September 2006 marks the innaugural issue of Good Magazine, an upstart publishing venture that is seeking to do something new and exciting with a medium that would appear to be in steady decline as readers flock to the internet for more and more of their content cravings.

Launched by the son of Inc magazine's founder, Good is an entrepreneureal venture with a conscience, which is manifested not just in the rag's editorial vision but it's business plan as well. Ben Goldhirsch is funding the startup venture with $2.5 million he inherited from his father and is donating 100% of subscription revenues to one of twelve partner charities of the subscribers choosing. Options include Teach For America and Creative Commons. According to their website, Good's philanthropic experiment may in fact save the magazine money by incentivizing subscriptions and utilizing effecient and effective avenues to raise awareness, as opposed to the costly and wasteful direct mail campaigns favored by traditional magazines.

The blend of creative capitalism and conscientious action is evident in the editorial direction of the magazine, which is geared towards people who believe in "a passion for potential mixed with fierce pragmatism and creative engagement... the sensibility of giving a damn." With contributions from a young staff as well as freelancers including James Surowiecki of the New Yorker and acclaimed radio personality Nick Harcourt of influential LA station KCRW, Good is setting out to cover interesting, thought provoking topics ranging from the nature of America to conscientious consumption, the decline of the record industry and nifty gizmos like $200 sextoys made of waterproof, goldplated metal. In other words, Good is striving to articulate an actual lifestyle, as opposed to the fashionably detached version favored by most other magazine geared towards the media-savvy, inscrutably connected, well-educated set, exploring issues and ideas that actually animate their audience's lives.

With a limited pool of advertisers on board, Good is far from firmly established, but with the entrepreneureal spirit and publishing know-how bred into Goldhirsch thanks to his wildly successful father- not to mention a chunk of the elder Goldhirsch's $200 million estate to help sustain things, the magazine stands a real chance of changing the publishing game for the better while making a meaningful impact on the world not just through it's editorial message of doing good, but via it's charitable subscription scheme as well.

EMERGE wishes Good, erm, good luck.

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