Simply Green - choices for life

"A green lifestyle magazine, providing positive and practical steps to cleaner living for people who want to make a difference but don't want to compromise on lifestyle"

Simply Green is the fourth newcomer to the South African green publications market - a full-colour, glossy green magazine. The first edition was released in October/November 2008. Simply Green focusses on highlighting practical applications, rather than on issues alone. The aim is to "enjoy life, but do some good".

Website: http://www.simplygreen.co.za/

Editor: Sean Doel - read our interview with Sean

Typical sections:

Regulars

• greenNews: short snippets of green news from around the globe e.g. "Water Offset Calculator" and "Health Fears Raised Again Over Use of Plastic Bottles"

• greenHome: in the first edition Sean Doel takes an in-depth look at the pros and cons of CFLs in "See the Light" - this section also contains eco-friendly product reviews

• greenBalance: the first edition contains an interesting side-by-side comparison of plastic bottles vs. aluminium cans ("Plastic Bottles - Aluminium Cans")

• greenKitchen: recipes for dishes made from in-season organic veggies straight from the garden

• greenDrink: the first edition not only describes the different criteria for more eco-friendly South African wine, but also introduces alcohol-free grape drinks in "It's not all in the nose"

• greenStyle: eco-friendly fashion choices such as recycled bags and jewellery made from e-waste

• greenTech: introduces the latest green gadgets such as wind-up shavers and solar chargers accompanied by website addresses

• greenGarden: detailed advice for organic gardening

• greenOpinion: the first edition contains a passionate plea by David Wolstenholme to supply organic growing programmes to African farmers in "Can organic save Africa?"

• greenCar: introduces the reader to eco-friendlier motoring

• greenEvents: a list of upcoming events with descriptions and website addresses

• greenShelf: reviews of books with an environmental focus

• Directory: small ads for green products such as lotions, cleaning materials and food items

Features

The features are mostly focused on practical issues such as "Home Power Shift" (clarifies the costs and benefits of changing over to alternative energy sources) or "Carbon Free" (what to consider when offsetting your carbon emissions). Tom McLaughlin introduces tthe fascinating world of packaging in "Packaging Power" (why we need it, what to avoid, how to recognise different types and how to recycle it). A smaller number of articles are focused on environmental issues e.g "Amphibian Ark" (an interesting look at the importance of frogs in our environment).

Look and feel:

• The A4 format makes the magazine an easy size to handle in any setting

• Colourful and provocative first edition frontpage

• Glossy and colourful content with many coloured boxes and illustrations

• Articles are mostly medium to long, giving detail and insight - you will need time to read this magazine so set a few days aside to enjoy it at your leisure

• One uniform font used throughout

• Average amount of advertising throughout as well as in the "Directory"

Simply green is "printed on triple green paper", and also comes in a free online ezine edition which alternates with the print edition. Simply Green has an expert advisory board and asserts that "no part of our editorial content can be bought".

In short:

Frequency: Bi-monthly

Format: A4

Typical # per print run: ±10 000

Typical # pgs: ±98

Price per printed annual subscription copy: R25

Price per printed retail copy: R29.95

Outlets: Woolworths, Pick'n Pay, Shoprite/Checkers, Spar, Clicks, CNA, Exclusive Books, book stores, pharmacies and health stores

Simply Green is a magazine with a practical and informative focus. If you're looking for hands-on green ideas and expert information presented in an glossy format, then this is the publication for you!