Guest editorial
The time has come
an Diegans have enjoyed reading local periodicals continuously
for more than 125 years, longer than any populated area south of the Tehachapi
mountain range, but, until today, there has been a void in editorial coverage.
No one has given the environment any more than lip service.
Earth Times, in this debut edition, plans to rectify that problem by concentrating
on what "progress" has done to the area surrounding "America's
finest city," then focusing on what is being done and what still must
be accomplished to preserve the clean air, water, landscape, wildlife and
horticultural gems that lured settlers here permanently more than 200 years
ago.
True, individual voices have been raised in protest
of development of lands vital to the preservation of wildlife, and government
agencies fight to restore the purity of an atmosphere saturated by automobile
exhausts which introduced the word "smog" into the lexicon of
even the kindergarten pupil.
But until today, there has not been a publication solely
dedicated to the protection of the little part of the world in which we
live as nature would have us enjoy it.
Blessed with some of the finest research facilities
in the world, hardly a week goes by that our scientists fail to come up
with the results of studies which pinpoint another peril to health that
has been an accepted part of our lifestyle for centuries.
The food we eat, the water we drink, the plants, trees
and terrain we destroy, our social habits of smoking and alcoholic consumption-the
list is endless-all embody calculated risks to our health and that of our
neighbors, our life span and the heritage we pass on to our children and
their children's children.
Yet many of us gambol blithely along life's primrose
path, giving little thought to whether the world we entered is as healthy
and vigorous as the one we will leave behind when our journey is ended.
Earth Times is dedicated to the preservation of the
blissful life we all would like to enjoy and pass on to our successors.
This first issue of our publication breaks ground in
one unfurrowed field of San Diego journalism. The seeds we sow today are
intended to yield the fruits and flowers of environmental consciousness,
the roots of which must come from our readers. Your input, based upon your
observations and experiences, not only are welcome, they are sought by those
of us dedicated to exposing the haphazard practices that imperil the habitat
we call home.
We invite you to participate in this step toward our
goal of preserving the blessings of nature we now enjoy, and to contribute
a share in this effort to make the good life even better. Your comments
concerning this first issue will strengthen the foundation of Earth Times
and help guide us toward our goal of total awareness of the need to create
a sanctuary for our natural resources.
We want, need and welcome your support. Let us know
what you think of our first edition. Your response is essential as we strive
to touch on all the issues revolving within the spectrum of environmental
concern.
Thank you.
