MOTHER EARTH NEWS Magazine’s 40 Year Anniversary

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on December 29, 2009
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PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
John Shuttleworth founded MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine in 1970. He died in March 2009 a year short of our 40 year anniversary.

It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun, working hard and making a difference. It’s hard to believe, folks, but the February/March 2010 issue marks the 40 year anniversary of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine. Our sincere thanks go out to all of you who have helped make the magazine a success over the years. Your contributions to Dear MOTHER, Country Lore, Firsthand Reports and other departments have been the heart of the magazine.

Every day, we hear from readers who tell us how MOTHER EARTH NEWS has helped them save money, grow their own food, create their dream homesteads, and otherwise live more self-reliant and fulfilling lives in big and small ways. Whether it’s a phone call, an e-mail, our Facebook page, our Twitter account, or meeting you face to face, it always feels great to connect with you.

We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to advise and inspire so many good people. Thanks to you, MOTHER EARTH NEWS continues to be the largest environmental magazine in the world. Our circulation has been growing rapidly in recent years, and in 2010 we expect our readership will top half a million. Online, nearly 800,000 people visit our website every month! These numbers not only bode well for the future of MOTHER EARTH NEWS, they’re also an indication that more and more people are engaged with environmental issues and choosing to live wisely. To quote anthropologist Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

To mark our 40th anniversary, you’ll find three special articles in our February/March 2010 issue. First off, longtime MOTHER EARTH NEWS contributor and sustainable development guru Lester Brown assesses 10 alarming trends, along with 10 reasons to be optimistic. Brown is one of the most respected environmental leaders of our time, and he describes both the challenges and the opportunities of the 21st century in an engaging, educational, and inspiring way.

Next, Wise, Wacky and Whiz-bang! takes a look back at some of the best?—?and craziest?—?articles we’ve published throughout our first 40 years. If you haven’t already discovered our online Archive, this article will give you a great introduction.

And finally, we present an essay by MOTHER EARTH NEWS Publisher and Editorial Director Bryan Welch. In Creating a Sustainable Society: Four Questions We Should Ask, Welch outlines key queries that can help us make sustainable choices, both in our daily lives and in public policy. We invite you to join an online conversation with Welch about these ideas by posting comments to the article.

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