It goes without saying: I’m a tree hugger, an environmentalist and naturalist who strives to save the world at every opportunity.  Whether it’s using all renewable energy to power my home or recycling everything I can get my hands on or choosing local, organic, sustainable farms for groceries, I do my part as often as possible.

Likewise, I am profoundly enthralled with nature as a whole, from its ubiquitous wonders to the rarest jewels of life discovered in the least likely of places.  It rejuvenates me, empowers me, helps me to relax and gives me the escape I too often need.

So it was with great joy that I accepted Chris Clarke’s invitation to join a new community environmental blog called The Clade.

As Chris points out in his introduction, The Clade is about more than environmental journalism as it has existed to date.  This endeavor is about context, community and the full compass of nature.  To wit:

Environmentalism is, by definition, all about context, and The Clade exists to bring that context to reporting about the environment. You’ll find a lot more than straight environmental news reporting here. Our contributors will bring you profiles of wild places and the animals, plants, and other things that live there. They’ll offer thoughtful essays on environmental philosophy, no-holds-barred analyses of the latest environmental horror story du jour, informed constructive criticism of environmental groups and practices, art and photography and more.

The spirit of the site is simple: Make environmentalism accessible again; bring it back to the people who can make the most difference, and give them more than hand-slapping snark and holier-than-thou corporate hogwash meant to baffle and befuddle the masses.  Caring about our planet is more than just wagging a finger at Big Oil; it’s about knowing what will be lost, what simple things every person can do to help turn things around; it’s about appreciating nature and its struggles and triumphs; and most importantly, environmentalism is about perspective.

The Clade officially launched yesterday.  Plenty of content was already available by then, and more will be forthcoming as we the contributors move forward with this worthwhile endeavor.

I hope you’ll join us.