Parent Spotlight: Andrew Revkin Saves Environment One Article at a Time

By Simon

Andrew Revkin is the lead environmental reporter for the New York Times. He writes and photographs. "My job is to keep track of changes in the world, mainly in the environment, that can benefit or harm humans, including our own actions," he explains. He deals with subjects such as people fishing too much or earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. His main interest and work now is with global warming. He says, "I also write about the politics of the environment, which can get very heated sometimes!" Revkin has two sons. His youngest, Jack, is in fourth grade at Garrison.

Revkin has been interested in writing since he was a kid. He enjoyed writing fictional stories about superheroes. He also loved to be outside and interacting with nature (following animal tracks, snorkeling and other nature-related activities.) He read stories about people surviving in the wild. When he was in high school he worked on a "goofy" newspaper that was mostly fiction. When he was about 25, he started to write real stories.

Revkin said he started writing about global warming because he is keen on working with issues that have big consequences for life as we know it. He believes "we're turning up a thermostat that is very, very hard to turn back."

Revkin not only talks the talk, he also walks the walk. He plants trees and turns off lights "religiously" when not in use. He drives "as little as possible," commutes via mass transit and uses video hookups instead of traveling. Revkin also votes for "candidates who care about the environment."

Revkin has been to the Arctic three times. After visiting the Arctic he wrote a children’s book about the Polar ice caps and melting glaciers called "The North Pole Was Here." It’s about man’s effect on the atmosphere and the rapid melting of the glaciers.

I asked Revkin if he enjoyed his job. He answered that it was "great much of the time, exhausting much of the time and really draining and awful once in a while." He pointed out that the 9/11 attacks, the crash of TWA Flight 800 in '96 and the tsunami of 2004 were especially difficult periods.

Revkin has won many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science Journalism Award and an Investigative Reporters & Editors Award. He has also appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR and CNN.