from Natural Life Magazine, September/October 2006
From the Editor’s
Desk
Buying Our Way to Salvation?
As one of our advertisers put it
recently, one person doing a few little things leads to a lot of people
doing a lot of little things, which can add up to huge changes in the
world. One of the little things most of us do on a regular basis is buy
things. So it makes sense that careful purchasing can make a difference,
and Natural Life’s advertisers are a great place to start.
They’re part of a growing movement that
goes by many names, including “LOHAS” (meaning Lifestyles of Health and
Sustainability), “cultural creatives” and “green consumerism” (is that
an oxymoron?). And they’re making it a lot easier being green than it
was back when Kermit the Frog and Natural Life were young. It’s
so easy, in fact, that organic and eco-friendly products are becoming
increasingly available at the neighborhood mall, supermarket and big box
store. You could pick up a container of Stonyfield farm organic yogurt
(now owned by Danone), some Ben & Jerry’s Organic ice cream (bought by
Unilever in 2000), a tube of Tom’s of Maine toothpaste (new owner:
Colgate-Palmolive), a few jars of Tender Harvest organic baby food
(bought out by Novartis subsidiary Gerber), some Body Shop cosmetics
(L’Oreal is its new owner). You get the picture.
On one hand, I’m thrilled that healthy, sustainable
products have become trendy and widely available. After all, it makes it
easier to do those few little things…. And I don’t begrudge the
retirement funds that flow to small business owners who successfully
cash in. On the other hand, it’s inevitable that this trend will lead to
the dilution of terms like “organic”, “natural” and “sustainable.” And,
unfortunately, neither local economies nor existing farmers and small
processors are likely to benefit from the mainstreaming of these
products.
Now, I’m not new to green business,
having launched a newsletter called “Green Business” over a decade ago
and a natural foods trade magazine ten years before that. And
Natural Life’s
30-year-old publishing company focused on being sustainable long before
the term became hip, when Birkenstocks were comfortable shoes and
granola made a satisfying breakfast. However, those two products have
now become icons of ridicule for those self-appointed gurus of
eco-consciousness who seem to think that most people will only do their
share of little things for big change if it’s convenient, fun and oozing
with chic. .
This apparently growing market of light green consumers
(if it actually exists outside the imaginations of marketers and a few
media types) should please note that buying green is a start, but it’s
not the whole answer. While we’re shopping, time is ticking away,
icebergs are melting and habitats are disappearing. Meanwhile, the
loyalty to this magazine is encouraging – we are still mailing to a
handful of “lifetime subscribers” who first signed on back in the late
70s and some of advertisers who have been with us for more than a
decade. The dedication that you demonstrate to thoughtfully pursuing an
authentically natural lifestyle continues to inspire me to put the
articles together that contribute to the combination of “little things”
– hip or not – that just might make a big difference.
Wendy Priesnitz, Editor
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