AlterNet

Dear stan, Here are some headlines that I read today: "5 Mining Projects That Could Devastate the Entire Planet" "Action Needed to Avert Looming Water Crisis, Dire Ramifications" "What the FDA Doesn't Want You to Know About GE Salmon" Clearly, when it comes the health of our environment, food and water resources, we have a lot of work to do. So much work in fact, that it's easy to get overwhelmed or discouraged. And let's face it, people are tired of hearing bad news, especially when it comes to things that are so big -- like, well, saving the whole damned planet. Which reminds me of something my dad used to say when I complained of having lots of homework when I was in school, "Don't think of it as work, think of it as opportunity." Our collective homework assignment these days is pretty daunting: We have to build sustainable food systems, transition to clean energy, build a green jobs economy, clean up our air and water, and protect our endangered wild places and wildlife. Just think of all the opportunity! At AlterNet we're excited to bring you more stories about how we can become the architects of a new era of environmental sustainability, how we can turn this opportunity into a reality. Our Environment, Food and Water special coverage sections have provided you with thousands of stories over the last year alone that have helped to spread the voices of those who are working to create a future that represents what we truly want to see in the world. Visionaries such as Will Allen and his daughter Erika, urban food pioneers; mountaintop removal mining activist and Goldman Prize Winner Maria Gunnoe; global water expert Maude Barlow; green jobs ace Van Jones; and tireless global warming crusader Bill McKibben have provided us with hope in a time of environmental and economic crisis. I hope you'll help us continue this effort by supporting our Environment, Food and Water special coverage sections. Anyone can point out a problem, but with your help, we'd like to direct our readers to ways in which we can fix those problems, motivate each other and work together for change. As a special gift for those of you who can give $60 or more, we will send a copy of our beautiful new, full-color book Water Matters: Why We Need to Act Now to Save Our Most Critical Resource -- which features Pulitzer prize winning writers and photographers, grassroots activists, and inspiring leaders. The writer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan said, "Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet." Consider Sagan's words, consider the opportunity we have to create positive change -- to turn an environmental crisis into a sustainable future -- and help support AlterNet's coverage of the Environment, Food and Water so we can continue to reach you with our stories and hundreds of thousands of others. Warmly, Tara Lohan AlterNet Senior Editor