AlternativesMagazine

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 encouraging consumption

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 active d

If fossil fuels pipelines like the Dakota Access, Keystone, and Line 3 are about “energy security,” how about we put our money where our mouth is?  The Dakota Access Pipeline is a $3.9 billion clusterfuck; Enbridge’s Line 3 project is an even worse hemorrhage at $7 billion. That money could buy you a pipeline for a Canadian corporation to get some filthy tar sands oil to market and bake the planet– or you could erect 580 two-megawatt wind turbines, install 716,000 five-kilowatt systems on that many homes, and retrofit another 283,000 homes for efficiency. That’s energy security. READ MORE >>

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 Federa

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 for ne

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