March magazine roundup - Easy Food, Big Issue, Ethical Living, Real Brides

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Ethical Living, which launched late last year, has a March 2012 issue that investigates all aspects of fracking, oral hygiene - from toothbrushes to the amount of plastic we use and throw out - and the unpleasant aspects of disposable nappies. The magazine, dedicated to the promotion of universal human rights, environmental sustainability and animal welfare, offers consumer advice, ethical business consultancy, consultancy for campaign groups and ethical organisations and research into ethical issues.

Beyond green

"Ethical living is more than just 'green'. While it takes into account the environment, it also encompasses human rights, animal rights, political association and sustainability. For example, it is not ethical to buy an organic, green product from a company that also sells products that are tested on animals, or who use slave or child labour," explains Peter Townshend founder and editor.

December 2011 issue: The coffee industry

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"While we lag behind Europe in ethical consumerism, there is no doubt that increasing numbers of South Africans are looking for products and services that will support their values. However, the kind of research required to establish just how ethical one product or company is, relative to its competitors, is not easily available and this makes it difficult for ethical consumers to determine if they are making the best choices when spending their money."

The company also offers a consulting service to companies, compiling ethical reports that detail how ethical companies are in their business dealings, as well as providing ethical ratings for individual products. These reports and ratings, communicated to the public through the magazine, allow consumers to make ethical choices and allow ethical companies to promote this competitive advantage to the consumers who want to support ethical endeavours.

December 2011 issue: The coffee industry

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Money is a vote

"Ethical consumerism also means seeing money as more than just a means to buying status, goods or a better lifestyle: our money is a vote which we cast every time we go shopping. For example, favouring organic produce or eco-friendly appliances is a vote for environmental sustainability, while buying Fairtrade products is a vote for human rights.

"By withdrawing our custom from companies involved in unethical activities and supporting ethical companies instead, we can bring about significant social and environmental change. Another example is the response by companies to the public's reaction against genetically modified foods, which has clearly shown how powerful consumers can be when they vote with their spending behaviour," he concludes.

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Homophobic xenophobia - black mark for SA

The Big Issue breaks the story of how South Africa is no safe haven for gay refugees who have fled homophobic persecution in other parts of Africa.

"We have for some time noted with concern the rise of homophobia in Africa, particularly Zimbabwe and Uganda, and aimed to raise awareness of this," said Melany Bendix, editor. "This story, sadly, shows that, although South Africa has the most progressive constitution on the continent to protect the right to sexual orientation, we are not immune from the wave of homophobia sweeping Africa. What's worse is that gay refugees seeking asylum in South Africa are suffering the double blow of homophobia and xenophobia."

The cover star is stand-up comedian Riaad Moosa, who has just hit the big-screen with his new movie Material at cinemas nationwide. In an in-depth, witty interview, he tells how he avoids the trappings of fame that being a "G-list celeb" brings and, on a more serious note, about his struggle to stay true to his Islamic faith while pursuing a career in stand-up.

State of the nation

Flipping to the state of the nation, Kate Lefko-Everett, a researcher at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, trawled through hundreds of comments on the president's Facebook page on the day of the State of the Nation Address. In her analysis, Lefko-Everett found that what the people really want is a lot more than big ideas and empty promises.

Moving onto science, the magazine carries a report explaining why researchers from NASA will be descending on the Namib next month to look for signs of life on Mars.

The magazine highlights an agent of change in each edition and this time it is TrashBack. This new NGO has pioneered a recycling scheme, which turns rubbish into rewards in the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Hout Bay.

"We've also got news you won't find elsewhere, such as how millions of poor South Africans are living in fear that their State aid will be cut-off during a massive switchover to a new social grant payment system, beginning this month. There is also a report on unorthodox research being conducted to establish whether doling out cash to impoverished African girls will help curb the spread of HIV," concludes Bendix.

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Real Brides

After conducting an in depth survey and feasibility study, RamCom Publishing has launched Real Brides magazine, which MD, Robbyn Ramsay describes as "The only monthly national wedding/bridal magazine in the country. Its cover price, which is on average 33% lower than the majority of bridal/wedding magazines, makes it highly attractive.

"We know that there is a high level of 'peer' competition in planning a wedding. The high value of this magazine is that it will show brides-to-be what other weddings looked like and what other brides wore," concludes Ramsay.