I remember when I first heard about fracking. I’m sure you do, too. It was many years ago, I’m not sure of the exact date, when I was at a fundraiser for Damascus Citizens for Sustainability and a guy named Josh Fox was there to show clips from his upcoming documentary “Gasland.”

The movement to rally against fracking seemed to happen both quickly and slowly. First, we had to educate ourselves about this new thing. What is it? How does it work? What are the risks? What are the impacts (on the environment, health and economy)? That part seemed to go slowly. And as we learned more about fracking, we passed on the news to more and more people—our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers.

Suddenly the movement started to, well, move. Many people knew what fracking was, and with the help of many people, organizations and the Oscar-nominated “Gasland,” it became a national conversation. We saw what was happening in Colorado and Texas and here in Pennsylvania. We saw water from a faucet being lit on fire. It was time for a call to action. Grassroots groups formed and everyone had something to contribute: artists, scientists, activists. Local groups are a major contribution to the fight against fracking, and so we thank Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, among others, and also Josh Fox and Mark Ruffalo. And last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Howard Zucker M.D., the acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Health; and Joe Martens, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, showed themselves to be fearless leaders making decisions based on fact, science and compassion, when they decided that fracking will not be permitted in New York State.

This decision is a win for many reasons. It is a victory for clean air, water and land. It is a victory for environmentalists, grassroots organizations and activists—who are all too often, in the face of well-funded corporate interests, the underdog. It is a victory for science. It was truly a grassroots movement, and it takes a strong and united community to see through this kind of positive change. And while I know that there are people who thought that fracking would save our area through robust economics, we now have the opportunity to explore ways to make sure that we build a sustainable economic future without the sacrifice of our tranquil setting and unspoiled landscape.

This news comes at an interesting time. Christmas is here, and it is the end of 2014. The holiday season is the time to reflect on the past year. Thinking about the national news, it was a tumultuous year. At this time, there appears to be especially strident discord within the United States. The protests related to the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner are a case in point. And fear seemed to be unusually prevalent this year as well, with the Ebola outbreaks, ISIS militants and the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines plane. It was broadcast everywhere—television, newspapers, and the Internet. It weighed heavily on everyone’s mind.

The Internet is an interesting thing. It is a pervasive presence. It unites us and divides us. It also allows us to receive news almost instantly after it happens. When the news broke about Michael Brown, I saw it first on Facebook. Protests were organized on Facebook, and hash tags on Twitter went viral. It’s easy to be swept up in Internet news. But what we have here in our area, the Upper Delaware River Valley, is something stronger than the Internet, something that allows us to take a collective breath and rely on each other for an escape from all the craziness—community.

I write this editorial as an ode to our community, the people in it, and the way we interact. There is a reason people live here, and that is because of the clean air and water, beautiful views and knowing your neighbor. Talking about issues not on a broad scale (like angry Internet comments) but in small groups is conducive to real, intelligent and comforting conversation. So as we end this year and look back on it, it can be overwhelming to think of all the negative events that have happened. But as we start this New Year, look at the people you live near and reach out and talk to them. If our community can influence the highest state officials to act on the behalf of environmental health and safety, we can do anything. Happy Holidays!