I’ve realised I need to become more focused on blogging about sustainability issues…well, more focused on blogging in general, but so far I have been lacking in building connections to sustainability bloggers. I know its shocking, but not everyone is interested in anthropology.
New Zealand has its very own carbon-neutral magazine, ‘good, New Zealand’s guide to sustainable living‘. I just received issue 3 in the mail. I’m still not sure how I became a subscriber; I don’t recall subscribing, and yet good arrives in my postbox every other month. How mysterious, but a nice surprise in any case.
Thanks to the inspiration from good, I’d like to announce the first installment of Sustainable Living Magazines Dos & Don’ts.
DO make sure that you actually are carbon neutral. good has been certified carbon neutral by Greenland NZ, and offsets their emissions by funding alternative energy projects.
DO have a website with additional features such as a blog. Talking about climate change sll the time can be depressing so its important to have sections like this with a sense of humour. Mocking AirNZ for magically transforming vegetarians into carnivores (it definitely isn’t because of the in-flight meals) and showing Sarah Palin making an appearance in an animal pelt of some sort is a pleasant respite from thinking about the downward spiral of the environment. I guess PETA members don’t make up a large portion of her base.
DON’T keep sections of your past issues on lock-down on the website. Its frustrating, and really, its not a good way to spread your message. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to give more people access to the information you provide in your magazine, at least after it is off the newsstands?
DON’T go overboard on fluff. good has some truly useful sections. This month has an article on how to be a greener geek, including how to recycle a PC and how to use all your electronic gadgets with the least amount of electricity. And issue 2 had a great article on eco-renovations. Alas, they are both on lock-down on the website. But then there’s the fluff: the fashion and recipe sections. Fashion and food magazines already cover eco-fashion and recipes for food in-season. I’m with them on trying to make sustainability enticing, I just hope the magazine stays substantive too.
I’m worried that sustainability has become less a movement towards limiting your impact on the environment and more an ingrained, unreflexive part of popular culture. I haven’t made up my mind where good fits into this continuum yet. And wouldn’t it be even more environmentally friendly to publish good as a strictly online magazine? Yale 360 is one example. It launched a few months ago and seems to dispense with most of the pop culture aspects and sticks to straightforward reporting and analysis, teasing out a thin line of truth amidst a lot of greenwashing and scare-mongering. The writers and academics they have gathered together for the project is impressive. So, why is the paper versions necessary? good isn’t the only environmental magazine to reproduce this format. I think people are ready to break out of established forms of information consumption, and this is especially true if they are interested in environmental sustainability. If good really wants to change the way people operate in the world and encourage sustainable behaviour, then they should start by reassessing their own mode of operation. Or maybe their aim is to simply encourage sustainable consumption?
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