Can you bring attention to the eco-movement without using the color green? An article on Slate.com recently covered the lack of use of the color green on magazine covers and the industry myths behind it. In the past six months, a number of major publications (Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Wired, Bitch) have spend entire issues covering the eco-revolution, often featuring many varying shades of green on their covers, with our without celebrities. Shaking up the publishing world, the January issue of Harper’s Bazaar (shown below) won the American Society of Magazine Editors 2006 award for Best Celebrity Cover.

While sparking controversy with the status-go is all well and good, should we eco-philes be searching for a different color to get attention? A number of planet-focused lifestyle magazines have been started online in the past year, but time-tested green publications are sold on newsstands, such as Plenty, E, VegNews, and more. Would they sell better by not featuring the color green on their covers or is the topic of more concern? Most eco-magazines are smaller and can’t afford the big bucks that major publications spend on cover analysis, which they do on a monthly basis to try and sell more. The basic ideals of living a planet-friendly life isn’t about selling a lot of anything, but as a business, magazines do need to sell copies to gain advertisers and stay in business.

As one continues to think, this cover color issue moves from being superficial to a serious issue for environmentalists trying to draw media attention to their causes and companies. Does this fear of trying to sell the color green make editors hold back on promoting eco-lifestyles? From an artistic standpoint, green is a very powerful, thoughtful, and intelligent color; subconsciously, does this turn off the American public? Are we watching so much TV that delving into serious and life-altering issues is seen as just a mental bother? So many questions and not enough answers. As more and more media attention is drawn to our environmental movement, we’ll need to be innovative and inspiring to grab the attention of the public, green-phobic or not. Not only are the green trees and meadows being harmed, but red flowers, blue skies, and clear waters are being affected with our daily choices. The cornucopia of shades and experiences that the world offers are all worth preserving; a few shades of one color isn’t enough to represent all that.