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R emember when the best advice for preventing controversy when socializing was, "Avoid politics and religion and, when in doubt, talk about the weather"? It appears that this bit of guidance needs an update; in many circles, weather has become a controversial topic too, inevitably leading to far more serious discussions—and sometimes, debates—about climate change and its complex and far-reaching effects. A few facts, based on information from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, climate.nasa.gov): • Scientifi c evidence shows that for 650,000 years, atmospheric levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) remained at a level below 300 parts per million—until 1950, after which it began to skyrocket. It's currently just less than 400 parts per million and increasing. • The amount of CO 2 absorbed by the oceans is increasing at a rate of two billion tons per year—leading to a 30% rise in acidity levels. • Most of the Earth's warming trend, which began in 1880, has occurred since the 1970s, with all 10 of the warmest years taking place in the past 12 years. • The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and the Arctic sea ice, are rapidly declining in mass, and glaciers are retreating just about everywhere they exist in the world. • The global sea level rose about 17 centimeters, or 6.7 inches, in the last century, with the rate of the last decade nearly double that of the last century. • There have been record-breaking numbers of extreme weather events since 1950. And that's why "the weather" no longer makes for light cocktail party conversation. Yet, in the spa industry, we not only can't avoid discussing climate change, it is our obligation to discuss it. The very concept of spa stems from nature's bounty; as our planet's water, air, soil, fl ora and fauna changes, we do as well. Ground water depletion is a perfect example: less water means higher concentrations of minerals in that water, potentially altering the formulas in the very products we've come to rely upon. (For the full scoop on this, go to "Water Depletion and the Spa Industry", at dayspamagazine.com.) Fortunately, growing numbers of spas, companies and industry organizations are focusing their efforts to address the causes and effects of climate change. If you want to know what you can do at the spa level, check out the Green Spa Network (greenspanetwork.org) and the National Association of Eco-Friendly Salons & Spas (naefss.org). And if you want to know how vendors are doing their part, you'll fi nd some great examples in this month's cover story, "Straight From the Source" (page 44), which explains how top spa product manufacturers are going to great lengths to harvest their ingredients in eco-responsible ways. Thinking and talking about ongoing, man-made damage to the Earth isn't easy. For some, it's still a debatable issue. However, climate change has a way of demanding attention, as many of us experienced fi rsthand in recent years. Try as we might, it's pretty hard to avoid the weather. Linda Kossoff Executive Editor Talk About the Weather EDITOR'S PAGE 14 DAYSPA | APRIL 2014 It is the spa industry's obligation to acknowledge the growing threat of climate change. In our February 2014 Spotlight (page 30), we quoted a spa owner as saying that the Dermatude Meta- Ject FX50 can be used to treat stretch marks. The manufacturer states that the device isn't being used anywhere for this purpose and urges all spa practitioners to familiarize themselves with the proper usage of this equipment. CLARIFICATION E d i t o r s P a g e 4 1 4 . i n d d 1 4 Editors Page 414.indd 14 3 / 7 / 1 4 9 : 4 2 A M 3/7/14 9:42 AM