Elle: A Lovely Shade Of Green
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 05.12.06
Understandably, TreeHugger gave lots of props to Vanity Fair (despite their paper snafu) - because, like - how cool was it to see a glossy photo of our very own Graham Hill? But as a fashion magazine fan and an environmental writer, I have to hand it to Elle for a very nicely done May "green" issue. Despite Ms. Myers' concern that "[an entirely eco-friendly issue] would actually bore our readers to death," editors (including guest Laurie David) did a beautiful job of weaving environmental themes into nearly every department. Sometimes it was subtle (recounting how cover girl Evangeline Lilly brought recycling to the set of Lost), and sometimes it was direct (The Green Guide's Mindy Pennebacker gives her friend a lesson in eco-house keeping). But my favorite article fell somewhere in the middle...
In "Love Hurts" writer Christine Lennon describes how she - a self-described fashionista - fell for her husband, an "eco-guy." It isn't so much their love story or the tale of her transformation from an NYCity girl to that of a west-coast living (semi)outdoorsy type that drew me in; it was the way that she described ecological issues in the parlance of 'life as usual' for her partner. No slinging of stereotypes or glib references to idealistic foolishness, just a well-informed description of the choices that "eco-guy" makes and why he makes them (like avoiding endangered Patagonian Toothfish, a.k.a. "Chilean Sea Bass"; or using nontoxic cleaning products). But even with all this eco-talk, the thrust of her story is about relationships and the way they help us grow; eco-sensitivity is the backdrop, not the plot.
This, I believe, is the key to getting the message across to the pubic at large. Currently, there is an artificial (though often necessary) dictum that any communication mentioning environmental isses must by definition be about environmental issues. Rarely will you read an article like "Love Hurts" where issues like endangered species or climate change are key details, yet do not determine the entire scope of the story.
Once the media regularly incorporate eco-living into "everyday" stories and images consumed by the broad public, we'll know that we've tipped the point toward sustainability.
TreeHugger takes the inverse approach. By incorporating "real life" into environmental topics and by making sustainability more palatable to the not-so-eco-inclined; we are accelerating the integration of environmental awareness into the mainstream (at least we are giving it our damned best!) Piece by piece, TreeHugger writers and readers are bringing down the wall between environmental awareness and "everything else."
Anyway - back to Elle! It has lots of fun articles, a great "nature girl" photo shoot, and unlike VF, the publisher managed to negotiate the apparently mind-boggling world of printing on recycled paper.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Book Review: Ten Technologies to Save the Planet
- Renew Magazine: Solar Lawn Mowers and Community Wind Farms
- Eco Friendly Flooring Guide is a Great Resource
- GreenBuild: Big Ass Fans
GREAT isse, bravo to Elle. No other fashion mag this year comes close to what they have done in making eco-living seem sexy, modern, normal/nonscary, and accessible.
I was also pleased to see ELLE go green, even if only for one month. However, I did take some issue with who and what qualified as "eco", it seemed "sweatshop free" and "fair trade" may have been better labels for some designers. I was excited when I saw FancyPonyLand's designs, but deflated to learn they were made with conventional fabric. I didn't understand why the label was referred to as "eco".
You raise some good points regarding the "Love Hurts" article. I agree that "infiltrating" mainstream media is very important to the environmental movement. The choir has been converted. We also need better designed products that get the attention of the mainstream press. Not just hemp for hemp's sake. I have also found "green" fashion on the pages of Lucky and NYLON. I'd almost rather like to see a commitment to integrating this information on an ongoing basis versus a one shot deal, but at this point I'll take what I can get!