AlternativesMagazine

The City of Light became the City of Bike, and U.S. cities should take notice. CURBED By Patrick Sisson Jan 15, 2020 Paris’s great success in improving cycling will be one of the lasting legacies of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has relentlessly pushed bike infrastructure, often to the displeasure of drivers and local officials, as part of her pledge to reduce emissions and make the city a cycling capital. Hidalgo’s efforts have also set an example that U.S. cities should follow: Think big, and don’t be afraid to talk about climate change and transportation. Instead of relying on shared bike and bus lanes as it had in the past, Parisian officials decided to focus funding on protected cycling lanes, following a philosophy of fewer but better. The city has surpassed its goal of creating 10,000 new parking places for bikes by 2020, but lowered its target for building out bike lanes. According to Ken McLeod, the policy director of the League of American Bicyclists, the success in Pari...

How can this possibly be a victory for farmers? Fossil fuel  producers and real estate developers, like Trump, yes, but FARMERS? Farmland abutting prairie potholes, a type of ephemeral wetland, in North Dakota. Credit... Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures By Coral Davenport Published Jan. 22, 2020 Updated Jan. 23, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Trump administration (January 23, 2020) finalized a rule to strip away environmental protections for streams, wetlands, and other water bodies, handing a victory to farmers , fossil fuel producers and real estate developers who said Obama-era rules had shackled them with onerous and unnecessary burdens. From Day 1 of his administration, President Trump vowed to repeal President Barack Obama’s “Waters of the United States” regulation, which had frustrated rural landowners. His new rule, which will be implemented in the coming weeks, is the latest step in the Trump administration’s push to repeal or weaken nearly 100 environmental rules and laws , lo...

SPONSOR A RIDE! B IKE SAT URDAYS is more than a Saturday bicycle ride. It's about bringing awareness to the many benefits cycling provides. Organized rides with a theme is a great way to generate community economic development and a platform to help encourage people to start taking responsibility for their own health.  Biking has also become an international symbol for the "green movement" and a way to help the environment through non-polluting alternative transportation. There are many non-profit organizations and businesses doing great community service work around Montana that need help and exposure to let people know they're out there and what they do. An organized group bike ride, combined with social activities and a purpose, is a great way to spread their message and have some fun along the way. If your business or organization would like to sponsor a BIKE SATURDAYS , ride, give us a call at 406-871-6282 and we'll fill you in on the details.  The...

Written by  Ellen Brown  /  Truthdig  July 26, 2019 Planting billions of trees across the world is by far the cheapest and most efficient way to tackle the climate crisis. So states a Guardian article , citing a new analysis published in the journal Science .  The author explains: As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heating. New research estimates that a worldwide planting programme could remove two-thirds of all the emissions that have been pumped into the atmosphere by human activities, a figure the scientists describe as “mind-blowing”. For skeptics who reject the global warming thesis, reforestation also addresses the critical problems of mass species extinction and environmental pollution, which are well-documented. A 2012 study from the University of Michigan found that loss of biodiversity impacts ecosystems as much as does climate change and pollution. Forests shelter plant and anim...

How many of us have ever thought about iodine for optimal health? I'm guessing not many. A friend of mine who is recovering from Leukemia and now a thyroid condition has spent much of his rehab time researching his condition. He learned about the remarkable benefits of iodine and encouraged me to do the same and feature it here, in the magazine. I found out its amazing stuff. "Iodine affects the most basic functions of the body. It's found in every single one of our body’s hundred trillion cells. Without adequate iodine levels, life is impossible. Iodine is the universal health nutrient and brings health on many levels." Gabriel Cousens, MD. Iodine – The Universal & Holistic Super Mineral Iodine is an essential mineral commonly found in seafood. Your thyroid gland uses it to make thyroid hormones, which help control growth, repair damaged cells and support a healthy metabolism. Unfortunately, up to a third of people worldwide are at risk of an ...

Somewhere along the way the American Dream became defined by owning more stuff than your neighbor. Is that the new truth? Do we need a bigger house and a better car to find happiness? Does it come about when we sacrifice our dreams for the pursuit of stuff? By  CHARLOTTE MILLS ModernDayMagi People have individual lives and experiences, thoughts, feelings, ambitions and passions. Full reliance on marketing practices like ABC1 grouping and demographics etc are beyond antiquated, they are insulting.  Any ‘glitches’ in trends or expectations referred to as ‘anomalies’ would only go to prove the theories’ own redundancy. Marketing companies and corporations who pedal this practice and terminology only go to show they have little understanding of human behavior, after all, we are not pre-programmed machines.  However, it proves a second issue. Referring to the meaning of consumption and it’s a mismatched relationship with a real economy, iterating and encouragin...

from BIKE SNOB by  Eben Weiss Here in America, the number of kids who ride bikes has declined by 19 percent since 2007, and 2018 holiday bikes sales were down 10 percent from 2017. Advocates and industry analysts offer all sorts of explanations as to why this is happening, from the pervasiveness of video games and screen-based entertainment, to the highly structured and programmed nature of childhood recreation in general. But the most obvious and fundamental reason fewer kids are riding bikes these days is sitting right in your driveway. It’s your car. For all the stranger danger! and just say no! warnings that we’ve subjected our kids to over the years, the number-one threat to their lives is cars. Only guns come close. Therefore, everything that makes it possible for you to drive everywhere also serves to ensure that their environment remains deadly. The roads are far too dangerous thanks to all the car traffic, and even the sidewalks are bisected by acti...