Environmental Countdown is a website that utilizes the newfound interest in online video to show how people in America are working to change the inevitable destruction of the natural world, which is why it’s teamed up with the NRDC and Ford to sponsor AmandaAcrossAmerica. The site follows Amanda Congdon – the former anchor of famed online news program Rocketboom and co-president of Oxmour Entertainment – as she travels across America and speaks to bloggers, politicians, activists, and those involved with helping the environment and their communities at large. The installments began with a Lonelygirl15 spoof on September 19, 2006, and ended with an homage to Matt on November 21, 2006.
The heavily-stylized videos appear daily from Amanda’s travels, showing users in-depth interviews, random clips, and moments of spontaneous commentary. Most are within five to ten minutes, but length tends to vary. She has a hosting style that’s refreshing. She’s a knowledgeable vlogger who can talk politics, technology, current events, environmental issues, and even art, all with a light-hearted tone and an insightful curiosity. Besides talking with the everyday Joe here and there, her status in the internet community has allowed for some fascinating conversations with online celebrities like Craig Newmark, Andy Carvin, and Atrios, providing something of an insider’s perspective to the some of the biggest names in the geographically scattered industry of bloggers and vloggers.
The video where Amanda travels to Philadelphia and spends some time with Duncan B. Black (he of the famous pseudonym Atrios) is like vlogger porn – which, I would like to make clear, is not the same thing as a porn vlogger.
