Meet “Green Girl” on page 17 and follow her fictional adventures, as she struggles to live single and green in the city.

“Serenity Now,” on page 7, features our reader’s favorite places to find serenity in the midst of a sometimes chaotic New York City.

“Natural Heroes” profiles a New Yorker who is making this city and the world a healthier and greener place on page 26.

“Fido’s Fitness,” on page 12, features a great way to keep your pet running when you can’t.

“Emotional Fitness” explores the connection between mind and body fitness, on page 16 of the magazine.

The “Calendar of Events” documents a wide range of activities throughout the city that honor our dedication to mind, body and spirit.

And please take a moment to check out our new website. At nugreencity.com you’ll find an easy-to-use, digital version of our magazine. Sign up and we’ll send it right to your email address each month. We also feature You Tube videos on subject matter related to our magazine, links to other websites, articles, and subjects you’ve read about in the print version of Natural Awakenings NYC.  Online you will also be able to email us your nominations for “Natural Heroes” and “Serenity Now.” Shoot us an email, let us know what you think about the magazine. Tell us what you would like to read about in future issues.

I hope the arrival of Natural Awakenings NYC becomes as welcome each month, as a rare warm day in March. Enjoy the new season. Enjoy Natural Awakenings NYC. Share the spring and our magazine with a friend.

Tom Citrano, Publisher