In daring move, Costco puts Gore on cover

If you haven't seen the most recent issue of The Costco Connection, check it out (the current issue isn't online yet). Al Gore is the cover and the lead story. It's a great iconic photo and the story discusses his ideas on energy and how we deal with energy issues in the future.

This seems like a bit of a risky move for Costco, which avoids controversy and if anything skews to the right in its book selections. I've got no idea what the circulation is though it has to be in the millions or the demographics of its customers, but I'd guess a pretty good cross section. We do know that the demographics of its shoppers skews toward people with ample disposable incomes. Democrats like Al Gore and believe that he got screwed out of winning the presidency in 2000. Righties hate Gore and don't believe there is any such thing as global warming, therefore people aren't responsible for damaging the evironment -- it just happens on its own.

It is one more example, however, of a company looking at its social responsibility as seen through the lens of its customers. And, it shows how far the discussion of global warming has progressed. Even some Republicans now grudgingly acknowledge that changes are happening though they're not as specific on the cause and don't want to address the problem in any meaningful way (sort of like the health care debate). So, this may not be as much a liberal/conservative issue as it is an acknowledgment broadly that most people, regardless of their politics, now concede that, yes, there is such a thing as global warming and it's a serious problem and one we all have a responsibility to address. Still, not everyone agrees as evidenced by this Costco shopper.

Thank you Costco for raising Mr. Gore's ideas to your customers. It's the responsible thing to do.