So I picked up a copy of the newly launched Simply Green magazine at the Natural & Organic Products Expo last month and have since had a chance to read through from start to finish.
It’s one of three new local ‘green’ magazines hitting the shelves this year (the others being the recently launched Red Magazine, and Shared Earth, coming in November)
At first glance I wasn’t too impressed with the design of Simply Green. Frankly, the cover looks more like it belongs to a computer magazine than anything remotely green or earth-friendly – and some (though not all) of the inside layouts are, in my opinion, a bit school-project-esque.
Plus, I think it’s a trifle cheeky to call it “SA’s No.1 Green Lifestyle Mag”, when the ink of its first ever print run is barely dry!
But, knowing that how something looks and what it proclaims to be isn’t really as important as what it contains, into the content I did delve.
The magazine is divided into various ‘green’ sections: greenNEWS, greenHOME, greenKITCHEN, greenFILES, greenSTYLE, greenTECH, and so on – each with accompanying news, views and information.
Plus, a number of ‘greenFEATURE’ articles cover more general issues such as ‘packaging power’, switching to energy-efficient lighting methods, ‘greening the nursery’ and more.
The articles are generally well-written, and an advisory panel of sustainability and eco-experts should keep the content current and relevant to the issues at hand.
I particularly enjoyed the article about organic gardening by Gary Hart (of Hart Nursery, in Ottery), which included a brief look at the history of vegetable gardening in South Africa, and gave plenty of great tips for turning your own garden into a food-producing haven.
In addition, several sections are dedicated to eco-friendly products – anything from solar-powered digital device chargers to natural fabric bio-baba nappies to jewellery made from e-waste. Also included, a number of home-greening solutions for the uninitiated, such as Woolworths’ new earth-friendly cleaning range, and Essential Green tissue paper products from Esspack.
What seems strange to me, though, is the inclusion of two cleaning products from the United States. Why not feature a local alternative rather than one that has had to be flown in from across the Atlantic? There are certainly plenty to choose from right here at home (Earthsap, Enchantrix, Bloublommetjieskloof pop immediately to mind)…
In general, I would say that Simply Green is an informative, well-researched magazine, which I will be quite likely to buy in future.
It has a tendency to be a bit dry… and does, I think, lack an element of lightheartedness. I’m not being flippant – obviously, there are many serious ‘green issues’ out there that need to be tackled, and about which we must all become informed, but I think we need to read about the good stuff too… community gardens sustaining the previously disadvantaged, and providing new sources of organic food, or how about the increasing popularity of fresh produce markets, perhaps…?
But, of course, those are things that are of particular interest to me, and might not be to everyone else! Plus, it’s only the first edition, and there’s only so much one can pack into one magazine, so I look forward to seeing what crops up (yes, yes, pun intended) in the editions to come!
Simply Green is available at Exclusive Books for R29.95. Keen green beans can take advantage of an ‘early-bird’ subscription special online: R135 for a year’s subscription (6 issues), which works out to R22.50 per issue.
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Helen on 
I see what you mean about the front cover. It does indeedc look like a computing magasine, or Popular Mechanics. Doesn’t really give off a healthy, green, organic vibe.
But I shall pick me up a copy nonetheless and browse the content as you did
Active Girls last blog post..Bonnievale – Spring League #6
I would like to thank the reviewer for the kind words and for carefully reading our first offering. We note the comments and criticisms and will endeavour to improve with each edition into the future. I would, though, like to take the opportunity to respond to some points raised.
Both the cover look and the inside design are meant to be, in part, a bit ‘tech-ish’. This goes along with the claim to be “SA’s No1 Green Lifestyle Mag”. The reason this claim can be made – and is true – is that this really is the first truly lifestyle magazine dealing with green issues on SA’s shelves, rather than a green magazine which might touch on lifestyle, or a lifestyle magazine which has an occasional ‘green edition’ or ‘green’ article.
Simply Green was launched after intensive study of both the local and international markets. It was evident that there was no magazine in this country (and few elsewhere) designed primarily for general consumers and focussed on lifestyle while speaking about green issues. We are not trying to convert the already converted and therefore some ‘deep greenies’ might find that we are not quite what they expected. Instead, we are aiming at the mainstream consumer market, meeting people exactly where they are (in their lives and lifestyles) and then offering them options for their ‘next best green step’.
This does not exclude the ‘deep greenies’, swho should also find plenty of interest to them, but actively includes everyone else. We are not preaching, nor attempting to guilt people into becoming green. We aren’t even arguing the point of, for example, global warming (is it real, how bad is it, how quickly will it affect us etc), or any of the other envionmental challenges facing us. We are taking those as givens. What we are doing is offering options and choices for modern living, without the need to compromise on lifestyle, but which are also doing some good for the earth and, probably, saving money at the same time. Therefore, there are many hints and tips boxes, information and factoid components with each article/feature.
As to the ‘bloke-ish’ look and feel (tech stuff, gadgets, cars), there’s also home, fashion and kiddy stuff. In other words, green isn’t a gender thing, or an age thing or an any particular demographic group thing – it is everybody’s thing.
The comment that this is, after all, only the first editon, is quite right – we could have printed another 100 pages and still not come close to covering all the topics in the line up that we going to deal with in just the first few issues. In time, we hope, we shall cover all the ground, and then come back round again because, as you may have noticed, things are really speeding up on the greening front and information on any particular subject is obsolete almost a soon as it’s in print.
For those interested, we are also available in a growing number of retail outlets countrywide (if you can’t find Simply Green at your local retailer, ask and the manager to put up a request for listing the title at his/her branch). The general response so far has been excellent and we may well have already be sold out in your area, in which case give our offices a call (021) 7130018, and we’ll see if we have any copies left.
If anyone’s wondering what that’s about, it’s because we really do believe in organic everything, including our own growth, so we decided we’d rather sell out a limited number of copies than print thousands more than could be sold and kill more trees unnecessarily. I trust these points answer most of the questions raised.
Publisher
Simply Green Magazine
Hi guys, and thanks for commenting!
My first impression of Simply Green was that it looked more like a tech mag than something dealing with green issues – which is what I aimed to convey. Once I’d delved into the content itself, of course, I was happy to discover that this wasn’t the case – and that there were plenty of green topics into which to sink my eager teeth.
I do understand and acknowledge your point about it being a lifestyle mag, dealing with green issues and that perhaps it could be considered the first one with that particular (ongoing) focus – but for me “No 1″ does not imply “first”, but rather “best”.
And whilst it may well turn out that Simply Green does become the “best” or “No. 1″ of its kind, I believe claiming as much from the very first edition could be seen as being a bit presumptuous! If “first” was what you meant, then perhaps using the word “first” instead of “No.1″ would be less ambiguous.
I look forward to seeing what your next editions bring because I have indeed noticed a speeding up on the green front – and I’m very happy to see green news and issues going mainstream at last through magazines like Simply Green!
Hi there!
This one also meant for the publisher; I picked up your new magazine in Pick&Pay supermarket here in Hartbeespoort, but was not convinced on buying it for the following reason: Supermarkets and retailers want to get on this Green Band Wagon with all their might and is clearly illustrated with your lengthy article on Pick&Pay about the effort they put into greening their business. I do think any effort made by anyone to become more green, is fantastic, but we the consumers are still in the tight grip of the monopoly of these suppliers of our day to day needs. My experience so far with Spar and P&P when I as a customer approached them with issues like unnecessary packaging (why should something vacuum packed be packed in polystyrene and wrapped with cling again?), the answer was either ‘Because it packs so nicely or it is our company’s policy, sorry. Pick&Pay also has a Green Earth range of cleaning products, which I find fantastic and promotes everywhere and every time I give my Energy Awareness Talks, until recently when they withdrew these products from the shelves (which by the way happened a few times before with comments from store management that they have difficulty getting hold of these products (??, their own brand??)), I contacted P&P head office why these products are withdrawn and the answer: they are busy with new logo branding and will put it on the shelves again next year. My goodness, why are all the other P&P brands still available, with new and old logo?
Now you can see that as money is also green, these big super stores are drawing a curtain in front of the consumer’s eyes with their green talk and green company policies, but when it comes to the real issues like packaging (which is very serious problem) and good product availability, they have the say, we consumers must take it or leave it. A lot off my shoulders, not your mag’s fault, but I think you need to become aware of consumerism, which touches each and everyone of us. Further more, congrats, fabulous magazine, good informative and as I said to the people of Urban Sprout: you Cape Townians are faaaar ahead with green issues than us up here north!
Have to agree that the mag’s look and feel leave much to be desired. Our local CNA has displayed it in the computer section.
Hi Thea and Rob, and thanks for your comments.
Thea: the Green Band Wagon is a tricky one, isn’t it… I also eyed that article about Pick’n'Pay green-ness with some skepticism, but am hoping that it will be followed with other articles, about the other big retail chains, also with a breakdown of what they’re doing to cut down on packaging, and other green issues. But, I also hope that if there are such articles, they are fair and not one-sided in favour of the companies – ie they don’t just list the wonderful things that are being done, whilst ignoring what is being left out (without indulging in any green-bashing, that doesn’t really accomplish much anyway).
Which is not to say that I felt that this particular article was singing the praises of PnP, necessarily -I think it’s great what they and other retailers are doing to green their operations – it’s just that it has the potential to appear like an endorsement, rather than an unbiased look at what’s going on.
Rob: Funny! Well, hopefully people will see past the exterior and not judge this particular magazine by its cover… I look forward to seeing what the next edition brings.
Thank you for the review (and for a lekker website), Pia — here’s what Noseweek had to say, and (I’m sorry!!) but it really made me laugh, because I agree with everything:
http://www.noseweek.co.za/article.php?current_article=1940
Hi Jillian. Haha! Noseweek is much braver and bolder than I… In their defence, though, Simply Green’s second edition is, thankfully, quite a lot better than the first one (and the cover far more applicable, in my opinion). I guess one doesn’t always get it right first time (even when one’s an old hand in the magazine business), and it seems like the inaugural edition was put together in rather a hurry – which showed. Anyway, I won’t be writing them off just yet – I do think they have potential, if they can stay away from “wall-to-wall advertorials” and bring in some balanced, unbiased reviews. Watch this space
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