A Spring Crop of "Green" Glossy Mags

Its been amazing to witness the flood of media on environmental issues pouring through the airwaves, print media and cyberspace in the last year or so. For those pioneers that marched on the first Earth Day, it must feel satisfying, and long overdue.

As vigilant advocates for sustainability and savvy consumers, how do we sift through all the eco-pop culture for the real stuff. And how can we know if those who are selling us this news and information are doing the right thing themselves.

Take magazines for example. You may have witnessed the abundance of "Green" issues of your favorite magazines available on the shelves at the check-out line this month, such as Vanity Fair's 2nd annual. Personally, I think this represents a good step forward.

But one can't help but ask, "isn't all that paper contributing to climate change and loss of our forests?" Well, actually, yes, it is.

"Surely, they are printed on recycled paper though, right?" Well, actually, probably not. According to Co-op America's Magazine PAPER Project, out of 18,000 mags in circulation, only about 100 use any amount of recycled fiber. Wow.

In the midst of this media flood of eco-information, outlets that want to set themselves apart in the market as authoritative voices would be well served to themselves embrace the readily available environmental alternatives that they encourage their readers to take on, in particular, printing on post-consumer recycled paper. The benefits would be tremendous. They can find out how its "Different, Not Difficult," by reading a smart little publication found here.