by Chris Klein
ecember will mark the start of our fourth year of publication.
Each month, more than 41,000 copies of the Earth Times are picked up. Assuming
that the bulk of these are not being used to wrap fish or line bird cages,
this means that about 85,000 of you are reading this issue.
This community acceptance is gratifying to all
of us here at SDET. In what we have been told is a society of non-readers,
your willingness to take time our of your busy days to read our paper is
a gift: to us and to the future we're trying to create. We don't run fluff
pieces or horoscopes and, so far, we've resisted the urge to put out a "swimsuit"
edition. Hopefully, our articles get you to think and act.
Perceptive regular readers may have noticed that
we've changed the tag line on our cover from "Monthly reader of the
environment" to "Reader of life and the environment." We
think this change reflects our interest in, and concern for, our quality
of life, in the broadest terms. In our global society, what environmental
issues don't affect our quality of life, and vice versa? The environment,
as an concept, shows up for us personally as quality of life issues. During
the coming year, this subtle shift will show up as we expand in several
new directions.
First, we intend to survey a number of what are
generally called "alternative health" practices. I admit to being
a sceptic by nature, and I have what I call an internal "nonsense meter."
At one of the scale would be practices like acupuncture, yoga and chiropractic
no nonsense, real value, worth covering. At the other would be things
like "pyramid power" total nonsense, you won't see them
here. But what about herbology or aromatherapy or the like? I don't know,
but I plan to find out. When we find something interesting, we'll let you
know.
One important topic we cover regularly is agriculture;
in particular, organic agriculture. The way crops are grown has a huge impact
on our health and the environment. You probably don't think of yourself
as doing "agriculture," but I bet you probably do some "gardening."
We'll be featuring more articles on what you can do at home, in your own
yard, your personal environment.
A third new direction is our venture in a new
media: radio. Carolyn Chase and Robert Nanninga are taking to the airwaves
every Wednesday with a call-in talk radio format; see the article below.
Listen in and call in with your questions and comments.
Alas, not all changes can be celebrated.
Last month, Kim Levy, our outstanding salesperson and "family"
member, moved to Seattle with her finacée. However, she has offered
to continue authoring the Environmental Muddle eco-puzzles for us; they
will be back next month. She is greatly missed, and we'll just have to muddle
along without her.
arth Talk is a new weekly talk radio show about the
quality of life in the San Diego region. Carolyn Chase, editor of the San
Diego Earth Times and Robert Nanninga, author of the controversial column
"Observations from the Edge," are stirring up the airwaves with
Earth Talk on AM1000 KCEO on Wednesdays from 7-8 PM.
Each weekly show will feature segments
on "EarthTech" - discussing emerging solutions to environmental
problems; "The DIRT" - the real story behind the scenes on why
problems are not being solved or why it costs a fortune; and "The PLAY"
- what individuals can do.
EarthTalk will be the show that dares
to ask, Who Cares? For long-time local activist Chase, this question is
both sincere and sarcastic. "I know that the people of San Diego County
care deeply about their quality of life and the environment needed to sustain
it," she says. "Just about everybody cares about clean water,
clean air, open spaces and quality of life, but it's hard to translate that
caring into effective action.
"Were going to talk about those
who do and those who don't and give people a chance to figure out what's
going on. We're going to feature green products, technologies and businesses
to help people do the right thing."
"And we're going to expose the
bad guys, too" adds Robert.
So please tune in and call
in with your questions and opinions.
