<a href="http://www.sunshocked.com/stanifesto/archives/green-issue-showdown-creative-review-vs-common-ground/" title='Green Issue Showdown' on Stanifesto">Last month I surveyed several of the "green issues" from various magazines and determined Creative Review the winner. I also promised to do a follow-up, which brings us to this post.

One of the things I liked most about the Creative Review "green issue" was its admission that it couldn't solve everything in one go (note my British turns of phrase), but that it was committed to getting its house in order and that the changes it made for its green issue—like the biodegradable polybag and recycled paper stock—weren't just a gimmick but the first steps toward a sincere promise to address ecological concerns. To quote the article "CR and the environment" on page 36:

However, we know that this isn't enough. There are a lot more aspects that we should consider including...

You can imagine my disappointment to get the new issue and see that the cover is back (no biodegradable polybag) and the indicia specifying the paper as Galerie One Silk, which doesn't appear to be recycled, instead of the Cyclus Print (100% PCW) named in the last issue. It's also a double issue, with "over 100 extra pages".

Almost as disappointing is the "green issue" from one. a magazine produced by New York's One Club, a non-profit dedicated to "the recognition and promotion of excellence in advertising". They must have a different definition of "excellence" than I, as their awardees for their green issue include GE's clean coal greenwashing, Diesel's "global warming ready" clothing line, and BP's Helios campaign which features a LEED-certified gas station as it's centerpiece (or "branding beacon" as the Senior VP of Global Brand Marketing and Innovation calls it). Yes, a LEED-certified fucking gas station. Even BP's ad agency Ogilvy & Mather admit the idea was:

Let's take an existing gas station site and re-wrap it in an eco-friendly way.

Speaking of "beacons", the only light at the end of the tunnel was an article in the Creative Review by Tom Wnek about how the ad industry is (partially) to blame for everything from global warming to obesity called, "How Did We Get To Be The Bad Guys?" It offers a pretty good analysis of how "selling the sizzle, not the steak" has gotten us into some hot water. The next issue promises a part two on how to get out of this mess... Promises, promises.