Enviro-mental

National Geographic has broadened its scope with a new magazine called Green Guide.

I picked up its inaugural Spring 2008 issue. Here’s a look inside:

• Consumer features: how everyday people (you) can decrease carbon emissions by measurable amounts and save the planet by saving money. What happens to returned plastic bags? And an educational food safety quiz.
• Buying Guides: the raison d’etre for the Green Guide is consumer education, and the everyday products covered in the first issue are a great start: light bulbs, plastic containers, cosmetics and cleaning products.
• Bonuses: a pull-out card to take grocery shopping and cute, retro tips for the neglected “R” (reuse).

In its nearly 100 pages, the Green Guide includes only a few advertisements, which makes its articles infinitely more readable than other similar mags. But it comes at a cost – nearly $7.00 (Canadian) per single issue.

The Green Guide attempts to take eco-friendly mainstream with glossy photos (printed on recycled paper) and easy-to-understand information. But environmental newbies might remain a little confused – readers should already be acquainted with CFLs (compact fluorsecent lightbults) and be regular purchasers of organic produce before reading. But even savvy consumers might have a hard time decoding the orange juice article (page 22), which attempts to rate orange juices in various forms based on their enviro-friendliness.

Obviously a magazine called “Green Guide” is written from the point-of-views of people who are already concerned about the environment, and it shows in the authors’ language and writing style. Not every issue is as cut and dry as Green Guide makes it seem. I would like to see more science references (especially about controversial topics like phthalates) and some additional background on why we use them in the first place.

But I may be an atypical reader. I think that anyone picking up Green Guide will find useful information, whether they have yet to make any “green” changes or whether they’ve been buying organic food since 1982. The articles are well-written, thorough (if not a little bit overwhelming), and rise above their competitors with tangible advice that you can follow.

Their website is a vault of information, too.

For those looking for more in-depth coverage of environmental consumerism, Green Guide has it.