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A new website called the Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE, www.eoearth.org), launched in 2006, now serves as a source of comprehensive and reliable information about the planet and environment. The site contains a collection of articles written for a lay audience by scholars, professionals, educators, and experts, many of whom collaborate and review each other’s work. Other sources of information published on the website include federal government publications, as well as documents from nonprofit and educational organizations.
Topics covered within the website include climate change, biological diversity, environmental engineering, environmental journalism, and many other subjects that cross a wide range of disciplines. The majority of the articles featured on the website emphasize the interactions between Earth and society. The purpose of EoE is to give the public a resource for finding reliable and pertinent information on scientific and environmental subject matter, which is sometimes difficult to find on the Internet through common search engines.
Policies and guidelines for the EoE are developed and governed by the Stewardship Committee of the Environmental Information Coalition (EIC, a partnership of diverse environmental scientists, educators, professionals, and the organizations for which they work) and by an International Advisory Board. Articles published on EoE may be revised via a specially adapted “wiki” (an online tool that allows for the adding or editing of web content), which is restricted to approved experts and authors. This process allows the EoE to become a constantly evolving and updated reference.
Interested professionals are invited to join the EoE’s community of experts as authors or topic editors. Persons with skills in copy-editing, design work, or image gathering are also encouraged to volunteer their assistance to EoE. For more information about Encyclopedia of Earth and its uses, or to request to join the EoE as an expert or volunteer, visit the website at www.eoearth.org or contact EoE at eoe@earthportal.net.
-Courtney Cavaliere
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