AlternativesMagazine

Napa Valley Vine Trail | Photo courtesy Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition Posted 02/26/16 by Laura Cohen in Building Trails , Policy It was another great year for trails in California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP), the largest funding source for biking, walking and trails in the state. RTC recently learned that the California Transportation Commission has approved $133 million for 59 trail projects and separated bikeways in Cycle 2 of ATP. On Sept. 21, 2015, RTC reported on the funding decisions for the statewide and rural shares of ATP Cycle 2, in which $64 million was programmed for 29 trail projects. In late-January, California approved its final piece of ATP, with $69 million going to 30 trail and separated bikeway projects. This brings California 59 projects closer this year to its dream of creating regional active-transportation networks that promote healthy lifestyles and improve the mobility of residents and vis...

Brewing coffee has changed dramatically over the years. Coffee no longer represents a time to gather with family, take a break, and recharge. Instead it’s about getting caffeinated as quickly and efficiently as possible to do more and more work. This excessive, on-the-go, convenience model of coffee consumption is creating more and more waste -- and big problems for our environment. Nothing is more emblematic of this culture shift and waste problem than Keurig Green Mountain company’s plastic, single serve K-cups. Designed specifically for the Keurig brand coffee brewer, these white plastic pods with aluminum foil lids create a single cup of coffee with the press of a button. After the coffee is brewed, the pod is designed not to be reused, composted, or recycled - but to be thrown in the trash. Keurig Green Mountain company is widely recognized as the pioneer of these single serve pods - but there’s nothing pioneering about trashing the planet with excessive waste! K-Cups may be sm...

We hear a lot about the 1% controlling everything, and the 99% is too busy buying into it . The more I watch the news and hear the bullshit coming out of the Washington and the spin the media put on it, the more I think this is what we really deserve. After all we elected these buffoons. We knew going in they were all a bunch of self-serving, lying privileged hypocrites who only answer to the corporate interests who got them elected.  Collectively the last election cost $12 billion. You would think there might be at least one shining knight. But this is what we wanted and this is what we got. Or did we. We all sit around listening or texting our buddies about the last load of bullshit dumped on us by the media, then head off to the nearest coffee shop, bar or chat room looking for reinforcements just to sit around and bitch about it.  The only opinion most of us really have are those trumped up by bought in corporate media experts such as Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Rielly ...

By Colin Taylor With each passing week, the consequences of our nation’s long neglect of i nfrastructure become alarmingly clear. The refusal of Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder to inform the people of Flint that their drinking water was contaminated with dangerous amounts of lead has been occupying the public’s attention, but similar crises around the nation are being revealed with a frightening frequency. The rural town of Crystal City, Texas, received an unpleasant shock last week when they turned on their taps only to find black liquid spurting from the pipes. Apparently due to the flushing of a water tank that hadn’t been cleaned in decades, the water was found to smell awful and took on a greasy, oily texture. Complicating matters is the fact that all city officials but one were recently arrested by the FBI for perpetrating a massive bribery ring and illegal gambling. “The indictment alleges that these public officials and this businessman solicited and ...

On Tuesday February 9, President Obama released his fiscal year 2017 (FY17) budget request, which lays out the administration’s spending recommendations for the coming year. How does this relate to getting more people on bikes? The federal government funds several important programs that help communities build places to ride, and the President’s budget highlights the need to expand transportation options across the country. The budget proposes a significant increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER grant program from $500 million in the current fiscal year to $1.25 billion. This program provides grants to build multi-modal transportation projects and many communities have used TIGER grants to construct innovative facilities that incorporate bicycle infrastructure. Another piece of the President's budget proposal relates to the implementation of the FAST Act, the five-year transportation reauthorization bill. Specifically, he highlights the...