And the Results Are In Thanks Many thanks to all of you who took the time to fill out the reader survey. Much appreciated! The Results A total of 283 readers let us know how they feel. The most common concern was that Home Power would go glossy and lose its hands on approach. This is NOT going to happen. We hope that this issue will help put those fears to rest. The yes votes for more pages totaled 70.3%, yes for recycled paper was 71.0%, going to color got the lowest percentage at 39.5%. The number of bucks averaged out at $14.53 with a range from zero to $60.00. What We Decided After much head pounding, hair pulling and kitty petting a decision has been reached. Yes to more pages. Issue 21 will have more pages. Recycled paper will, unfortunately, have to wait six to eight months. The paper we are currently using, 35# Columbia Web, is not available in post consumer paper. That means we would have to go to heavier 40# book stock, which has only 40% post consumer paper. The 40# book is bleached (nasty dioxin producing chemicals) and would greatly increase postage. At this time it would take 4 months just to get this paper and it would increase production costs by approximately 45% (paper & postage). Four post consumer recycled paper mills are due to go on line within 6 to 8 months. One company is working on post consumer 35# Columbia Web. This should help to increase the supply and reduce the cost. We will stay with color, but only on the non-clay coated cover. The reason for this is newsstands. Four of the five distributors now carrying HP asked for more #19's and increased their standing orders. We want to spread the word but we have to get folks to pick it up. We will continue to use soybean based inks throughout HP. Black soybean inks are non-toxic, color soybean inks do contain 6-10% toxic materials. The Bottom Line Here's where the rubber meets the road, as of #21 HP's new subscription rate will go from $6.00 per year to $10.00. Here are the reasons: 1) more pages, 2) the U.S. Postal Service will be raising their rates sometime early in 1991, and 3) we will be saving part of the $10 for recycled paper. The Why You might ask why we are concerned with magazine distributors and newsstands. If you have seen or heard any of the many recent programs on renewables you might have noticed that they ALL say that renewable energy is the energy of the future. Not true, it's the energy of TODAY. Our goal is to help people prove that they are not helpless. We can make a difference right now, no matter how small. Many small savings can add up to big solutions! For instance, if folks only knew what to do disposable batteries could become a thing of the past. This might sound like a small thing until you think about our planets resources, land fills, and the toxic materials in batteries. Or if everyone in the U.S. went to energy efficient lighting 30 to 50 power planets could be eliminated. We need this information. Our planet needs this information. Our children need to do things differently if they are to survive. We hope that Home Power Magazine contributes to a saner and safer future. So here it is. We hope everyone understands. Karen Perez