On May 16, 2008, the Pennsylvania Institute for Children's
Environmental Health published the first edition of The Stepping Stone,
a periodical dedicated to a world in which our children can
live healthy, enriched lives.
To paraphrase our moon walker, this first effort is one small
step by us adults, in an attempt to take a giant step for
childrenkind by walking with them as they find their path
in our world.
We hope this and future issues of The Stepping Stone
will open many doors to thought provoking discussions about
things that may affect the health of our children and our
legacy.
We encourage you, our readers, to share with us your thoughts,
feelings and experiences as they relate to the world we share
with our children. We hope to clear up questions about our
environment and about all the things that have been measured
against us as adults. We wonder if the standards that apply
to a 160 pound, 5’10” man are appropriately applicable
to a 60 pound, 3’10” child. We wonder too, how
we can combat the problems that arise from our natural world
as well as those that may be created by man in the name of
progress or in his pursuit of happiness.
Keep in mind, this publication will make available comments
from both sides of an issue, allowing readers to draw their
own conclusions.
We feel, as one of our friends put it: “Everyone is
an environmentalist,” because we are all nurtured by
the placenta this world provides for us. We all want to keep
that protection solid so it will ensure a warm place for us.
It is with that in mind, that we offer this first encounter
to you and all our children.
Charles M. Gallagher
Editor
