THE world's worsening energy situation is fast becoming the common concern of such uncommon groups as government, industry, environmentalists and private consumers. On critical issues like energy, we believe that TIME'S responsibility goes beyond keeping our readers informed and includes promoting intelligent discussion and action as well. This week's Environment story on the energy crisis, for example, reflects some of the thinking culled from a special conference sponsored by TIME and our sister publications, FORTUNE and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. The three-day meeting, held in Nassau last month, brought together political, business and environmental leaders. They were experts with diverse points of view, but they were motivated by a common goal beyond any special interest: to seek solutions to the world's energy crisis.

Among those who came to Nassau for the meeting were such disparate spokesmen as Thomas Kimball of the National Wildlife Federation, George Shultz, Secretary of the Treasury, Senator Henry ("Scoop") Jackson, Chairman of the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, and the top executives of leading U.S. energy companies. Said Kimball: "This is about the best way to get people together for a meaningful dialogue. I think the experience was valuable not only for the participants but for the country as well."

Some of the products of the dialogue that Kimball was speaking of are reflected in our story, which was jointly written by Environment Writer Philip Herrera, Science Writer Frederic Golden and Business Writer William Doerner.

Gatherings like the Nassau conference are a longstanding tradition with TIME. For almost two decades we have brought together some of the world's government, business and academic leaders on matters of public interest and concern. As far back as 1956 TIME arranged a conference on housing that proved so helpful to representatives of all the areas involved that it has become an annual event. Similarly, there have been meetings of experts under TIME'S auspices on the future of air transport, overseas investments and the role of Congress. Four U.S.

Presidents -- Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon -- have met with the members of TIME conferences, as have the presidents and premiers of foreign nations on such occasions as TIME'S businessmen's tour of Southeast Asia in 1965. In 1971, we invited a group of European managing directors to the U.S. to meet with their American counterparts and U.S. Government officials. The success of that tour led to the recent symposium in Brussels reported in our Economy & Business section (TIME, April 23).

Next on the schedule is a special tour of the U.S. for a contingent of Japanese executives in May. While we have not always reported these conferences in great detail, they have all contributed to TIME'S editorial scope in many ways -- occasionally in specific stories, more often in the insight and expertise that the sessions have provided our correspondents, writers and editors.

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