Activism

Being the Change, Peter Kalmus, Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 201

Being the Change

REVIEWED by Michael Polanyi AS SOMEONE WHO lives comfortably in a developed country, I struggle, as I’m sure others do, with how to live a meaningful and joyful life in a world that requires a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid uncontrolled planetary warming. I have done […]

Beyond Crisis, written , directed and edited by Kai Reimer-Watts, Toronto Creati

Beyond Crisis

THE OVERRIDING QUESTION in Kai Reimer-Watts’ Beyond Crisis is why is our response to climate change “absurdly slow”? Humanity is already experiencing horrific forest fires and flooding – think Fort McMurray and Hurricane Sandy – yet many of us still engage in the flying, driving and beef-eating which bring wide-spread […]

Still image from Metamorphosis

Motivating Our Metamorphosis: A Film Review of Metamorphosis (2018)

In Metamorphosis, filmmakers Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper skillfully explore the materialization of our planet’s metamorphosis amidst a worsening climate crisis. By sharing an intricate collage of stories, this film avoids perpetuating the daunting notions of guilt and defeat to focus on swelling the hearts of audience members with a […]

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Why Sharks Matter

Sharks are the perfect predator – formed by 450 million years of evolution having lived longer than the dinosaurs and surviving five major extinctions. They formed life as we know it and keep the oceans, our planet’s life force, healthy. We exist, in part, because sharks did – and still […]

'Drawdown', edited by Paul Hawken. Penguin Books. 240 pp

‘Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming’

This is a book that addresses the climate crisis at its very roots. Editor Paul Hawken, who made his name with such environmental classics as Natural Capitalism and The Ecology of Commerce, says reducing or even halting new greenhouse gas emissions is not enough. At this moment in history we […]

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It’s Time to Unite!

Day 5 of the 2018 Turtle Island Solidarity Journey was spent back at the Pointe-Aux-Chien Tribal Building. We had connected with the community and shared a meal with its members a few days earlier, but this time we returned to nurture the relationship we all share – our relationship with […]

go to farm final

The GO Train to Farm Country?

Imagine catching a GO train to see, taste, and pick the best the world grows and prepares all in one place. Imagine picking your own berries and then drinking squeezed juice while watching some frisky goats. Then imagine sitting down to enjoy what can be done with the cheese they […]

Proposed Greenbelt Expansion Study Area - Streams and Water Map

The Greenbelt is Growing

Alternatives Journal and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation are hosting a celebration of the possible expansion of the Greenbelt into Waterloo Region and Wellington County. There’s just one problem: earlier this month, Waterloo Regional council voted for revisions to the greenbelt expansion before agreeing to join. In fact, if […]

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Why We Upcycle

In 2016, the magazine TakePart reported that 26 billion pounds (11,800,000 tonnes) of textile is tossed into US landfills each year. You might donate clothing in hopes that someone will re-love it, but according to the 2015 film The True Cost, only 10 percent of clothes that people donate get sold. […]