Dennis Creech
Executive Director

Dear Reader,

We all know the Chinese Proverb: “A 1,000 mile journey begins with a single step.” Twenty-five years ago, a small group of volunteers took a collective first step and started Southface. I was fortunate enough to be the Co-Chair of that effort. It’s been a journey that I, like many of you, felt compelled to take.

It’s a journey to find air and water that will not harm us. It’s a journey to discover a neighborhood where my child and elderly mother can walk safely. It’s a journey where we might be able to beat the predictions of the scientific community and prevent the eradication of twenty-five percent of the world’s species this century due to climate change. Ray Anderson, Chairman of Interface, Inc. and a good friend of ours at Southface, frequently describes the climb up “Mount Sustainability.” You don’t have to be a hiker or a visionary to know this is a difficult path.

I am humbled and proud of what our organization has accomplished, and it has only been possible through your interest, enthusiasm and companionship on this journey. As we bring our 25th anniversary year to a close, Southface still has much left to do, but also much to celebrate.

Our 2004 Greenprints Conference was a tremendous success, and on its heels we are preparing for even more excitement in 2005, when Greenprints will host the National Association of Home Builders’ Green Building Conference in the spring and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in the Fall. The contributions many of you are making to the green building movement have captured the attention of the nation, and we are proud to work with these organizations to bring these events to the Southeast.

Please enjoy the Greenprints highlights in this issue of the Southface Journal, as well as other information that we hope you will find informative and useful. Please check out the calendar of events, and frequent our website for updates and additional program details. Please stay in touch, and thank you for contributing to our success.

Yours for a sustainable future,