We have an RSS feed reading list that takes all day to catch up on, but we’re always willing to add another when the content keeps bringing us back for more. The New York Times has been launching blogs left and right lately, and our new favorite is Dot Earth, written by reporter Andrew C. Revkin, with support from a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. The name ‘Dot Earth’ is taken from a 1996 speech from Carl Sagan titled ‘Pale Blue Dot,’ alluding to Earth’s minuteness in space, compared to the other massive planets, infinite stars, and of course, the mother of all stars powering us each day. It’s dizzying to think that in the grand scheme of things, we’re all squeezed on this little planet, given what we’re given, and forced to make due. Herein lies the core of Dot Earth…
‘[Dot Earth] examines efforts to balance human affairs with the planet’s limits…Mr. Revkin tracks relevant news from suburbia to Siberia, and conducts an interactive exploration of trends and ideas with readers and experts.’
Sounds daunting, no? Thankfully, reading Dot Earth is anything but overwhelming, a big complaint we hear about blogs that attempt to cover the gamut of environmental topics. Revkin has been a reporter focusing on the human impact on the environment for more than 20 years. We’d say that makes him a pretty reliable authority to lead Dot Earth, and indeed, there’s a great span featured in a balanced, captivating manner. Since Dot Earth’s first post on October 24th, climate change and its impact has taken prevalence, but Revkin has also touched upon the population boom, animal conservation, our precarious travel footprint, and this gem of an article highlighting the art of dumpster diving through the eyes (and robes) of Zen Buddhist monks of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Dot Earth is rounded out by an in-depth blogroll that goes way beyond Treehugger. You’ll find sites relating to environmental policymaking, engineering, development and design, environmental media outlets, and more. There are also links to the multitude of articles written throughout the New York Times, further enhancing Dot Earth’s relevance as a blog completely interconnected with, well, Dot Earth.
PS - You can hear Carl Sagan read ‘Pale Blue Dot’ here.