A Tightrope Walk
Issue 14 of SABmag attracted more correspondence from readers than any previous edition of the magazine. The article ‘Green Building with Plastics – an Industry perspective’ attracted the most attention – some of it strongly critical of our decision to publish the piece, and dismissing it as greenwashing.
The strength of the reaction caused me to reconsider the role of SABMag in the context of our ongoing discourse on sustainability.
SABMag is something of a paradox – a forum for design and construction professionals that is financially supported in large part by industry advertising, and for that reason, something of a bridge between the two.
As an editor I feel bound to embrace a broad spectrum of opinion - both evolutionary and revolutionary - as I believe this best supports the reconciliation of divergent views that we will ultimately need to achieve to move forward together in a meaningful way.
In this case it does pose the question of whether a single issue of the magazine can stand alone on its own merits if it presents only one perspective on a controversial issue. Perhaps there is an argument for including such pieces in our Viewpoint section rather than as a Product Focus or Technical Note. That’s where we’ve put Tracey Loston’s rebuttal of the plastics industry position in this issue of SABMag.
We encourage readers to continue offering commentary and criticism on how we are doing. It is extremely valuable to get feedback of this kind, and helps to keep us balanced on the tightrope we are walking.
Jim Taggart, MRAIC
Editor