Ecologist magazine has a story on a new magazine in the UK called Karen. The magazine is a measured reaction to the fantasy lifestyles, fantasy clothing, fantasy food, fantasy romances, and celebrity focus that is characteristic of much of the magazine tripe that is marketed towards women. It celebrates the ordinary - it's byline is "made out of the ordinary".

The magazine is financed by a higher than normal cost (6.50 pounds) and some money from the graphic design business she and her partner run. It contains no advertising and is meant to be a break from advertising.

What is the "green" connection here? By celebrating the ordinary perhaps we would be less impressed by the latest fashions, the latest gadgets, the other consumerist visions of a better life. Here is hoping that "Karen" is the vanguard to a new era of reality magazines; one that adjusts our aspiration levels in ways that make us happier without wanting the lifestyles of the rich and famous.