Editorial | Greenland

The highly successful Mercer Island Rotary Run, which brought 4,800 runners, walkers and more to the Island on March 21, was the result of months of work by Rotary members. It helped to have the sponsorship of a major medical center and a growing awareness of the incidence of colon cancer in our country. Islanders made up most of those pounding the streets, but not to be ignored are the volunteers both young and old who dispensed water and food along the route and directed traffic along with neighbors, friends and family who came out to clap and cheer. Possibly one of the most positive things about the run is the example being set for young people about the importance of working with others toward a common goal. It might also instill a lifelong joy of running or walking together and being outdoors.

Mercer Island is becoming a virtual hot bed for healthy living. The Mercer Way loop has been a cycling destination for some time now — add to that a premier running event, round-the-Island swims and the Farmers Market, and you have the markings of a green attitude. Volunteers strip away invasive plants to allow native plants and trees to grow on parks and hillsides here. The Boy Scouts bring in Christmas trees for chipping behind City Hall, where one of the first new hybrid police cars in the region is parked. Soon the Island will become a symbol of the extension of high-capacity transit to the Eastside, as the development moves forward on a rail station here. Casual observation indicates that the most popular type of new car driven by Islanders is hybrid, as employees of Farmers New World Life Insurance circle Town Center streets for exercise. And last Saturday was a Community Recycling day when Islanders can bring junk to recycle such as tires, paper for shredding and, yes, even the kitchen sink.

Are other communities like this? Yes, probably. But one does not immediately come to mind.

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