AlternativesMagazine

http://www.gofundme.com/walterbike   Stolen bikes are unfortunately a common occurence. As they say, It comes with the territory.  But when it happens to someone who relies on it as their only means of transportation, like Walter, who is 76 and on a fixed income, is also a Type II diabetic, and rides daily to keep his blood sugar in-check, then it becomes tragic.  This is why we're starting a gofundme campaign on behalf of Walter to replace his bike and the attached accessories (helmet, pump odometer etc) and get him back in the saddle. We hope you can help! Any amount is appreciated. CLICK HERE >>

By Donald H. Peterson   Although you may never have thought about it, living on Earth as it soars through empty space shares a very critical characteristic with an astronaut traveling through space on a spaceship. Namely, you are totally dependent on the life support resources that are already on theEarth, because with the exception of radiant energy from the sun, the surrounding space environment provides absolutely nothing to support life. MORE >>

By Madeleine Thomas Last year the popular British grocery chain Tesco threw away more than 60,000 tons of food. Think about it: That’s just one chain in a sea of grocery stores discarding perfectly edible leftover ingredients. Unsurprisingly, some enterprising food entrepreneurs see opportunity here. With increasing popularity, cafes are starting to pop up all over the U.K. that source tossed foodstuffs from various grocery stores, wholesalers, and restaurants before it all heads to a landfill. Think of it as highbrow dumpster diving. Leading the cause is Skipchen , a popular Bristol cafe that serves everything from dressed lobsters with red peppers to ratatouille, all entirely sourced from food waste. Quartz has the story: There are now 14 cafés with the same idea in cities like Leeds and London, and up to 80 at various stages of the development process. The umbrella that ties them together is The Real Junk Food Project , a grassroots organization that started in Leeds. The caf

Maintaining our back country trail systems and waterways is everybody's business! We hope you support the "Be Part of the Solution," GoFundMe campaign just launched today. http://www.gofundme.com/solutions

Yesterday we started a GoFundMe fundraising campaign titled BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. Fundraising sites are fairly new (at least to me). It's a way to raise money for personal causes, life-events, new business ideas, products etc. GoFundMe removes the physical barriers traditionally associated with receiving financial support from people who feel a situation, product or service is worthy and support it. That's it. No other bells or whistles. We think Be Part of the Solution is one of those events and hope you will support it.  Here's why: We've been publishing Alternatives Magazine for the past 10 years (hard to believe), with very little, to no financial help. It evolved about the time gas prices went from a $1 to $2. In the beginning, I admit, I knew very little about the environment and really didn't associate Alternatives with the environment, but most people did, and that was fine with me.  The more I learned about the environment and the effects our

by Daniel Barker You might be aware that it is illegal to collect rainwater on your own property in some states, but did you know that doing so could actually land you in jail? That is exactly what is happening to Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Oregon. He is now facing a 30-day jail sentence and fines of more than $1,500. His crime? Harrington has been collecting rainwater in three reservoirs on his property, and the government doesn't like it. In Oregon, all water is considered property of the state whether it flows from the tap or falls from the sky. Collecting, storing and using rainwater is permitted if you obtain a permit from the state, but Harrington's permits were revoked. The reasons why are not clear. Harrington has been wrangling with Oregon's Water Resources Department for more than ten years. In 2002, the state informed him that they had received "complaints" regarding three reservoirs located on his property. The reservoirs were used to collect an

http://bikeandpaddle.com/membership.html Biking and paddle sports are Americas most popular recreational activities. They allow us to explore the back country and waterways while leaving a small carbon footprint and experiencing the challenge of minimalist travel and a healthy lifestyle. Membership provides many benefits and keeps you connected with other like minded people who enjoy the outdoors. No matter where you live, we'll keep you connected. bikeandpaddle.com

In an effort to bolster its commitment to sustainability, Adidas announced that it would begin developing materials out of plastic ocean waste to ultimately use in its products. They are teaming up with the Parley for the Oceans, a group of artists, scientists, musicians, and designers dedicated to cleaning up the world’s oceans. Together, they plan on developing fibers made from plastic ocean waste that can be used in the manufacturing of clothing and potentially in shoes. In the short term, Adidas also pledged to phase out plastic bags at its 2,900 stores worldwide. Between 5 and 13 million metric tons of plastic waste ended up in oceans just 2010 alone, an amount that’s expected to increase in the coming decades if waste disposal techniques aren’t improved. Another study estimated that the ocean has about 600 pieces of plastic in it per every person living on earth. Each ocean has its own massive whirlpool of plastic debris, but those patches only account for 1 percent of

When you think of reducing your risk of devastating diseases such as dementia and cancer, is exercise at the top of your list? If it isn’t, you may want to reconsider. Compelling evidence suggests exercise can not only help slash your risk of cancer, it also helps cancer patients recuperate faster, and diminishes your risk of cancer recurrence. There’s also plenty of research demonstrating that exercise benefits your brain as much as it does your body, and with rates of dementia rising precipitously, this is another significant reason to make sure you stay more active, regardless of your age. Exercise also improves circulation, driving more oxygen into your tissues, and circulating immune cells in your blood. Earlier research has also found that exercise—in this case weight training—cut men’s risk of dying from cancer by 40 percent. Similar findings have been reported in other studies.   READ MORE >>

I was watching a movie trailer the other day titled, "Divide in Concord," a feature-length documentary about an 84-year-old woman who leads an effort to ban the sale of bottled water in Concord, MA. I was about ready to join the movement, if not in person, at least in spirit. Way to Go Concord! Where do I sign up!   I logged onto their webpage for more information and found they had a section for people to express their PRO or CON opinion. I couldn't imagine anyone NOT being against it. But there were. And quite a few. But not for the reasons I expected. There was one response that stuck out more than the rest. It read: "I hate plastic water bottles and don\'t use them, BUT I'm not for bans -- education is better." Hmmmm. I had my usual WTF you can't have it both ways reaction! But then I thought about it for awhile. A ban usually means government intervention and actually creating a law. And we all know where that road leads. We don't ne

It's been said that, the way California goes, so goes the rest of the country, and if it were a country it would be the 8th largest economy in the world. It supplies 75% of all the fruits, vegetable, nuts, dairy and many other food products for the entire country. The drought has been going on for four years and if it continues, and current weather trends indicate that it will, how will effect the rest of the country?  It has caused some real chatter especially in L.A.'s Mayor's office. Maybe they just realized they are living in a desert and without water things could get a little dicey. L.A.'s Mayor, Eric Garcetti, released a broad-ranging plan that outlines his vision for environmental goals and programs in Los Angeles over the coming decades to combat L.A.’s image as a smog-choked, car-worshipping, insane freeway-entangled sprawlsville. The 105-page booklet — simply titled, in a play on words, “the pLAn." The report sets objectives such as

Unlined waste-water pits produced from fracking and other oil drilling operations  by Julie Cart environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times Water officials in Kern County discovered that oil producers have been dumping chemical-laden waste-water into hundreds of unlined pits that are operating without proper permits. The pits raise new water quality concerns in a region where agricultural fields sit side by side with oil fields and where California’s ongoing drought has made protecting groundwater supplies paramount. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources has admitted that for years it allowed companies to inject fracking wastewater into protected groundwater aquifers, a problem they attributed to a history of chaotic record-keeping. “The state doesn’t seem to be willing to put the protection of groundwater and water quality ahead of the oil industry being able to do business as usual,” said Andrew Grinberg of the group Clean Water Action. The pits — long, shallow

Houseboats float in California’s drought-lowered Oroville Lake. Credit Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press Water is the most wasted resource on the planet. However, our leaders have been so focused on oil, pipelines and punching more holes in the earth (where the real money is) that very little attention has been given to water, the drought, hoping that it will rain someday soon and the problem will just go away. But what if it doesn't? What if we actually had to make sacrifices? Looks like we may find out. Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered mandatory water use reductions for the first time in California’s history, saying the state’s four-year drought had reached near-crisis proportions after a paltry mountain snowpack. The lowest since 1950 -- means low levels at state reservoirs, which supply 30% of California's May-through-November water to homeowners, farms, wineries and utilities. The Sta