Letter from the Chair
Out of the Darkness, Into the Light

John Borders Jr.
Chair, EarthSave Board of Directors

John Borders and family.

In many ways, we are living in dark times. We've completed the first phase of a war where it's becoming painfully clear we took the unprecedented action of attacking another country not out of self defense but out of self interest. We are watching unemployment skyrocket and our economy tank just as we're increasing the military budget and cutting taxes for the super rich. We're witnessing an unrelenting assault on environmental protections for no reason other than to further the interests of certain corporations. And we continue to produce and consume unsustainable amounts of meat and dairy while far too much of the world literally struggles to afford one decent meal a day.

As with nearly every non-profit organization, EarthSave has been hit hard by a shrinking pool of donations due to the economic downturn, the Sept. 11 attacks, and the war in Iraq. So we're learning to be "lean and mean" in order to maximize the amount of money we can spend on valuable programs designed to educate the public about the benefits of shifting toward a plant-based diet. For example, we're moving our office to New York City in order to decrease overhead costs. And we're introducing this new format for this newsletter because it allows us to get this critical information to a much larger group of people for much less money than we had spent previously.

But there's also plenty of reason for hope -- for ourselves and for future generations, for our planet now and for the world which our children will inherit. In difficult times, thinking, caring people make conscious decisions about how to handle the challenges before them. EarthSave members are doing just that, carrying torches of hope as they work all over our nation to bring light into these dark times. With Taste of Health festivals, potlucks, cooking classes and other educational programs, our members are working to greatly improve the health of our bodies and our planet.

One of our newest programs -- Project Garden -- has been launched this season as a creative means to help people connect, in a tangible way, with the food they choose to eat (see page 12). With this wonderful, hands-on program, people are getting their fingernails dirty in order to grow healthy, organic produce in areas where people normally see only concrete. We hope that EarthSavers all across the country will follow suit, starting organic gardens in their own communities and helping spread the message that adults and kids can work together to improve their cities and their health.

In this issue of EarthSave Magazine, we focus a lot on children because we recognize that our future depends on them. With open hearts and minds, it is their generation which will end starvation in the world. It is their generation which will appreciate the value of the life of every creature on earth. It is their generation which will finally realize clean air, fertile soil and healthy water. Indeed, it is their generation which will be like beacons of light, shining their love into the world, extinguishing the darkness once and for all.

Yours for a healthy future,
John D. Borders, Jr.