From the Publisher
Good news, bad news
by Chris Klein
irst, a follow-up on last issue's free offer. Compliments
of San Diego Earth Day, we offered a free low-flow showerhead to anyone
that wanted to drop by and pick one up, or send $2 to cover postage.
The good news is, 21 individuals took us up on our offer.
If the low-flow showerhead saves 4 gallons per minute over standard units
(conservative estimate), and the "average" household takes 15
minutes of showers a day (3 people times 5 minutes - just a guess), that
would be a savings of 21,900 gallons a year per household, or 459,900 gallons
a year for all 21 participants. Wow!
The bad news is, we've still got about 30 of the showerheads
left. So, if you want one the offer is still open. Call (619) 272-0347 to
arrange pickup or send $2 to P.O. Box 99179, San Diego, CA 92169. Let's
save another half-million gallons.
The good news is, as of this issue the Earth
Times will be publishing monthly instead of bimonthly. I'm very excited
about this. There are so many good stories and so much important information
that selecting articles for the Times has often meant having to choose what
to leave out. Now, we'll be able to bring you more variety, on a more timely
basis.
The bad news is, we have to raise subscription prices.
If you act before November 1, you can sign up at the "old" prices.
See the form on the back page. (Don't you think subscriptions make nice
Halloween presents?)
In the last issue, we reported that Denis Hayes
had agreed to become Chairman of Earth Day USA, the most visible national
Earth Day organization. Widely thought of as the "father" of Earth
Day in 1970, Denis was architect of the Earth Day 1990 celebration that
featured over 200 million participants worldwide.
The bad news is that, after working for two months,
Denis has chosen to withdraw, citing outstanding problems at Earth Day USA
and poor prospects for funding a significant national effort. We will miss
the strong leadership Denis could have provided.
The good news is, Earth Day is a grassroots movement,
and hundreds of healthy local Earth Day organizations throughout the country
and the world are gearing up for the 25th anniversary in 1995.
The good news is, the first annual Youth Earth
Savers Festival, YES!Fest '94, is moving ahead. The only bad news will be
if you miss it. Be there - Crown Point Shores, Mission Bay, October 23,
10am - 4pm. If you don't have a youth, borrow one!
I got this last item from a TV news report
that I was only half listening to, so details are lacking ... the absurdity
didn't strike me until later. The good news: several individuals decided
to clean up a North County beach. The bad news: they were told by an official
to stop, or they would be issued a citation. It seems that it's just not
legal to go down and clean up any old beach.
I think I'll stop while my editorial is still fit for
family consumption.
