Image by Shannon Wheeler
Image source: P&P

Our friends at Ecotrust in Portland, Ore. recently developed an online magazine titled People & Place (known simply as P&P). The overall theme behind P&P is "ideas that connect us," and the content addresses that on various levels – both by writing about interconnected systems and philosophies, but also by connecting readers via weblinks to other organizations whose work relates to the ideas discussed on the site, and by encouraging discussion between readers in comment threads (much like we do here on Worldchanging). As Ecotrust's Howard Silverman describes the site's mission:

Ecology as politics. Economics as ethics. In a rapidly changing world, narrow categories no longer suffice. On P&P, the relationships among people and between people and place serve as the twin foci around which everything else connects.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the site's retro-modern design, which leans heavily on show-stealing caricature illustrations by irreverent cartoonist Shannon Wheeler. But the valuable resource here is P&P's musing, thought provoking content. I also like the way that the main stories are supported with links to associated media, and other short features like "Our Compass," which points to organizations that can be resources on the current featured topic.

The site is organized much like a conventional magazine, with content aggregated into regular "volumes" and "issues" that remain constant for several weeks at a time and, I'm assuming, will be updated all at once. But you'll also find some tidbits that turnover more quickly via their more bloggish feature "On The Wire," which presents very short and concise info posts on items in the news.

Ecotrust has been putting important ideas into the public sphere since 1991, and we're happy to see this new platform for discussion toward a more connected, self-aware society.