AlternativesMagazine

New York Times - April 2019 Americans are devoted to their lawns , planting enough sod to cover the state of Florida, making turf grass the largest irrigated crop in the country. To keep the grass green, some of us pump our landscapes full of pesticides, chemicals that potentially harm our children, pets, and waterways. We use 7 billion gallons of water a day on our yards, wasting half of it to run off, over-watering and evaporation. A front lawn is a great place to grow a vegetable garden.  And those gas-powered mowers, edgers, and leaf blowers spew millions of tons of pollutants into the air, fine particulate matter that we inhale as we work to keep our lawns looking pretty. All that hard work does little to attract the bees, butterflies, and birds that prefer a different kind of habitat. “You might as well have AstroTurf when it comes to the value of lawns to birds and butterflies,” said David Mizejewski, a naturalist at the National Wildlife Fe...

George Carlin. He would have a field day with what's going on politically and the media frenzy surrounding it today. Separating factual news statements from opinions n today's world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between factual news statements and opinions. With the rise of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it is easy to fall into the trap of consuming news that is biased and inaccurate. If you rely solely on TV news for your information, you are likely to be misinformed.  It is important to take the time to do your own research and come up with your own conclusions. Do not blindly accept the opinions of others without verifying the facts for yourself. The media industry is driven by profits, and they will do whatever it takes to keep their audience engaged, even if it means feeding them false information.  To avoid being misled, it is essential to develop critical thinking skills and to seek out reliable sources of information. Look ...

Last year, Kroger pledged to phase out single-use plastic bags from all 2700 of its grocery stores, across 35 states, by 2025. That phase-out began in Seattle-based QFC stores this month , and will continue in Kroger, Ralph’s, Harris Teeter, Food 4 Less and Pick n’ Save (all owned by Kroger Co.) in months to come. Of the 100 billion plastic bags thrown away every year in the United States, 6 billion come from Kroger stores. “We listen very closely to our customers and our communities, and we agree with their growing concerns,” Mike Donnelly, Kroger’s executive vice president, and COO, said in a press release . Kroger customers will be able to buy reusable bags for $1 to $2 each. Paper bags will still be available for free for now, but the company says its goal is to eventually transition fully to reusable bags. A few quick facts from the Center for Biological Diversity : Americans use 12 million barrels of oil a year to make single-use plastic shopping bags. The average Americ...

A tub-thumper of a report from the League of American Bicyclists lays it on the line: more cycling – and walking – would radically improve health in America, as well as reduce traffic congestion. However, the 409-page Benchmarking Report shows with stats and graphics the increasing number of bicyclists and pedestrians being killed annually on America’s roads. The report claims a lack of leadership by federal and state leaders on road safety has failed to make improvements in bicyclist and pedestrian safety. “The way we’re investing in infrastructure isn’t working,” said League policy director Ken McLeod, lead author of the report. “There is a crisis in traffic safety and we have the tools to reduce the number of bicyclists and pedestrians killed on our roads every year.” McLeod added: “We need leaders at the national and state levels to take action: adopt Complete Streets policies, draft and implement bike and pedestrian master plans, and build protected infrastructure.” “While th...

Over the past 12 years of publishing Alternatives Magazine I've read and featured a lot of articles about carnages, disasters and WTF moments. BUT I've never seen anything like this. I recently subscribed to a newsletter called " Veganuary ." Yes, it's about being a vegetarian. I've been a meat eater most of my life but thought I would check out vegetarianism, given the horror stories I've been reading about our meat processing and factory farmed food.  However, I never expected to see what I saw on this video. If you watch it and last through the first 5 minutes without having some abnormal body trauma you would have lasted longer than I did.  It's a 2-hour documentary (I plan to watch it in small doses). It's not for the faint of heart. It's called Dominion   https://www.dominionmovement.com/watch

ReGen village, in the Netherlands, will collect and store its own water and energy, grow its own food, and process much of its own waste. Also: no cars. A half-hour commute from Amsterdam, a piece of farmland is slated to become a new kind of neighborhood. Vertical farms, along with traditional fields and orchards surrounding homes, will supply food to people living there.  Food waste will turn into fish feed for on-site aquaculture. Houses will filter rainwater, but won’t have driveways. A “village OS” tech platform will use AI to simultaneously manage systems for renewable energy, food production, water supply, and waste. READ entire article >>