|
The Revolution
This is a revolution. If you want to shut an airport then stop flying.
Want an end to factory farming? Grow your own. An end to pollution?
Change to renewables. An end to war & poverty? Microgenerate. Life
for your childen? Stop needing oil. YOU have THIS Power. You do not
need Government. Seize the initiative. Bring democracy to your
community. Be an example to your children. Take responsibility.
Change for good today. |
Magazines as Resource
|
  |
|
Here at Carbon
Cutters we recognise that most of us mortals are two busy to
read books. However, many of us will happily browse magazines as
their bite-sized articles are far easier to digest. In our work
we read through a broad cross-section of magazines that are
related to Carbon Cutting. Some are available through High
Street retailers whilst others are only available mail-order.
The ones listed on
this page are not every one available but they are the ones we
have reviewed so far. Please note that these are Magazines
available in the United Kingdom through 2007 and we cannot
guarantee their availability in other markets. Their images are
reproduced here for purposes of review only. If you have a
magazine you would like us to review please let us know! |
|
Ethical Consumer Magazine
|
|
The Ethical Magazine is a bit of a favourite at Carbon
Cutters. It is published by ECRA Publishing Ltd and EC is
also a member of INK (Independent News Collective), an
association of radical and alternative publishers. As such
they are bed-fellows with both the "New Internationalist"
and "Green Parent". We find it an invaluable resource of
up-to-date information. You will note that we regularly
reference this magazine throughout this web site. It can be
a gold-mine. However, before you rush to your Computer, to
sign-up for a subscription, we should also let our
readership know of a small down point.
Ethical Consumer
Magazine's ("EC") problem is quite obvious when you
think about it: "ethics" is intensely personal. Not everyone
can agree what is good and bad. For example, EC will pour
scorn upon any Company that may have investments in Nuclear
Power despite the counter-argument that says that Nuclear is
low-carbon. Whilst matters of Peak Oil and Climate Change
are covered they also rate Products & Services based upon
the Company that makes them. Hence the lowest-carbon widget
in the World will score badly if it's manufacturer has (what
EC consider to be) a poor record on human rights, factory
farming, anti-social finance, armaments, workers rights,
pollution and so on. You will also find yourself in deep
water if (heaven forbid) your US Parent Company donated
money to the Republican Party.
If you care
about all of this then that will be OK. If you don't then it
may just annoy you. Some of us really don't care if the
product is suitable for vegans or vegetarians. We really
don't mind if its made by a church, a not-for-profit
organisation, workers cooperative or a big corporation. This
is highly subjective. Indeed, sometimes it is plain
irrational. Their stand on off-setting is one good example.
Sometimes EC just wants us to boycott, well, everything. A
somewhat more quantitative, scientific and less-personal
approach could expand their readership.
So, once you
strip out the left-wing cause-of-the-month-stuff, there is
still some good journalism here. Suck it and see. But that
is our opinion!
|
Home Energy Magazine
|
|
Included here for want of ANY regular publication on renewable
technologies. This copy was purchased at a branch of WHSmith in
the UK and looked like it was going to be a regular publication.
Closer examination suggests it was a one-off produced solely for
WHSmith. This cost £6.99 GBP and weighs in at 130 pages. However
the presentation is quite amateurish and the whole thing looks
like somebody went a little crazy with the clip art. The Editor
is one John Taylor who operates under an AOL E:Mail address. The
Publisher is 'Taylor Made Publishing Ltd'. The Special Projects
Editor is John Taylor. The Managing Editor is - you guessed it -
John Taylor. He is also the artist of the cover artwork and the
"International Manager". He gets his picture on most pages -
which is oddly distorted to make him look thinner. He even
appears to have written nearly every article. Taylor Made
Publishing also publish "EBay Advisor", "Essential Excel",
"Essential Word", "Essential PowerPoint", "Essential Access" and
"Essential DVD Maker". So Renewables may not be his central area
of expertise exactly. He gets full points for trying but most of
the articles are grossly simplistic and highly repetitive. He
repeats the same few facts over and over again. There are plenty
of spelling mistakes. He has picked up the content from the web
or manufacturer brochures. He is very enthusiastic about
domestic wind turbines but then invites Sally Oakes of CAT to
write on the topic. She then points out that it is a waste of
time. She says this twice in the magazine contradicting John's
articles. In fact the BIG thing that this Magazine turns you on
to is that it is a great advert for the Center for Alternative
Technology. It gets a whole article all to itself. Sally writes
several articles all of which are brilliant. John should have
left the writing to her! Her work on wood burners was
fascinating.
Once you get past
the challenges of the presentation there is plenty of good
content. John covers everything from Solar Power to Ground Heat
Pumps and Wind Power. However I would advise you probably save
your money and buy "The Green Building Bible" instead. So applause for
WHSmith for encouraging this sort of publication. However, a real regular magazine on Home
Energy would be nice. Such magazines do exist in the USA. |
The Ecologist Magazine
|
|
The Ecologist Magazine. A slick, professional, not-so-glossy but
long-standing publication coming out monthly. Roughly 100
pages per issue. Packed with informative journalism and useful
little factoids for you to ponder. However, it is into "ecology"
whatever that is, so expect lots of articles about organic wine,
fair trade, pesticides, homeopathy, hemp products, tree-hugging,
our 'connection' to nature, living roofs, the evils of
corporations, PCB pollution, and so on. Probably a bit heavy
going for most Carbon Cutters due to some of its questionable
relevance to the task at hand. If you like this fluffy new-age
stuff then it will be your thing but if you live in an
inner-city council estate you probably have bigger things to
worry about. One for the Muesli-eating Guardian readers maybe.
However you can't fault it.
|
|
|
Green Parent Magazine
|
|
Aaaah! The Green Parent ("GP") Magazine. The fluffy bunny of
ethical journalism! What is there not to like about GP? This is
a lush and glossy publication fleshing out at 90 pages a copy
once every two months. Its presentation is top-notch and
it doesn't look out of place next to all those other glossy
lifestyle magazines on the Newsagent shelves. Indeed - that is
the point. It is a lifestyle magazine - just like all the OTHER
lifestyle magazines.
However, the people
who write for this magazine seem a genuine crowd. It is printed
on paper from renewable sources with environmentally-friendly
inks. At the back you get a section crammed with advertising for
all kinds of ethical products and services. Their articles are
well written and informative. We have often included references
to their work on this web site.
On the downside -
well, it is that word "lifestyle". This can all get a bit "tree
huggy" at times. There is a lot of wishy-washy writing on
getting in touch with one's inner-child. It is all very
'new-age' in its outlook. You get the feeling that a lot of
copies of this walk out of the shops to sit on the back seat of
large four-by-fours. This is for people who want to feel good
about themselves and wish to be conversant in the principles of
sustainable living - just as long as they don't actually have to
do anything. We hope we are wrong. Otherwise recommended -
especially to those of us with kids. Comes with a free "Green
Kids" supplement. GP is member of INK (Independent News
Collective) - a association of radical and alternative
publishers. So is "New Internationalist" below! Odd bed-fellows.
-
To subscribe go to
www.thegreenparent.co.uk or phone +44 (0)1825 872858.
Yearly subscription is £17.50 GBP (6 issues pa) in the UK,
£30 GBP pa in Europe or £45 GBP pa rest of world
-
Available in the UK through branches
of Waitrose and WHSmith (UK retailers)
|
New Internationalist
|
|
Now here is something different. You can't exactly claim this to
be a lifestyle magazine. Whilst it contains many useful articles
concerning sustainability, permaculture and peak oil it is more
a political publication. In their own words "The New
Internationalist workers' co-operative exists to report on the
issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on
the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless
worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes
necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring
to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for
global justice" (our emphasis). So, whilst the Global Justice
movement is only a vague relevance (to Contract and Convergence
Strategy) the noteworthy point here is that radical changes must
be made to meet human need. New Internationalist was founded in
1970 and has its editorial offices in Oxford in the UK. It is
published monthly and is available through High Street
Newsagents in the UK such as WHSmith.
|
Earthmatters
|
|
Published once a quarter by Friends of the Earth for their
supporters. Only available if you sign up to pay FOE a minimum
of £3 GBP per month in fees. You can't subscribe to the magazine
directly. It is a kind of an FOE-supporters-only benefit. (They
don't call in 'membership' for some reason. For example, you
can't become a life member.) It is 36 pages long and considering
how rarely you get it and how much you pay it is probably the
worst value of money of any magazine featured here. Ahhh - you
say - but you are supporting Friends of the Earth! Great. Not
that we don't like FOE but they are a political lobbying group
who work on a wide range of issues not all of which we agree
with or are relevant to Carbon Cutting. Much like 'Ethical
Consumer' they have made a quite irrational stand against Carbon
Offsets. This can only be taken as a political, 'deep green',
street-cred, issue about which no sane person can understand. It
does publish a variety of relevant articles covering such
matters as economic growth and the food supply chain. It has
regular features including a Letters page and Comment by Tony
Juniper.
|
Organic Life Magazine
|
|
This is very similar to Green Parent Magazine but is
targeted on an audience that is "in" to Organic food.
Published by GMC Publications (the Guild of Master Craftsmen
believe it or not) it comes out monthly - more often than GP
and you get 96 pages. It is only a little more expensive as
well. What
is nice is that it publishes a range of well written
articles on a variety of topics. These have proven to be
informative and we have used them in our writings for this
web site. They also publish recipes!
It remains a
lifestyle magazine but this really is our only criticism. We
are sure George Monbiot would spit blood at this kind of
Green Consumerism but who cares? If your heart is in the
right place then go for it. But please remember to actually
do something other than just read the magazine!
-
Available in the UK through
Branches of Waitrose (UK Retailer)
-
For a subscription log on to
www.thegmcgroup.com
-
Subscriptions cost £35.88 GBP pa
in the UK or £44.85 GBP pa overseas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
