Sarah Ruth van Gelder, YES! magazine

Sarah Ruth van Gelder is the executive editor of YES! a Journal of Positive Futures and a resident of Winslow Cohousing on Bainbridge Island, Wash.

There are just a few days to wrap up as much as I can for the upcoming issue before I head off for a two-week "sabbatical." I'm assembling responses to the dialogue we did in the last issue between Paul Hawken and David Korten. The question was on the future of markets, corporations, and sustainability. We got a number of thoughtful responses from people with somewhat different perspectives, all of whom agree on the critical nature of the business/sustainability nexus. I'm also wrapping up pieces on spirituality and leadership, how to make investments that are in sync with our values, and what makes a person decide to go outside the status quo to take a stand for the common good.

Today we visited a building that might house Positive Futures Network, the nonprofit organization that publishes YES! We are outgrowing the house we've occupied since we began publishing YES! and are looking for another house or affordable office space. We find ourselves deep in the dilemmas we write about. Can we stay close to town so that most of us could walk or bike? Or do we move to a place with a bit more of a yard that we could grow into? Does this building feel sterile and institutional? Or will it provide a work environment that will be conducive to creativity and joyous interaction for staff, interns, and volunteers?