Blog Review: The Sietch

A “Sietch,” in Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi series, Dune, is “a place of sanctuary in times of danger.” It serves as a temporary home, carved out of rock, to protect the people from the harsh desert climate. In addition to providing protection from the environment and enemies, the sietch was also the centerpiece of the community; a place to educate children, prepare and serve meals, stockpile reserves, and prepare for battle. In that light, The Sietch applies this idea to the web, to create a community concerned about and engaged in environmentally and socially responsible action, to “make a world that no one would need sanctuary from,” according to its founder and principal blogger, The Naib.

The Sietch Blog is generally updated at least once per day. The posts are a collection of stories, generally found elsewhere on the web, that relate to responsible interaction with our environment, global warming and climate change, bicycling, responsible eating and nutritional information, and, on the rare occasions where it is warranted, commendation of a company or corporation for responsible or beneficial behavior.

For instance, The Naib’s January 18 post, “Google.org’s Five Year Plan” lauds the internet giant’s philanthropic offshoot for its work in Southeast Asia and tropical Africa. Google.org recently announced its formal platform of core ideals and goals, which include: working to predict, prevent, and more quickly respond to natural disasters and epidemics before they become crises; education and empowerment to improve public services; growth of small enterprise; development and commercialization of plug-in vehicles; and the development of renewable energy that is cheaper than oil or coal.

Most often, posts on the Sietch are of a more local and personal nature, that reflect a keen awareness of the consequences of American lifestyle. The Naib lives in Boston, and many of the posts relate to local events or concerns, such as his account of planned increases in Boston’s bike infrastructure in the mayor of Boston’s State of the City Speech, “From Bean Town To Green Town”; or his ongoing commentary on the debate over the installation of wind turbines in Cape Cod. In “Cape Wind Getting Close to Approval,” The Naib overviews the environmental statement on the wind turbine project by the Mineral Management Service, which shows the overwhelming benefits of the Cape Wind project. Since the project is still in the permitting process, however, the Naib concludes that momentum looks good for the project, but “we can only hope that Ted ‘but that’s where I sail my yacht’ Kennedy doesn’t decide that some other random US regulatory agency should spend another seven years looking at this project.”

The other personality with a blog presence at The Sietch, Keith Farnish, is also the author of The Earth Blog (www.theearthblog.org), which is “intended as a source of inspiration for people who want to be challenged, and offering uncompromising solutions to difficult problems.” Indeed, his last two posts at The Sietch address the myriad issues involved with food production in “Where Our Food Comes From”), inspired by the artwork of Carl Warner; and the pitfalls of “Battery Farming: a Pointless Indulgence.”

The Sietch Blog’s audience is anyone who cares about the state of their community, broadly defined. Whether your actions and concerns are local, regional, or global, The Sietch encourages you to dream of a better world, then act to make it a reality.