In December 2008, we began an editorial series entitled, Green Giants: Leaders in Environmental Stewardship. By way of background, this is a three-part series that covers the three segments of our industry and how they are dealing with the green movement sweeping our world. The December installment focused on the manufacturing segment and we interviewed spokespeople from five companies on how they contribute to the greening of our industry.

During our research for this first part of the series, we found that many manufacturers have been involved in environmental stewardship for years — in some cases, decades. Very cool stuff. Obviously we couldn't publish everything we found in that first article, but hey, we had two more installments, right? All was well in CB-Land.

And then the calls began.

It was amazing. People loved this article and were anxious to be a part of it. We heard from contractors, distributors, and other manufacturers — all who had very important green stories to tell. Even at the recently concluded AHR Exposition in Chicago, a number of people sat me down to talk about how important this series of editorials is to the industry, from their perspectives.

As I listened to them, a light flicked on in the back of my mind that, over the days of the show, grew larger and brighter. The thought was simple: The HVAC Industry IS a Green Giant. Yup — the whole industry is invested in the idea of taking care of our planet, of conservation, of stewardship. It's very, very impressive. And it's a story that has to be told. A three-part series just isn't going to cut it.

So we're committing to sharing the stories of as many of the Green Giants in this industry as possible. In January, our focus was on distributors, and this month we spoke to contractors. For each month thereafter, we'll extend this series to capture the essence of the greening of the HVAC industry from all three segments.

There are no concrete definitions as to what “green” actually means. Ask 10 people their opinion and you'll get 30 opinions. Perhaps, through the voices in this series, we can beggin to truly hone in on what green really means in each market segment. This story belongs to all of us and you are cordially invited to participate. Call me or email me about what you're doing to be a leader in environmental stewardship. We'll take the best thoughts and publish them right here.

The bottom line is that this industry is a green giant. How many other industries can make that claim? This is something that we should all be very proud of.

Speaking of Giants …

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce a new addition to the Contracting Business.com editorial family. Beginning in this issue a new columnist will grace our pages — for some of you he is very familiar, for the rest, he soon will be.

His name is Earl King and his specialty is in commercial service sales. Earl wrote a column for this magazne a number of years ago and we're pleased to have him back, sharing his expertise with you once again.

Please click here to read his first column. Earl will appear in the magazine every other month, opposite our good friend, Vicki LaPlant. Welcome back, Earl.

IN KEEPING WITH OUR 65TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, the 1950s were a time of economic growth and prosperity. Television, rock-n-roll, and new construction changed the face of America. It was a time that some called a golden age with only two dark spots — the Korean conflict and the expansion of communism and the Cold War. This is when Refrigeration Industry magazine changed its name: first, to Commercial Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (1949), and then again, in 1958, to Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Business, to reflect the changes occuring during this incredible growth period. The entire story of our second decade can be found on ContractingBusiness.com in the resources section.