The end/start of an era

The Ecologist Magazine announced last week that it is to end printing in June. It will instead go forward as an online journal.




I am personally sad for a number of reasons. One is that it reduces the amount of good stuff we can get into bad places like the major high street outlets where amazingly the Ecologist is stocked. Another is, well... just habit and affection for the format. Another is that personally I had forgotten to renew my subscription last year and had got more used to checking it online for free when I wanted to read something like Jules' latest piece on the end of consumerism and so the decision is all my fault. Seriously though it partly is as I had been in there various times over the last five years with all sorts of crackpot ideas to help boost their circulation/influence for several previous generations to the current team (Harry, Jeremy, Tyler...)

Of course we shouldn't feel too sad because now it is an online thing and that's the way the world is going anyway. It is less resource intensive (paper is made from trees, inks, energy, water, oil...) And there is every chance that we can see it become another seven figure audience giant in liberal thought, alongside the Huffington Post, Comment is Free, Treehugger. Although i hope it still keeps the slightly more cookie approach to publishing ideas from the "inspired" sections of society ;)

I am wondering if we could create an extraordinary campaign to support them in their next phase. Just because we like them. And because this is a piece of global heritage - for instance it was their 'Blueprint' edition that started the green party, for one. Lacking the spare imagination headspace/time, just this minute I am at a slight loss as to what this extraordinary demonstration would take. Maybe someone would have an idea.

One thought I had back in the day was to launch a sister organisation called Ecologista, dedicated to critiquing consumer greenwash, government folly & so on with an action a month. Things a bit like the "On May 15 Let's Panic Buy Carrots" facebook group, or ImprovEverwhere - only with a bit of a point to it all. This would have no financial, legal or other link to the Ecologist. It would just be a tribute/slightly wild sister org. Dunno if that would work. Or if they would welcome it either.

Anyway. Meanwhile maybe we could all just give the ecologist some link love & pass it on. :J