I’ve
lived a lot in my thirty-eight
years–and in a lot of places
too. From studying history in
Vienna, to drinking tea in Boston,
teaching golf in North Carolina,
eating grits in Georgia, skiing
with kids that rip in Colorado,
exploring New York City, ice-fishing
in Minnesota, cheering on the
Nebraska Cornhuskers and nearly
calling California home. My nephew
Johnny thinks I’m eighty-three!
Since early on in life, I have
loved to learn (even if I didn’t
always do my homework!). Dad regularly
unplugged the lamp next to my
bed to get me to put down my book
and go to sleep. My earliest memories
are of summers filled with life
outdoors –mostly at our
grandparents homes in Wisconsin
and Michigan. We chased frogs
and swam after fish. We pulled
weeds in the garden and picked
berries. Our family bought roadside
sweet corn and Mom organized husking
competitions. I napped in the
shade under the fruit trees and
wondered about becoming a farmer.
We climbed trees, explored the
woods after rainstorms and even
visited the garbage dump to watch
bears.
Now,
I live in Chicago where I mostly
read - about where we’ve been
and where we are. But it’s
where we’re going which fascinates
me. Led by more and more informed
citizens with passion, the seeds
of a “Green Revolution”
have sprouted. Change is upon us,
and with a concerted and sustained
effort the transformation of how
our global village lives will take
place faster and be more complete
than the Industrial Revolution.
We’ll harness current solar
energy to power our lives, while
learning to build what we need without
creating waste–much like nature
has done for a few billion years.
And, we’ll do it all while
improving the quality of our lives
without jeopardizing the lives of
future generations.
There
are numerous big-thinkers who write
for adults about the “Green
Revolution” (see Favorite
Links for bookshelf recommendations),
but there are too few books on this
subject for children. I choose to
write simple stories for children
on this biggest of topics: the environment.
Immerse curious kids in the ways
of nature early and often and they
come to understand and feel compassion
for it. They learn to see the world
for what it is–a world full
of connections. Once "hooked on
nature," they become leaders capable
of great and necessary things.
Where
did the name “Sugar”
originate?
With my last name being Magner,
"Mags" was my nickname. This changed
after I attempted to sing the Grateful
Dead tune “Sugar Magnolia”
as a Boston College student. I became
SugarMags. Then, just Sugar.
