Fast Company - February 2007 Issue

I've posted articles before from Fast Company, but I wanted to make a special mention of this magazine. I used to be a subscriber back when it began in 1999 or 2000 (or sometime around then). I let my subscription lapse and, honestly, don't recall what I thought about it then. It now serves as a valuable read for me every month - the articles tend to be short to appeal to our society's decreasing attention span, but full of information.

What also draws me to Fast Company is that, while it's a 'mainstream' business magazine, it is ahead of its time in terms of including issues of corporate social responsibility that other business magazines often do not include.

This month's issue starts with Mark Vamos, the editor, in addition to his summary of what is in the issue, stating:

"One of this magazine's central themes is that business can be a profound force for good. That applies to us, too. I'm proud to announce that, beginning with this issue, we are printing Fast Company on 80% post-consumer recycled paper."

A good start to the issue, but it has content that I think is worth posting on this blog. Since it is the current month's issue, you'll have to check back in a few weeks. I will note what this issue contains (and, if I recall, will post some links to these articles when they are available):

• One man's hope to bring the fair-trade concepts used for guaranteeing fair wages for coffee, tea and chocolate growers, among others, to increase the pay diamond diggers in Sierra Leone. Martin Rapaport hopes the fair-trade diamonds will start shipping in the next few months.
• Socially responsible investing (SRI) - in this case, the focus is on the publicly-traded companies that manufacture solar materials or systems.
• The redesign of L.A.'s public transit system
• Adding jobs in Iraq to help the local population and decrease Iraq's reliance on foreign aid. It also notes the hope of microfinance eventually 'taking root' and spreading in Basra.
• How Aspen Skiing Co. is trying to deal with global warming. The article mainly deals with their director of environmental affairs, Auden Schendler, and how one degree of warmth can make or break their business any year. Basically, during the beginning of the snow season when they are making their own snow, if it's one degree too warm, they lose a great deal of business. The article deals with some of the steps they are taking to try to bring awareness to their clientele.
• The magazine ends with a reprint of Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's email to the team members of Whole Foods announcing that he was forgoing a salary (actually his salary is now $1).

I do not have any stake in Fast Company - I simply recommend it highly to those interested in a good business magazine.