Site of the Week
EcoWorld http://www.ecoworld.com/default.htm
When it comes to the subject of ‘The Natural World’, this gargantuan website aims to cover everything, and the kitchen sink. Describing itself as a source of “information and answers about Earth’s energy and food supply, species, ecosystems and projects to preserve them” and as a guide to “Earth-friendly products and services, tours and green investing,” EcoWorld could hardly be called unambitious, and browsing though the hundreds of articles, features, factfiles and galleries, you should have no trouble finding something to catch your attention. You can peruse the main sections of the site, which include ‘Air’, ‘Water’, ‘Plants’ and ‘Animals’, read overviews of the subjects, and then move on to articles relating to those areas. The water section, for example, looks into rivers and lakes, then pollution and water conservation issues, before leading you to features on hydropower and fish conservation.
A network of expert and ameteur contributors have written on subjects ranging from the plights of endangered species and depleting natural resources to alternative energy and genetic modification, and many of the articles are well-written and even balanced between sceptic and pro-environmental views. Some of the material is, however, slightly below the standard of the rest, with rather vague articles on human behaviour and population growth, revealing areas where content isn’t necessarily king.
Richard Northover
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