Bright ideas, brighter future

Think about it. 2012 is Louisiana’s bicentennial. It is also an election year in East Baton Rouge Parish. This Fall, we will choose who will serve as our mayor-president for the next four years as well as who will occupy multiple seats on our Metro-Council. It’s a good time to reflect on where we’ve been and, most importantly, where we as a community want to go and how we should grow.

Fifty years ago, historian and philosopher Thomas Kuhn coined the term “paradigm shift”—the moment when our worldview fundamentally changes because of a new idea. This shift happened when people understood that the sun does not revolve around the Earth or that climate change is altering the way we would all have to live. It is with all of this in mind that we wanted to jump-start more conversations and more action for growth in our city. This month’s cover story aims to do just that by outlining 11 ideas to improve Baton Rouge.

The ideas we write about are all about paradigm shifts and new ways of thinking about things that we deal with every day. From issues such as health, education, economic development, the arts, technology, brain drain and our city’s very identity, our cover story is filled with ideas for our city to push forward and, we hope, flourish in brand new ways. The power of a new idea is always the engine that transforms the way we think and live. It was a simple idea that gave birth to 225 magazine. We had plenty of naysayers and those who didn’t believe it could be done, but we pressed ahead with an idea in our minds, passion in our hearts and an unwavering commitment to deliver something fresh and different to our city. We have learned that discovering fresh solutions and unleashing new ideas are critical for both success and sustainability. It is with that spirit in mind that we hope you enjoy this month’s issue.

After researching and brainstorming with our staff, Editor Jeff Roedel assembled a Pop-up Think Tank of young, dynamic Baton Rougeans to dialog about ways to improve the city. Read the cover story that resulted in this issue. And email your own ideas for making Baton Rouge a better place to [email protected].

Concerts and art events have long been used to draw attention and funding for a variety of social causes and charities. Unfortunately, until now, too little has been done in Baton Rouge about one of the greatest threats facing our state: coastal erosion.

As we approach the start of another hurricane season it is important to remember that 80% of the nation’s coastal land loss occurs in our state, which loses roughly 25,000 acres each year.

Those losses have a huge environmental, social and economic impact on our area, and Paul and Libby Foret, a Baton Rouge couple, have decided to fight back.

Hoping to stem the tide of coastal erosion by raising funds for anti-erosion efforts and upping awareness of this critical issue, the Forets are bringing their Uplifting the Coast event to the Baton Rouge Fairgrounds next month.

The event, held June 8-10, will feature three days of live music, local cuisine from some of the area’s top restaurants and chefs and rides and activities for kids of all ages. Read about this ambitous effort here.

This month 225 will launch newly redesigned e-newsletters and a brand new website at 225batonrouge.com all with you in mind. Our new website is designed to be more dynamic and mobile-friendly. With a fresh look and new features, the site will be more interactive, allowing for the uploading of photographs and videos, and interfacing easily with social media sites. We are also rolling out an expanded roster of bloggers who will comment on a greater variety of issues impacting our community.

Also this month, you will find that 225 Dine has been enhanced. Moreover, 225 Select is now called 225 Weekender to better reflect what is the best local resource for planning your weekend activities. I invite you to subscribe to both of these weekly e-newsletters. They are free and, more importantly, will keep you in the know about the best places to eat and the hottest events our city has to offer.

Of course, this month we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 13. If you stop and think about it, every day should be Mother’s Day. Moms are definitely the backbone of our society and the glue that holds a family together. Their work is vital, but often unseen. We all need to show greater appreciation for them. A good friend of mine sent a Hasidic saying to me that goes, “God could not be everywhere at once, so He gave each child a mother!” Motherhood is certainly one of the noblest callings of a woman. On behalf of all the sons and daughters in the 225, happy Mother’s Day!