AlternativesMagazine

By C-A Moss  In my quest to extend my vegan compassion to other areas of my consumerism, I’ve circled back to minimalism, which for many years, played a prominent role in my belief structure. Researching for this article, I found an abundance of blog entries and youtube videos of people identifying as minimalist in various forms. Ending excessive consumption. Rejecting capitalism. Life editing. Zero-waste lifestyle. Decluttering. Anti-materialism. Living deliberately. Spartanism. Deattachment. Thriving with less. Living within your needs. I’ve experienced many challenges and fails over these first eight months of the Ethical Closet Project [ http://thedreamyidealist.com/theethicalclosetproject /]. I’ve accepted that our culture sets us up to fail but I’m still determined to find a loophole in the system that doesn’t include voluntary poverty. Consuming even less, and only what is essential, may be the path to greatly reducing my participation in the exploitation tha

WALKING, WHAT A NOVEL IDEA . . . . A few major cities are making some surprising and unexpected shifts toward walkable urban development. Walkable neighborhoods are defined as those where everyday destinations such as home, work, school, stores and restaurants are concentrated and within walking distance. Planners and residents who once opposed dense urban spaces are shifting gears. Neighborhood groups mobilized around a major new development and demanded higher density "because they wanted great urbanism that their kids could walk to." Who's to blame for all this common sense? Kids! the Millennials … are driving this. And we thought all they did was sit around texting.  The average American household spends over $8,000 per year on owning and driving their cars, that's more than they spend on food. Furthermore traffic congestion wastes nearly 3 billion gallons of gas per year in the U.S. If there is anything that will get the attention of the oil ba

it's about prevention "Why is "diet and exercise" always part of the rehab procedure AFTER a diagnosis, or recovering from a major illness?"  "Why do most pharmaceutical drugs include the fine print disclaimer:  "if combined with a proper diet and exercise?"  (it usually appears right before the list of it's deadly side effects). ....... I f diet and exercise is so important AFTER being cut, poisoned or burned,  why not go there FIRST and eliminate the middle men? This is the message of BIKE SATURDAYS. Join us on the Whitefish Trail, Saturday June 21 CLOSING NOTE: This how naive we've become about the cause and effect of cancer and how corporate "pink washing" has taken over at the expense of women with breast cancer. KFC Chicken is a major sponsor of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure . Raising money in the name of breast cancer research, while engaged in a partnership with a corporation that ma

Safety is usually the biggest reason why more people don't bike. True, biking isn't all that dangerous compared to being a pedestrian, but it seems much more dangerous — especially to people who haven't ridden in traffic or been on a bike much since childhood. Research shows the lanes make new bikers feel safer about biking   Luckily, we have a cutting-edge technology that can solve this problem: protected bike lanes. Though some European cities began installing these bike lanes — which are physically separated from the street by a curb or barrier — during the 1970s and 80s , relatively few of them existed in the US until recently. Over the past few years, though, American cities have begun building them in record numbers. And if the goal of these lanes is to get more people biking, research shows they work. A new study of eight recently-installed protected bike lanes in Austin, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington, DC shows they encouraged substant

September 14, 2014 is the date of the highly promoted Stand Up to Cancer Telethon.  The following is the warm and fuzzy intro to the event copied directly from their website.  As always, the cancer movement's message is that we are so close to a breakthrough . "Stand Up To Cancer aims to form an unstoppable movement against cancer. Through TV and the internet, particularly the USA-based telethon that occurs every year in September, famous names and the entertainment industry team up to drive home the message that together we can stop cancer. One in two men and one in three women will suffer from cancer in their lifetime (American Cancer Society). We can all be affected by the terrible disease, whether the person diagnosed is a friend, a parent, a child, a sibling or a partner. Stand Up To Cancer aim to form a united front against the disease, raising money and urging forward breakthrough research. Stand Up To Cancer Day works to heighten the profile of research in

by Dr. Mercola   Less than 10 percent of all breast cancer cases are thought to be related to genetic risk factors. The remainder—90 percent—appear to be triggered by environmental factors   According to recent research, you can reduce your risk of breast cancer by avoiding certain chemicals found in common, everyday products   An estimated 90 percent of Americans have flame-retardant chemicals in their bodies, and many studies have linked them to human health risks, including liver, kidney, testicular, and breast cancers   Previous studies have shown that all parabens have estrogenic activity in human breast cancer cells. In one study, 99 percent of cancerous tissue samples were found to contain parabens 16 cancer-causing chemical groups to avoid, and 22 other breast cancer prevention strategies are discussed. Read the complete story HERE >

People cycle as they visit the 2nd Croix Rousse tunnel reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and buses. France has started a six-month experiment with paying people to cycle to work, joining other European governments in trying to boost bicycle use to boost people's health, reduce air pollution and cut fossil fuel consumption. Several countries including the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Britain have bike-to-work schemes, with different kinds of incentives such as tax breaks, payments per kilometer and financial support for buying bicycles. In France, some 20 companies and institutions employing a total of 10,000 people have signed up to pay their staff 25 euro cents (34 U.S. cents) per kilometer biked to work, the transport ministry said in a statement on Monday. French Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier, noting that commuting using public transport and cars is already subsidized, said that if results of the test are promising, a second experiment on a larger

This may be the invention that finally rivals sliced bread. And if it really gets some traction, and does not get politicized, or blasted out of existence by the fossil fuel lobbyists this may even be bigger than sliced bread. Imagine that. Click to view the YouTube video . Form your own opinion, pass it along to your friends, post it on your facebook page. It's a bit on the "hip" side for some of us over the age of  . . . . whatever, but it gets the point across.  Here's another video link by the inventors, Scott and Julie Brusaw. 

By Dr. Mercola  Historically, saunas have a longstanding tradition of use. They are common to many Eastern European countries, as well as Asia. In some countries, such as Finland, you can find them in nearly every home, where they're used for relaxation, detoxification and more. Saunas are actually becoming increasingly used by athletes as well, but not only for the post-workout muscle relaxation as you might expect. According to Rhonda Perciavalle Patrick, Ph.D., increasing your core temperature for short periods, as is done by using a sauna, may offer dramatic improvements to your athletic performance. She calls this concept "hyperthermic conditioning," which emerging research suggests has multiple positive effects on your body, from increased endurance to the growth of new brain cells. Increasing your core temperature for short periods, as is done by using a sauna, may offer dramatic improvements to your athletic performance   This concept, c

WATCH: The Quest For The Cures Thursday, May 22, 2014 by Mike Adams , the Health Ranger "Much of human history, sadly, has been condemned under oppressive regimes that incessantly seek to suppress knowledge. The cancer industry is one of the worst offenders: it actively seeks to suppress the truth about vitamin D's anti-cancer capabilities, the truth about how chemical exposure causes cancer, and the truth about how cancer will never be cured by a chemical drug. The cancer industry ridiculously wants us all to believe that cancer happens without cause, that cancer will one day be cured with pharmaceuticals, but that the search for that cure might take another hundred years and a few trillion dollars... during which we're all supposed to keep running around in circles with pink ribbons, emptying our pockets of donation cash. " Cancer has reached epic proportions worldwide. Why? What’s different now than just 100 years ago? What can you do ab

  44 cyclists participated in the first BIKE SATURDAYS "Bike and Bird" ride Saturday, May 17 sponsored by the Flathead Land Trust and Flathead River to Lake Initiative partners.   Weather is always unpredictable this time of year in Montana and although it was a little chilly and damp, it was great ride route and no complaints. Everyone met at the Fun Beverage parking lot in Kalispell around 9:00 AM and proceeded on paved roads for about 10 miles ending at the Somers Cafe` for lunch.   Flathead Land Trust Director, Laura Katzman and her staff did an excellent job organizing the event, planning the route and keeping everyone safe and informed. The ride showcased protected wetlands, riparian forests, and farmland that help birds and other wildlife thrive.     Bruce Tannehill, Flathead Audubon bird expert, provided information about birding along the way, making several stops to point out information about bird habitats, migratory patt

by Senator Bernie Sanders As a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, billionaires and large corporations can now spend an unlimited amount of money to influence the political process. The results of that decision are clear.  In the coming months and years the Koch brothers and other extraordinarily wealthy families will spend billions of dollars to elect right-wing candidates to the Senate, the House, governors’ mansions and the presidency of the United States.  These billionaires already own much of our economy. That, apparently, is not enough.  Now, they want to own the United States government as well. Four years ago, the Supreme Court passed Citizens United.  A few weeks ago, they passed the equally horrendous McCutcheon campaign finance decision which gives even more political power to the rich. Now, many Republicans want to push this Supreme Court to go even further.  In the name of “free speech,” they want the Court to eliminate all restrictions on

We've allowed big corporate agri factories, and others, dictate what we eat, drink and basically how we should live our lives. They've accomplished that end through massive 24/7 TV ad campaigns, spending billions junking up America. And it's worked. As a result we rank dead last in health care, we have the highest rate of cancer, heart disease, obesity and abuse more alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs. Nearly 49 million Americans live in poverty and struggle to put food on the table, but yet we throw away 165 billion dollars worth of food every year! Consumers are Starting to Get It Inspite of the corporate and political propaganda machine protecting and promoting the antiquated toxic fossil fuel based economy -- consumers are starting to get it. They want to know what's in their food, their water, even the building materials going into their house. Going Green is now dominating businesses. Growth rates of "green" segments are outpa