Bai Ling Cover Feature/ The Charity Issue

EDITORS DESK

Kim Mercer

Perhaps it’s the cabernet-coloured glow of the holiday season; it may just be that I’ve had one gingerbread latte too many, but I am enthusiastically optimistic about the decade to come.

Putting this issue together has reassured me that there are more people thinking about, planning for and working towards a greater tomorrow than there are those frozen by apathy or ill will. In the greatest group project of all time, we are coming together to solve the problems we face: social, political, environmental challenges are no longer the sole burden or command of government. In his book The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki writes that “The simplest way to get reliably good answers is just to ask the group each time.” The book is full of entertaining, anecdotal and scientific proof that when it comes to solving a problem, two heads are better than one (or, as the French say, Du choc des idées jaillit la lumière). Cooperation breeds illumination!

We all have a responsibility to donate our time and talents to improving the world. TCHAD magazine chooses to highlight people and projects that share our values of social responsibility and sustainable lifestyle and innovation.

So, this Holiday Issue turns the spotlight on people who give, people who create and people who inspire. Bai Ling puts children’s charities before call times and red carpets. She gives not just money, but time to those who need help the most. Known more as a former Playboy cover girl than as a philanthropist, she laughs and continues to use her celebrity to raise money and awareness. Mega projects in major cities across Canada plan to prove that our urban centres can be reclaimed and returned to the people who make them great and unique. In February, the world will watch as Canada wins Gold on the ice, but also as we set an example of innovation and inclusion. The Olympic Village is a vision of sustainability; an example of what can be achieved when knowledge is shared and purposes are aligned. It’s all about the team, eh?! The one I’m talking about just happens to be made up of 6.8 billion of the smartest, most motivated people I know!

We want to entertain and inform, but we also want to educate and inspire. We see no contest between what is sexy and what is smart; what is vogue and what is visionary. And we love a good twist…