• by John Capone , December 31, 2007

Magazine editors must often feel guilty about their role in global climate change. At least, unless they're Graydon Carter, they aren't inviting Al Gore over for dinner any time soon. Co-op America's PAPER Project and Next Steps Marketing are launching the alliterative (if a tad wordy) "Green Paper for People and Planet promotion," coordinating prominent display fixtures in Barnes & Noble and Hastings Books locations across the country. The displays will feature magazines printed on at least 30 percent post-consumer content. The racks will pop up at 240 B&Ns this January, and roll out more widely through Earth Day in April. Shape, FastCompany, Mother Jones, ReadyMade, Nickelodeon Magazine and Body + Soul are already slotted for display with special signage. The effects of just the six titles featured so far are substantial: They produce 21,698,233 less pounds of carbon dioxide than their non-green counterparts. Máire Walsh, director of client services at Next Steps Marketing says, in addition to showing that the industry recycles, "For the participating magazines, it can mean building awareness for their titles, increasing sales and market penetration." After all, karma points don't buy any swimming pools, or West Village bistros.