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What Is The Tiny House Movement?

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50% container home, 50% outdoor space! From the Tiny Life Newsletter Simply put, it is a social movement where people are choosing to downsize the space they live in.  People are joining this movement for many reasons, but the most popular reasons include environmental concerns, financial concerns, and the desire for more time and freedom. For most Americans 1/3 to 1/2 of their income is dedicated to the roof over their heads; this translates to 15 years of working over your lifetime just to pay for it, and because of it 76% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. So what is the alternative? One solution might be to live smaller. While we don’t think tiny houses are for everyone, there are lessons to be learned and applied in order to escape the cycle of debt in which almost 70% of Americans are trapped.  READ >> Living Small will be a big part of the content for Alternatives Magazine. It's about people taking control of their lives and loosening the grip large

How Nature Can Help Heal

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This is a great article from the Dr. Mercola newsletter, August 20, 2016. It explains the difference between those living in large cities and those living in rural environments and the mood and anxiety disorders.  People who grew up in an urban environment may have a greater sensitivity to stress. There's a a wealth of research points to the calming and healing effects of nature on the human body and mind.  By Dr. Mercola Living Near Nature May Extend Your Lifespan In a study that followed more than 100,000 women, those who lived near higher levels of green vegetation had a 12 percent lower rate of non-accidental premature death compared to those living near areas with the least vegetation. Specifically, those living in greener areas had a: 41 percent lower death rate for kidney disease 34 percent lower death rate for respiratory disease 13 percent lower death rate for cancer The researchers suggested 30 percent of the longevity benefit may be due to nature's bene

10 Foods Made in China That Are Filled With Plastic, Pesticides and Cancer Causing Chemicals

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You have to think, not only is the food being shipped from the other side of the world but beyond that look at what certain Chinese companies are doing to food. Making it fake, and as cheap as humanly possible.  China is using their innovative methods to make cheap technology products, toys and other consumer products and applying that mindset to food, which is absolutely dangerous. READ >>

10 Reasons to Live Off the Grid

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Republished with permission:  Off Grid Living Magazine - 1.  Self sufficiency   Living off grid is all about living a self sufficient lifestyle, one not dependent on outside resources because you create your own resources thereby reducing or totally eliminating your dependence on a system that could collapse at any moment. 2.  Sustainable living It’s about living more sustainably. Without constantly consuming resources, you will actually be producing more than you consume. This has the added benefit of not only providing for your family, but contributing to your local community. 3. Renewable energy The use of renewable energy only makes sense. Using an energy source that is not renewable is absurd. Fossil fuels are not renewable, at least at the rate we are consuming them. So it makes sense to use sources of energy that are completely renewable, and that can be shared. Renewable energy is also more sustainable long term, and that’s just smart living. 4. Environmentally responsible

Teach Your Body to Heal Itself

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By Dr. Mercola Statistically speaking, you're more likely to be sick than healthy these days. Nearly 70 percent of adults in the U.S. take at least one prescription drug for a chronic or other medical condition, with antibiotics, antidepressants and narcotic painkillers topping the list. One in 5 deaths in the U.S. is linked to obesity, and diabetes has increased over 300 percent in just 15 years. 1 All told, nearly one-third of Americans have either prediabetes or some form of diabetes, 2 which predisposes them to a whole host of other serious health conditions and chronic diseases. More than half a million Americans also die from Alzheimer's disease each year, making it the third leading cause of death in the U.S., right behind heart disease and cancer. Importantly, ALL of these conditions have been scientifically linked to poor lifestyle choices and alterations in the modern diet. So is there a way out of this proverbial mouse trap? I b

Dandelion Root’s Effectiveness Against Cancer Might Be Better Than Chemo

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When faced with a cancer diagnosis, you’re normally faced with the horrifying decision of treating it with extremely dangerous treatments like chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and invasive surgeries. Sometimes, ask any survivor, the treatment feels far worst than the cure offered. Unfortunately, the medical community is still reluctant to divert from these dangerous treatments, leaving you with that hopeless feeling of having to expose your already sick body to something toxic. The Mind Blowing Study In 2012, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of Windsor, Canada completed a study on the effects of dandelion root extract on pancreatic cancer. The results were simply amazing to say the least. Their results were that dandelion root extract was able induce selective apoptosis in cancerous cells and caused the collapse of the mitochondrial membranes in these cells which led to cancerous cell prodeath autophagy. Read More >>

The Patent That Could Destroy Monsanto And Change The World…

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If there’s anything you read – or share – let this be it. The content of this article has potential to radically shift the world in a variety of positive ways. And as Monsanto would love for this article to not go viral, all we can ask is that you share, share, share the information being presented so that it can reach as many people as possible. In 2006, a patent was granted to a man named Paul Stamets. Though Paul is the world’s leading mycologist, his patent has received very little attention and exposure. Why is that? Stated by executives in the pesticide industry, this patent represents “the most disruptive technology we have ever witnessed.” And when the executives say disruptive, they are referring to it being disruptive to the chemical pesticides industry. What has Paul discovered? The mycologist has figured out how to use mother nature’s own creations to keep insects from destroying crops. It’s what is being called SMART pesticides. These pesticides provide safe & nea

Regenerative Farming — One Solution That Solves Many Problems

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We face a number of very pressing problems in the world today. Water scarcity is getting worse as aquifers are drained faster than they can be refilled. Soil erosion and degradation is also rapidly worsening. Same for air and water pollution. What if farmers could get paid for growing food AND building a healthier climate? This is practical--and potentially huge--for the health of farms, people, and the planet. Regenerative farming methods can help us sink excess carbon, improve the health of food, and produce an increase in crop output. READ >>

California Approves $133 Million for Bike Trails

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Napa Valley Vine Trail | Photo courtesy Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition Posted 02/26/16 by Laura Cohen in Building Trails , Policy It was another great year for trails in California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP), the largest funding source for biking, walking and trails in the state. RTC recently learned that the California Transportation Commission has approved $133 million for 59 trail projects and separated bikeways in Cycle 2 of ATP. On Sept. 21, 2015, RTC reported on the funding decisions for the statewide and rural shares of ATP Cycle 2, in which $64 million was programmed for 29 trail projects. In late-January, California approved its final piece of ATP, with $69 million going to 30 trail and separated bikeway projects. This brings California 59 projects closer this year to its dream of creating regional active-transportation networks that promote healthy lifestyles and improve the mobility of residents and vis

The amount of K-Cups Trashed in Landfills Could Wrap Around the Planet 10 times.

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Brewing coffee has changed dramatically over the years. Coffee no longer represents a time to gather with family, take a break, and recharge. Instead it’s about getting caffeinated as quickly and efficiently as possible to do more and more work. This excessive, on-the-go, convenience model of coffee consumption is creating more and more waste -- and big problems for our environment. Nothing is more emblematic of this culture shift and waste problem than Keurig Green Mountain company’s plastic, single serve K-cups. Designed specifically for the Keurig brand coffee brewer, these white plastic pods with aluminum foil lids create a single cup of coffee with the press of a button. After the coffee is brewed, the pod is designed not to be reused, composted, or recycled - but to be thrown in the trash. Keurig Green Mountain company is widely recognized as the pioneer of these single serve pods - but there’s nothing pioneering about trashing the planet with excessive waste! K-Cups may be sm

DumbingUs Down

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We hear a lot about the 1% controlling everything, and the 99% is too busy buying into it . The more I watch the news and hear the bullshit coming out of the Washington and the spin the media put on it, the more I think this is what we really deserve. After all we elected these buffoons. We knew going in they were all a bunch of self-serving, lying privileged hypocrites who only answer to the corporate interests who got them elected.  Collectively the last election cost $12 billion. You would think there might be at least one shining knight. But this is what we wanted and this is what we got. Or did we. We all sit around listening or texting our buddies about the last load of bullshit dumped on us by the media, then head off to the nearest coffee shop, bar or chat room looking for reinforcements just to sit around and bitch about it.  The only opinion most of us really have are those trumped up by bought in corporate media experts such as Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Rielly et al

Toxic Black Sludge Pouring Out of Faucets in Texas Town Where FBI Arrested Every City Official

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By Colin Taylor With each passing week, the consequences of our nation’s long neglect of i nfrastructure become alarmingly clear. The refusal of Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder to inform the people of Flint that their drinking water was contaminated with dangerous amounts of lead has been occupying the public’s attention, but similar crises around the nation are being revealed with a frightening frequency. The rural town of Crystal City, Texas, received an unpleasant shock last week when they turned on their taps only to find black liquid spurting from the pipes. Apparently due to the flushing of a water tank that hadn’t been cleaned in decades, the water was found to smell awful and took on a greasy, oily texture. Complicating matters is the fact that all city officials but one were recently arrested by the FBI for perpetrating a massive bribery ring and illegal gambling. “The indictment alleges that these public officials and this businessman solicited and

President Obama’s budget proposal and bikes

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On Tuesday February 9, President Obama released his fiscal year 2017 (FY17) budget request, which lays out the administration’s spending recommendations for the coming year. How does this relate to getting more people on bikes? The federal government funds several important programs that help communities build places to ride, and the President’s budget highlights the need to expand transportation options across the country. The budget proposes a significant increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER grant program from $500 million in the current fiscal year to $1.25 billion. This program provides grants to build multi-modal transportation projects and many communities have used TIGER grants to construct innovative facilities that incorporate bicycle infrastructure. Another piece of the President's budget proposal relates to the implementation of the FAST Act, the five-year transportation reauthorization bill. Specifically, he highlights the